The Women Advocates Research & Documentation Centre (WARDC) has conducted a workshop for Trainers comprising Civil Society Groups (CSOs), Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), Government Organisations, and other relevant stakeholders on Legislative Advocacy towards the sustainable implementation of Safe Schools Declaration (SSD).
The SSD is an inter-governmental political commitment that provides countries the opportunity to express support for protecting students, teachers, schools and universities from attacks during times of armed conflict.
Nigeria endorsed the SSD in 2015 and approved a policy to guide the implementation of the SSD nationwide in 2019. This led to the development of the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools in Nigeria in August 2021.
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WARDC in partnership with the United Nations Democracy Funds (UNDEF), trained the trainers on the scopes and approaches of creating targeted advocacy messages to step down these policies to the state and local level for comprehension and implementation.
The two-day workshop which took place between November 16 and 17 in Abuja where THE WHISTLER was a participant, featured discussions on the appropriate advocacy strategies aimed at influencing the legal framework for SSD across the country.
The workshop also aimed to amplify a network of advocacy interventions targeted at key stakeholders who are capable of influencing sustainable financial policy and ensuring a safe space for learning on all levels, specifically in conflict-prone areas.
While facilitating a session, Abiola Sanusi, Executive Director, PLANE Initiatives recalled that the federal government launched a national plan (2023-2026) with a total investment size of N144.8 billion on financing Safe Schools towards the implementation of the SSD.
She said the plan proposes N322.58 billion in 2023, N36.98 billion in 2024, N37.15 billion in 2025, and N38.03 billion in 2026 respectively.
The execution of the proposed financial policy is also set to commence in 18 undisclosed states, mapped out to be vulnerable to learning.
In an interview with THE WHISTLER on the sideline, Sanusi stressed the importance of synergy between government and stakeholders while stating the importance of funding in the implementation of the SSD.
She said, “There is a need for advocacy for the government and governors, to enable them to take responsibility for the lives and property of learners in their care.
“When we talk about schools and you look at the data, you will see quite a number of schools that have been attacked over the period of 15 years now, and recently we have heard about the attacks on Zamfara Tertiary Institution.
“There is also a need to do more prevention and we need to ensure that our schools are protected and we need to sensitize the school authorities on the measures that they can take when attacks occur.
“So, this training is important to increase the number of people knowledgeable about the SSD policy that is out there and also to ensure that the trainees are better equipped to step down the information to communities hosting the schools and to support them to ensure they are kept safe.
Also, speaking to THE WHISTLER in an interview was one of the key resource persons, Patricia Donli, a Professor with the University of Maiduguri and Coordinator of an NGO, Gender Equality Peace and Development Centre in Maiduguri, Borno State.
She said, “If you look at the plethora of attacks that have been on schools, especially in the North East and North West of the country, you will know that education is under attack.
“So, this two-day workshop is one of the ways to train community leaders, media personnel, school administrators, members of the ministries, NGOs and CSOs on issues of legislative advocacy which I think is critical for the implementation of the SSD policy and release of the budget for safe schools.
Professor Donli emphasised that finance remains paramount and so is the sensitisation and mobilisation of the people who have been affected. She said there was a need for the government to understand their responsibility in ensuring the security of schools in conflict areas.
“So, the training entails developing advocacy skills and the trainees are expected to step it down in their various areas of concentration and they are also supposed to form advocacy teams, to be able to train other people to achieve a multiplier effect,” she noted.
The workshop aimed to increase public awareness of SSD while formulating and adopting a legally binding framework for SSD implementation. The trainees are also expected to carry out legislative advocacy for policy change.
Legislative advocacy is the act of working with lawmakers and lawmaking bodies to gain support for a cause, initiative, or specific service.
It involves small tasks such as working with a legislator on the wording of a bill or larger campaigns such as mobilising supporters to contact a legislature about a specific issue.