Nigerians, especially parents, are expressing concerns over economic hardship and the prevailing security situation across the country as school resumes nationwide for the second term of the 2025/2026 academic session.
This comes amid the end of the festive period, which is traditionally a time of high spending and celebration.
Besides, security issues still remain worrisome in several locations, leading to parental anxiety.
DAILY POST recalls that sometime in November 2025, the Zuru Emirate in Kebbi State was thrown into panic after armed bandits attacked Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, GGCSS, Maga in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, killing the Vice Principal and abducting several students.
However, the Kebbi state government later announced that the abducted schoolgirls were later released and reunited with their parents.
In the same vein, gunmen suspected to be bandits had whisked away over 200 schoolchildren from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
Fifty out of the schoolchildren earlier reportedly escaped while the Federal Government said others were released in batches.
Speaking to DAILY POST, some parents expressed their mixed feelings over economic hardship and the upsurge of insecurity across the country.
A respondent, Paul Benedict, urged the Federal Government to set up machinery around every school in Nigeria to protect the schoolchildren from any impending attack and kidnap.
“Before the holiday, there were reported cases of kidnapping of students in some schools across different states of the federation.
“It is, therefore, incumbent on the government to take pro-active measures this year by ensuring deployment of security personnel to schools.
“It is also a task of the security agencies to use intelligence gathering to identify the schools that are vulnerable in their various flash points and do the needful.
“As citizens are likely to receive more tax complaints, the government too needs to make federal and state-owned academic institutions affordable. Parents and teachers also have great roles to play in ensuring the security of their children and students,” he said.
Another respondent, Joseph Telly, said privately-owned schools should avoid being too exploitative, stressing that every Nigerian child has the right to quality education.
On the part of public schools, Telly urged managements of various schools to engage the services of qualified and experienced teachers to discourage parents from taking their children to private schools.
Speaking on security, Telly said, “Let there be synergy between school authorities and security agencies where a few security personnel like police, Civil Defense can be deployed to mount school areas and their environs to safeguard the students/pupils.
“And in cases of inadequacies in these deployment, security contacts can be provided to the schools authorities where they can be contacted for immediate actions without delay in cases of emergency attacks.”
Also speaking, Abdul Ali said as schools resume, the government should take the fight of insecurity to bandits, kidnappers and any person or group of persons who are against the security of the country.
He said, “Closing schools because of bandits is as if the government is not up to its tasks, security wise.
“Also negotiating with bandits and kidnappers is not the way forward. Whoever is involved should be killed and that is all. Give the security agencies weapons and the go-ahead to deal with bandits and kidnappers.”
On the economy, Ali said, “Food items are cheap in the market but some greedy and selfish people do not like it, hence they keep prices of food items high.
“The government should make sure price control is in place and whoever is found wanting should be dealt with, especially some so-called unions, who act as cabals deciding when prices of food items should go up or down.”
On his part, Mr Augustine Oyiwona said as the school resumes, governments at all levels need a coordinated, practical response that protects students, keeps children in school and reduces the cost burden on families.
“Trained security personnel should be deployed to schools. Safe school initiatives should be properly funded.
“Also, there should be improvement on the early warning system,” he stated.
Parents bemoan security concern, hardship as schools resume
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