Ismaeel Aleem
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the Tinubu administration, accusing it of contemplating a “complete surrender to terrorists” by considering the closure of schools in response to recent mass abductions in Northern Nigeria.
In a scathing press release issued and signed by National Publicity Secretary Comrade Ini Ememobong, the main opposition party described any move to shut educational institutions as a “quick-fix” that would inadvertently achieve the terrorists’ objective of denying children formal education.
Highlighting the abduction of 25 students in Kebbi and 315 pupils and staff in Niger within one week, the PDP warned that closing schools would worsen the region’s already dire education crisis, where UNICEF reports 18.3 million out-of-school children reside.
The party lambasted President Bola Tinubu for what it called a “lacklustre and unempathetic” response, noting that instead of personally visiting affected communities, he merely directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate temporarily to Kebbi.
“A juxtaposition of the large contingents sent to the US Congress and G-20 with Matawalle’s lone envoy exposes the levity with which the Presidency treats this matter,” the statement read.
The PDP urged immediate funding and implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools, based on community intelligence and rapid response, rather than “scoring cheap political points.”
Reiterating that security of lives and property is government’s primary duty, the opposition declared: “When a government is unwilling, unable, or incapable of executing this role, it must either seek help locally or internationally or honourably resign.”
