FG Reaffirms Commitment to Student Safety, Safe Learning Environment

The Federal Government has restated its commitment to providing a safer learning environment for Nigerian students, pledging continued support for the Safe School Initiative.

Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, gave the assurance in Abuja during the 2025 International Students’ Day celebration organised by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement. Her remarks were contained in a statement issued by the SA’s office on Thursday.

According to the statement, Uzoka-Anite said the government would sustain funding for education, teachers’ salaries, school-feeding programmes, and security measures aimed at safeguarding schools. She stressed that Nigerian youth remain a shared national responsibility.

“The youth of this country are a collective responsibility of everyone, not just the Student Union or the Ministry of Education. The brilliance, resilience, and creativity of our students are central to building Nigeria’s leadership, talent, and intellectual resources,” she said, adding that International Students’ Day “celebrates more than just high grades it celebrates the future of Nigeria.”

Speaking at the event, the Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Sunday Asefon, highlighted education as a transformative force in national development. He noted that outstanding students from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and the Nigerian Law School were honoured with scholarships, laptops, cash prizes, and other empowerment tools. Exceptional secondary-school students also received N100,000 each to encourage academic excellence.

Asefon said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving student welfare and strengthening the education sector.

“The President believes, and we affirm today, that our students are not just leaders of tomorrow, but contributors to national development today. When we reward academic excellence, we are investing in Nigeria’s future,” he said, urging the awardees to uphold integrity, innovation, and responsibility.

International Students’ Day commemorates the 1939 Nazi crackdown on Czech students in Prague, during which nine student leaders were executed and more than 1,200 others arrested. Declared a global day of student solidarity in 1941, this year’s commemoration by the National Association of Nigerian Students in Abuja held under the theme “Empowering Students to be Agents of Change,” with a focus on patriotism, productivity, and student rights.