Secretary-general, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Dr Mike Ike-Ene, has advised the Federal Government of Nigeria to employ more trustworthy Nigerians as security agents.
While reacting to the incessant case of the kidnapping of schoolchildren, especially in the north, he told our correspondent in an interview that if security agencies could be trustworthy, it would be easy to tackle the insurgency and banditry activities.
“In as much as we cannot leave security for the government, it is its primary responsibility; the government will take the lead and we will follow. If our security agencies can be trusted, it will be easy for all. There have been cases where the police revealed their sources.
“Those in uniform especially police will need to enrol more credible Nigerians who are patriotic in the police force and there are a lot who are ready to serve, there are a lot of men and women who are ready to change the narrative but they are not given the opportunity. Government should build strong institutions because when we have a strong institution, everyone who went to school will have a place to operate. If society is working well, crime will go down. Government should employ more people with the security votes, this is the time we need the vote,” he said.
Similarly, President, All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, Mr Anselm Izuagie, also identified some of the negative impacts of kidnapping in the north.
He said, “It is a setback for the educational system. The country is trying to remove the out-of-school children who are more in the north, kidnapping will further discourage children from going to school. This will also make the resources invested into education in the north a waste. It will also lead to an increase in the number of dropouts because parents will no longer want to send their children to school. Some of the children who have had the kidnapping experience will like to imitate the bandit and may want to become bandits too. There will be an increase in the rate of poverty, it will also lead to a drop in national development, especially in the north.”
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