Safe Schools: NAF, UBEC Forge New Security Partnership Nationwide
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) have entered into a renewed strategic collaboration aimed at strengthening security across schools nationwide, particularly in vulnerable and conflict-prone areas.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke,made the commitment during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, on Monday at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Describing education as the foundation of a stable nation, Air Marshal Aneke said the Nigerian Air Force remains committed to protecting learning environments as part of its broader national security mandate. He noted that the rise of threats targeting schools has made closer cooperation between security agencies and education authorities indispensable.
“Our responsibility extends beyond protecting communities to nurturing the future of the Nigerian child,” the Air Force Chief said, stressing that a secure school system directly contributes to long-term national peace and development.
Air Marshal Aneke highlighted ongoing efforts within NAF’s 33 schools—20 primary and 13 secondary—where the Service is already implementing teacher development programmes, digital learning initiatives, and infrastructure upgrades.
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Strengthening ties with UBEC, he said, would expand these gains nationwide and help deploy modern safe-school technologies and monitoring systems.
He listed key areas of collaboration, including upgrading facilities to absorb more students, joint teacher training, integration into UBEC’s digital education platforms, and coordinated quality assurance.
He also welcomed deeper collaboration under UBEC’s Safe School Programme to enhance nationwide monitoring and protection of basic education institutions.
Responding, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr Aisha Garba, applauded the Nigerian Air Force for its commitment to education despite its defence-focused mandate. She emphasized that education and security are interdependent, noting that no learning system can succeed without safety, and no security strategy is complete without education.
She expressed UBEC’s readiness to sustain technical cooperation with NAF, especially in enhancing school safety, improving learning delivery, and supporting schools located in high-risk communities.
With the renewed partnership, both organisations say they are reinforcing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, which places strong emphasis on protecting the nation’s children and ensuring they learn in secure, supportive environments.
Air Marshal Aneke added that collaboration between the security and education sectors remains essential to building a safer, smarter, and more prosperous Nigeria.
The statement was issued by Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force.
By PRNigeria
