Abia Takes Bold Step: Govt Launches Safe School Steering Committee To Prevent Attacks, Protect Pupils

[caption id="attachment_197505" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Chinedu Ubochi[/caption]

The Abia State Government has taken another bold step in its commitment to secure the future of school children as the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Elder Goodluck Chinedu Ubochi, inaugurated the Abia State Safe School Steering Committee on Thursday, December 5, 2025.

Speaking during the inauguration, Elder Ubochi emphasized that the initiative is a proactive security architecture designed to guarantee the safety of pupils and educational facilities across the state. He noted that recent incidents of mass abductions of schoolchildren in various parts of the country have made it imperative for responsible governments to rise to the challenge before tragedy strikes.

The Commissioner explained that insecurity in schools goes beyond kidnappings, stressing that vandalism of school property has become a disturbing trend, with miscreants invading schools to cart away metals and destroy government-installed facilities. According to him, such acts undermine the huge investments the present administration is making in the education sector.

Elder Ubochi reaffirmed the determination of Governor Alex Otti's administration to create safe, conducive, and well-equipped learning environments, insisting that no meaningful academic outcome can be achieved if students and teachers live in fear or work in dilapidated surroundings.

He stated that the Steering Committee brings together security agencies, the Military, Police, NSCDC, representatives of private schools, Local Government representative, Nid Eze, SBMC Chairman and other critical stakeholders, all united by the shared mandate of ensuring that every child in Abia-whether in a public or private school-is fully protected.

"It is not right for government to invest taxpayers' money in building schools only for criminals to vandalize them. We must be proactive. We cannot assume nothing will happen simply because we have not recorded major incidents yet,ÔÇØ he said.

The Committee is chaired by Elder Goodluck Ubochi, while the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Uchechukwu Kalu, serves as Vice Chairperson.

Other members who spoke during the inauguration commended the state government for what they described as a forward-thinking, preventive approach to school security. They urged immediate implementation of recommendations that will emerge from the committee's work to safeguard pupils across the state.

The event reaffirmed Abia State's growing reputation as one of the leading states in Nigeria prioritizing modern, structured, and sustainable school safety frameworks under Governor Alex Otti.