Nigeria’s minister of interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has declared that the only solution to poverty in Nigeria is to educate children.
The minister made the declaration at the National Summit on Safe Schools organised by the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
During this summit, Tunji-Ojo emphasised the pivotal relationship between education and poverty alleviation.
He stressed that education is the most effective solution to combat poverty, highlighting the undeniable correlation between security and children’s access to education.
He also pointed out that the absence of adequate security in schools results in the denial of education, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty in society.
Providing more insight on the summit on social media, the minister wrote:
”Just before the ongoing three-day ministerial retreat for members of the Federal Executive Council today, I attended the National Summit on Safe Schools organised by the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
”As the Chief Host, I emphasised that the only solution to poverty is education. When government cannot provide security for children, they are denied education. And, when this happens, we breed poverty.
”I want to see schools in the most turbulent places as secure as schools in Abuja. Governance is not only about protecting the strong; it is also about protecting the vulnerable in our society.
”The era where we speak without implementation is gone. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we are redefining integrity and credibility in governance.”