We will not allow bandits to disrupt our education system ― El-Rufai

TRACKING____Governor Nasir El-Rufai vowed that the Kaduna State Government will not allow the bandits to dictate its educational policy or destroy the livelihood of children and their future by not giving them education.

The governor who said this when the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Isiaka Oladayo Amoo paid him a courtesy call on Wednesday, praised the Armed Forces and other security agents for all that they have been doing to keep the country safe, in spite of the challenges.

‘’We will keep our schools open, we are confident that with the guidance that we have been getting, from the Garrison Commander, Base Commander, the AOC, GOC and the ability of the security agencies to respond in a timely manner, our schools will remain open,’’ he added.

The governor said that he and senior government officials and heads of security agencies, civil society organisations, clerics and clergymen as well as other stakeholders, met on Tuesday to deliberate on the dangers facing school children.

According to him, the preponderance of opinions at the meeting is that schools should remain open but only the most vulnerable schools that “the security agencies, due to terrain and distance, cannot get there very quickly, will be closed.’’

‘’So far, all the attempts by bandits to carry out abductions have not been fully successful. This is largely due to the preparatory work done by the security agencies in advance. We knew we would be targeted because of our stance. But the security agencies were ready for them.

‘’We appreciate the efforts and the timely response of the Armed Forces and we will continue to urge you to sustain the tempo,’’ he pointed out.

El Rufai pointed out that although the country is not where it should be in terms of security, said that ‘’our security agencies are doing their best within the limits of the resources available to them.’’

‘’ This is why, along with other governors, we have made strident calls for more resources to be made available to the armed forces, to acquire more advanced technology and armament, to be able to deal with this new wave of asymmetry warfare,’’ he added.

Earlier, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Amoo said that he came for an operational visit, especially to see the preparedness of the Air Training Command, whose personnel are fighting the bandits in the North-West zone.

Amoo said that the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs are determined to wipe out the bandits so that farmers can go back to the farm at the end of the dry season, by enforcing President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive.