Apapa Blasts: Lagos Issues First-line Order to Public Schools

Rolls out terrorism containment measures

Gboyega Akinsanmi

Following the bomb blasts which took place in Apapa fortnight ago, the Lagos State Government yesterday issued a first-line order to all head teachers and principals in the state’s public schools

on how to forestall terrorist attacks.

The state government rolled out the security containment measures about 24 hours after Boko Haram, claimed responsibility for the two explosions that occurred at a fuel depot in Apapa.

The state’s Head of Service, Mrs. Josephine Williams and Special Adviser on Education, Mr. Fatai Olukoga, rolled out the new measures at an interactive session with the head teachers and principals of primary and secondary schools held at the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) pavilion in Alausa.

At the interactive session, Williams expressed the state government’s grave concerns over the security of pupils and students in their schools, noting that everything should be done “to prevent security breaches in public schools.

She tasked the school managers in the state to be vigilant and security conscious, which she said, had become imperative due to the prevailing security challenges being experienced in some parts of the country.

Likewise, the special adviser said the lives of the pupils and students “are entrusted into the care of the school managers from the time they assembled in the schools in the morning till afternoon when schools close for the day.

Hence, the managers should be security conscious at all times so that the state will not experience serious security breaches as being experienced in some states.”

He, therefore, urged the school managers not “to allow any strange person or occurrences happen within their school without challenging such a person and at the same time reporting such activity to the appropriate security agency that are better trained and equipped to handle such an occurrence.

“I wish to specifically charge principals of boarding schools not to release their students to anybody who is unknown to them and the child, even the drivers except their parents. The managers of public schools should always be conscious of the next person beside you. Government is concerned about our safety, security and the general well being of every Lagos residents,” he said.

Williams, however, said the call on the managers of public schools “to be security-conscious was not informed by any imminent security breaches in the state but the need for people to be security-conscious at this particular time in the nation’s development cannot be over emphasised.

“It is imperative for everybody to learn from the experience of what is happening in other states so that such will not happen in this state. The managers of the state’s public schools should continue to inform the pupils and students to be more conscious of what happens within their surroundings.”

She, also, urged residents to desist from spreading unverified security-related text messages “to their friends, family members or neighbours as they cannot do anything about the contents of the message, but rather forward such messages to security agencies who can do something about such text messages.”

She disclosed that the state government on its part would step up on the improvement of infrastructure in our schools particularly perimeter fencing of schools in order to beef up security in the schools.

She urged the school managers to always educate their pupils and students not “to pick what does not belong to them and whenever they observe any strange item, they should report same appropriately.”
According to the head of service, the managers of public schools should also educate their staff members and even food vendors on the need for safety and security-consciousness.