The President of the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), Hon. Orji Kanu Emmanuel, has called on relevant authorities to convene a stakeholders’ meeting to develop sustainable strategies for protecting schoolchildren from security threats within and outside school premises.
Orji, who is also the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency of Abia State in the forthcoming elections, made the call at the 7th Annual Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN) Summit 2026, held on Wednesday, October 14, at The Providence Hotel, GRA, Lagos.
Speaking on the need to strengthen school security, Orji stressed that the pursuit of education should not expose children to danger, insisting that every child deserves maximum protection while in school and during journeys to and from school.
He noted that creating a conducive learning environment requires adequate security within school premises and in surrounding communities, adding that school safety must be treated as a shared responsibility.
According to him, security agencies, government representatives, public and private school operators, including proprietors of low-cost private schools, must come together to identify security gaps and develop practical, sustainable solutions to protect learners and educational facilities.
Orji emphasised that a coordinated approach involving all relevant stakeholders would help move school security beyond emergency responses to effective prevention and long-term protection.
The AFED president subsequently presided over an award presentation at the summit.
The 2026 summit, themed “Schools Under Threat: From Reactive Responses to Sustainable Protection,” focused on strategies for safeguarding Nigerian schools, learners, teachers and educational facilities against growing security challenges.
Discussions centred on preventive measures and early warning systems, emergency preparedness, community engagement, continuity of learning during security crises, and the media’s role in exposing gaps in school safety.
A major highlight was a call by Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, for the introduction of a dedicated School Safety Curriculum to equip teachers with specialised knowledge and skills for addressing security threats in schools.
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, was among the prominent dignitaries at the event, alongside Professor Ogundipe and other stakeholders in the education sector.
The IGP stressed that school safety must be treated as a national security priority rather than a responsibility left solely to individual schools.
The summit was also attended by EWAN Chairman, Mojeed Alabi, and other education stakeholders committed to strengthening school safety and ensuring that insecurity does not undermine children’s access to quality education.
Innocent Onoh
