Expectedly, the bombing of a secondary school in Portiskum has drawn the ire of all and sundry. The governments and the opposition have “publicly” continued to condemn this barbaric action. Activists, social critics, politicians and virtually everybody are condemning the actions “in public” and some of them even in private. I deliberately choose the word “in public” because I believe even those who perpetrate the act would naturally join the world in this pointless and directionless condemnation, knowing fully that the purpose of condemnation is to drown the voice of reason until the next dastardly act. Condemnation of “concern authourities is the easiest part, but suggestion of what the concern authourities ought to have done differently is scarcely ever muted. This is what I find very strange with the polity of Nigeria. Is it that people don’t know or people want the status quo to remain until they get there? Many people are quick to suggest that Goodluck Jonathan should travel to the school to commiserate with the victims, it is even laughable that a governor insisted that the president has some explanation to do in that bombing. Others believe that the police were rather being channeled towards political activities rather than securing of the common man. These of course are plausible suggestions, but beyond the outward demonstration of concern that these actions could show, can these action prevent a reoccurance in other schools? Or are we planning to turn the president into chief condolence visitor? Do we really agree that more military/police should be deployed into schools for security sake? What would be the implication of militarized school on the education of our children? Even if we stationed many policemen at schools’ gate, would that prevents bombing inside school premises? Indeed, what is security? Is it the presence of heavily armed security men or the presence of security mind? Now, let us ask ourselves this simple question, who is in a better position to secure our schools, the president? The police? The State Governments? Or the schools? In serious countries, how are schools secured? What should actually be the role of schools management in the security of their schools? 1. How can the president secure the schools numbering over a hundred thousand spread across the states? 2. How can the state governments secure their school when they have no police directly under them? 3. How can the schools management secure their school when they have no control over who is employed into the school, they cannot control, discipline or motivate their staff or even monitor their students. If we are to properly investigate that singular bombing in Portiskun, we will definitely find out so much conspiracy against our mouthed oneness and further polarized this country….. In a saner society, by now, the principal of that school would by now be assisting the police about what he did and what he didn’t do to secure the school of which he is supposed to be the chief security officer. By the way, why does it appear that the police is always incapable of carrying out very simple investigation? Carrying out simple investigation in Nigeria is a herculean task, simply because so many people could be easily indicted either by act of commission or omission. Therefore it is always better to let sleeping dog lies. I will continue to say, Nigeria is a country where offices are glorified but responsibilities are denied. And to change this, we must begin the process of separating government officials from public funds… It is very easy to separate government officials from public funds particularly in the education sector. In all advance countries, government don’t employ teachers or any worker for public schools, they do not go building classes or toilets or purchasing books or supplying chalks. They schools are completely detached from government in their day to day running. The schools are responsible for the quality of their teachers, security of their premises and infrastructural development of their school. That way the schools management are not only responsible but are committed to the security and welfare of their students. If we can do this, then we would be ensuring that every school management are always on their toes to ensure the security of their students, except where insurgents actually invade the schools and overwhelmed the security that is put in place, in cases such as the bombing of the Government Secondary School Portiskum and even the kidnapped of Chibok girls, I will continue to insist that the principals have cases to answer……
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 20:24:06 +0000
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