What will you do to fix schools and improve security?

I am elated at the news of the release of the 287 abducted school children in Kaduna after 16 days in captivity. I commend all those who worked tirelessly to make their release a reality. As we celebrate with their families and friends, let's be mindful that, like stage four cancer, this state of insecurity that has befallen our nation is metastasising and needs proactive measures to stem it. I can only imagine the trauma that these vulnerable children have suffered. It is recommended that the children receive psychotherapic care by professionals. We also do not need to wait for the next incident before putting mechanisms in place to forestall it. To this end, I recommend the strengthening of the Safe School Initiative that prioritises the protection of schools, especially in the areas that are most vulnerable to mass kidnap of school children. But above all, there should be an overhaul of the security architecture to meet the demands of the threats facing us. -AA

Yesterday, my team concluded our annual intervention programme tagged Education Day, designed to provide annual outreach in support to public schools around Adamawa State. This year’s edition of the programme focused on schools in the Ganye area of the state. It is a day set aside to support public education through the provision of scholarships and educational materials to public schools and students. This year, the team visited ALL the 18 public schools in Ganye to distribute notebooks, pencils, biros, and teaching and learning materials to public schools. The programme also shortlisted 10 brilliant students for scholarship awards for the next phase of their education. -AA

As someone from Adamawa, this incident feels deeply personal. My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones, to those who were injured, and to the entire community forced to seek refuge in the bushes for safety. The government must move beyond mere rhetorics and propaganda and take decisive, sustained action to protect lives and property. Nigerians deserve more than promises; they deserve peace, security, and the freedom to live in any place of their choice without fear. May Almighty Allah grant eternal rest to the departed, healing to the injured, and comfort to all who mourn. -AA

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we have to brace up; we don’t have much time. Closing Appeal. In closing this short speech, I would like to appeal to our sense of responsibility as Northern leaders to reconsider our priorities and rise up to the numerous challenges facing the North. We have seen how the North remembers its true leaders like Sir Ahmadu Bello, gone for a long time, but still remembered every day. Let us ask ourselves, how would we like to be remembered, after we have gone? As people who made the necessary sacrifices for the rest of us? Or as people who seized the opportunities and only buttered their bread? If there is any time for the North to unite, it is now. And it is my ardent hope that we should resist those trying to divide us along ethnic or religious lines and rise above these differences; look at the challenges on the horizon and come together as the one people we have always been.

Our responsibility now is to ensure that his labour was not in vain. We must continue the fight for transparent governance, for institutions that serve citizens rather than exploit them, and for a political culture that honours merit above mediocrity. For that is the union he hoped to build, and it remains the union we must become. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as we conclude this memorial, let us remember that to celebrate Shehu Musa Yar’adua’s life is to renew our contract with the Nigerian dream he served. To his family, may the Lord continue to comfort and strengthen you. To his friends and comrades, let us remain faithful to the ideals we once pledged to uphold together. To the younger generation, know this: freedom and justice are never given; they are earned by courage, by conviction, and by sacrifice. May the Almighty God bless the memory of General Shehu Musa Yar’adua; soldier, statesman, and servant-leader. May He bless the Yar’adua Foundation for keeping faith with his legacy. And may He bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

3. Strengthen community participation in education Bring education closer to the people by empowering communities and local governments to take an active role in managing and improving schools. Details: ● Establish Local Government Education Committees involving parents, teachers, traditional leaders, and community stakeholders ● Give communities a role in monitoring teacher attendance, school performance, and infrastructure maintenance ● Provide small grants and support for community-led school improvement initiatives ● Encourage partnerships between schools and local organizations to support learning outcomes 58