The rate at which Nigerian school children are being eliminated by Boko Haram bombs should be of great concern to all genuine citizens, who believe in the divine law of succession which emphasizes that the young would grow to succeed their forebears!

God saved Noah’s THREE children, Shem Ham and Japheth from drowning in the flood and their clans, according to their lines of descent, are products of our modern world as it is! [Genesis.10:18-11:32]

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

“As arrows are in the hand of the mighty, so are children of the youth.

“Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” [Psalm 127:3-5]

Children are providentially endowed as divine gifts and must therefore be meticulously nurtured, guarded and preserved for posterity according to His Word, “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it.”[Gen.1:28a].

Some political apologist have posited that social vices like corruption, election or examination malpractices, official deception, poverty and insecurity, were SYSTEMIC and inherited problems and therefore should not be blamed on any incumbent administration!

The fundamental obligations of any government to its citizens include faithful execution of political, economic, social, educational, foreign policy, press freedom, environmental objectives, the judicious entrenchment of all fundamental rights and most importantly, the RULE OF LAW!

The right to life and the dignity of the human person should always take priority of place with every serious administration as no government can function without its HUMAN CAPITAL!

But when, the schooling population of any nation is deliberately targeted for pogrom by some bestial maniacs, who claim that Western education was evil as we now witness in Nigeria, desperate measures MUST be employed by government to save these future leaders at all cost!

Chapter IV, Section 33(1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution states that every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in the execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.

Nigerian school children are being murdered in cold blood at random by savages and government seems to be incapacitated!

We must bring this fact to bear that, there is sufficient funds from all economic resources of this nation to cater for the needs of all citizens’ fundamental rights, if RIGHTEOUS politicians are in the saddle of management, but sadly, massive corruption has been the bane of this nation, especially in the past 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party’s [PDP] government of continuity!

*HOW MUCH WILL IT COST THE ADULT GOVERNMENT OF PDP TO PROTECT SCHOOL CHILDREN IN UNITY AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS ACROSS THE NATION IF THE COMMON WEALTH IS NOT BEING DIVERTED INTO PRIVATE POCKETS?

Working with a maximum figure of 100 schools, an initial expenditure of N50 million naira (fifty) each, totalling N5 billion, should take care of fencing, gates, a mixture of uniformed and plain-clothed security personnel equipped with communication gadgets, metal detectors small arms and SNIFFER DOGS, for each institution, would ensure the required positive results!

Had these security measures been in place on 10 November 2014, at the Government Comprehensive Senior Science Secondary School, Potiskum, Yobe State, only the suicide bomber would have died instead of the 47 who died with 79 others critically injured!

*A teacher who survived the attack narrated how the bomber was dropped off at the unmanned school gate, wearing a white shirt and black trousers –the dress code for students - and carried a bag over his shoulders.

*He was said to have been spotted by another teacher who noticed his odd behaviour of carrying a bag to the assembly ground, but kept quiet when interrogated and was forced to kneel down as punishment before the bomb suddenly exploded!

*That suicide bomber would not have gained free entry if the suggested security measures were in place.

*The Boko Haram terrorists have been responsible for all attacks targeted at schools in the last five years of its evil operations and had hampered the right of the children to qualitative education in the entire North Eastern States under the state of emergency!

Also in Yobe State on February 25, 2014, 59 boys were killed at the Federal Government College of Buni Yadi at night while they slept in their boarding apartments and the 24 buildings of the institution were all burnt down!

There were many other deadly and fatal attacks on secondary school of this geo-political zone which have sent hundreds of our innocent children to their untimely graves and which should no longer be published to avoid opening up fresh wounds and grief.

*MAY THE GENTLE SOULS OF THESE YOUNG HEROES WHO DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY, REST IN PERFECT PEACE WITH OUR LORD. AMEN.

Federal and State Governments may not be accused of inaction, but of insufficient and dedicated commitment, to save these delicate species of our POSTERITY from extinction!

*The Potiskum attack occurred just after the Federal Government announced that 2,400students would be enrolled in the country's SAFE SCHOOL INITIATIVE (SSI). *Eight hundred students each, from the three North Eastern States hardest hit by Boko Haram’s terrorists activities, were already penciled down for admission into other unity schools across the country with the consent of their parents, just over six months after the insurgents kidnapped more than 200 school girls from Chibok, Bornu State.

*The Safe School Initiative was launched at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Nigeria, by Nigerian business leaders, working with the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Mr Gordon Brown, the Global Business Coalition and a World at School.

The Initiative was launched with an initial $10million US dollars in response to the growing number of attacks on the right to education in the North East States and in solidarity, the Federal government agreed to match the amount with an additional $10million, in a meeting between President Jonathan and the UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

One hundred ($100million US dollars), is set target for the SSI to which more funds would be raised according to the Envoy who promised his assistance.

This joint effort on the protection of the right to learn in Nigeria is based on best practices from global standards which emphasizes that Safe Schools must be prioritized for continuity in education, even in HIGH RISK AREAS!

*We appreciate the fact that sufficient funds have been made available according to the Finance Minister, who expressed the hope that SSI will re-kindle the needed motivation for parents and children whose sense of safety had been shattered by the violence.

Students under the voluntary programme would enjoy full scholarships covering books and boarding from Junior Secondary School I, to Senior Secondary 3, at the 32 Federal Unity Schools across the country. Funds will also be made to parents who would visit their wards occasionally.

The SSI is a very laudable project which deserves necessary precautionary security measures since the entire North East schools could not re-locate to other parts of Nigeria.

There is urgent need for all the physical measures suggested earlier to be implemented without delay if this administration is truly sincere to its citizens.

We also recommend a synergy between parents/teachers and community groups for greater advocacy on additional needs to protect education from attack in this geo-political zone.

The SNIFFER DOGS which were purchased to harass the ELECTORATE at Ekiti and Osun States gubernatorial elections should now be re-deployed to work in all schools to prevent the suicide bombers from causing further mayhem in those institutions.

In addition we should all exert our spiritual energies in seeking the face of the LORD who said:

“Thou shall have no other gods before me.

“Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in Heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.

“Thou shall not bow down thyself to them, not serve them, for I the LORD thy God, am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

“And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.”[Exodus.20:3-6].

*In Nigeria, all the gods are numerous and abound! There are the gods of high and low-level corruption, avarice, embezzlement, brazen robbery of the COMMON WEALTH, stealing, armed robbery, adultery, fornication, cheating, arson, impunity, intimidation, human parts trafficking, assassination, smuggling, money laundering etc, the list is very long!

It is not too late for all of us as a nation to turn a new leaf, fear and respect our Creator who is ever-ready and always willing to reason with us in spite of the multitude of our sins, with the following promises to those who would humble themselves before Him:

“Come now and let us reason together, saith the LORD, though your sin be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good of the land.

“But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” [ Isaiah.1:18-20; 2Chronicles. 7:14].

*The steadfast love of our Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning, always, new every morning; great is thy faithfulness O Lord, great is thy faithfulness. Amen.


(. I am, Yours sincerely,Dr. David B.A. Olufon, 08130669886, 08098194390.g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com ).