By Kelechi Ogunleye
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has received the draft copy of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), mearnt for Nigeria’s School Security and Emergency Response Centre.
This is contained in a statement on Wednesday, in Abuja, by Mr Olusola Odumosu, Director Public Relations, NSCDC.
Odumosu said that the Commandant General (CG) of the corps, Ahmed Audi, while receiving the draft copy of the SOP appreciated the committee for their dedication and timely feedback.
Audi noted that a centre could not run without guiding rules, and therefore commending the committee’s dedication and commitment which led to the timely completion of the given assignment.
“I will study the SOP carefully and I hope it stands the test of time,” he said.
The CG promised to engage other stakeholders involved in the safe schools project for their inputs and contributions towards confronting threats and attacks on the nation’s educational institutions.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Committee, Prof Terhemba Tyoor, while presenting the draft SOP, disclosed that the document was divided into eight sections which dealt with different operational methodologies and procedures among others.
Tyoor expressed hope that the corps would be pleased with the draft document, adding that the team was dedicated in ensuring standard measures in safe guarding schools in the country.
He added, that there was need to bring together stakeholders from the Police, Department of State Security (DSS), Nigerian Army, Federal Ministry of Education, among others, to make positive inputs as proposed.
The Chairman appreciated the corps for their keen interest in the development and seamless take-off of the centre.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the centre is located at the corps’ headquarters in Abuja.
NAN reports that the Federal Government through the NSCDC and Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning launched the national school emergency response centre to secure and ensure safety of schools in the country on Feb. 16.
NAN reports that at the launch, Audi said that the decision to protect schools nationwide was borne from governments resolve to halt the deadly trend of incessant attacks unleashed on innocent pupils, students , teachers and school facilities lately.
He gave a statistics disclosing that about 2, 295 teachers have so far been killed and 19,000 others displaced in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States between 2009 and 2018 alone, while an estimate of 1, 500 schools had been destroyed since 2014, with over 1,280 casualties being recorded among teachers and students.
The CG however expressed the corps’ commitment and the uncompromised determination of the Corps to prioritise the safety of lives of Nigerian school children as well as their school facilities as mandated by the federal government. (NAN)
