The Federal Government has urged principals of the 117 Federal Unity Colleges across the country to strengthen security measures in their institutions, improve emergency preparedness and ensure that insecurity does not disrupt teaching and learning.
The charge was given by the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, on Monday, November 9, 2026, while declaring open the 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Principals of Federal Unity Colleges in Abuja.
The meeting, which has the theme, “Nigerian Schools in the Midst of Insecurity: Building Safe, Resilient and Sustainable Learning Environments,” brought together school administrators and education stakeholders to discuss strategies for improving school safety and sustaining educational activities.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, Olatunji-David described principals as chief security officers of their respective institutions and frontline leaders responsible for protecting students, teachers and school facilities.
She urged them to move beyond passive security arrangements and adopt proactive measures, including stronger access control, intelligence gathering, early-warning systems and improved collaboration with host communities, traditional rulers and security agencies.
She identified three major priorities for the meeting: strengthening local security arrangements, building institutional and psychological resilience, and sustaining educational standards through effective resource management, transparency and accountability.
The Director also called for regular emergency drills, functional counselling services, psychosocial support for affected students and staff, and alternative digital and offline learning arrangements to ensure continuity of education whenever insecurity prevents physical access to schools.
She further challenged the principals to develop practical security action plans with clear implementation steps, rather than allowing the meeting’s resolutions to remain on paper. Each institution, she said, should identify its security gaps and determine the measures required to address them.
In his remarks, the Director of the Senior Secondary Education Department, Mr Adeniji Ibrahim A., commended the Ministry’s leadership and the participating principals, expressing confidence that the meeting would produce outcomes capable of improving school administration, security and learning standards.
Earlier, the Chairman of Principals of Federal Unity Colleges, Alhaji Shehu Dahiru, described school safety as an investment in education, national development and the future of Nigerian children.
He stressed that protecting schools required collective responsibility involving administrators, teachers, parents, students, host communities, traditional institutions, government and security agencies.
While acknowledging Federal Government interventions in technical and vocational education, teacher development, digital learning and the Safe Schools Initiative, Dahiru identified persistent challenges, including insecurity, teacher shortages, inadequate funding, infrastructure deficits and rising operational costs.
He called for sustained investment in teacher recruitment and training, improved school infrastructure, equipped laboratories and workshops, ICT facilities and stronger emergency support systems.
Also speaking, the Commander of the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre, Abuja, ACG Umanah A. Anedi, urged principals to update their school security and safety plans within the current academic term.
He advised them to appoint and train designated safety officers, conduct at least two emergency drills every academic session and strengthen early-warning systems and engagement with host communities.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Registrar and Zonal Coordinator of WAEC Nigeria, Mr Zakariya Abdullahi, urged principals to ensure accurate recording and verification of SS1 and SS2 continuous assessment records ahead of the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
He also cautioned against examination malpractice and highlighted WAEC’s digital certificate initiative, which allows eligible candidates to access their certificates within two to three weeks after the release of results.
At the meeting, the President of the National Association of Retired Directors of the Federal Ministry of Education, Rev. Dr Uwem Asomugha, announced Federal Government Girls’ College, Oyo, as the recipient of the Association’s Annual Award for Best Federal Unity College in WASSCE Performance.
The Federal Ministry of Education reaffirmed its commitment to protecting learners and educational institutions while promoting safe, inclusive and uninterrupted learning across the country.
Written by Enitan Mudashiru
