By joshua SPEECH BY MOJEED ALABI, CHAIRMAN, EDUCATION WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (EWAN)
Why Journalism Matters in the Fight Against Violent Attacks on Schools in Nigeria
Distinguished guests, representatives of government and security agencies, education stakeholders, fellow journalists, civil society organisations, parents, students, ladies and gentlemen.
Good morning. Let me begin with a statement that should guide every conversation we have about the safety of our schools – Children are not safe until every school is safe.
When a child leaves home for school, the expectation is that they will learn, grow and return home safely. No parent should have to choose between a child’s education and their safety. No teacher should have to teach under the shadow of abduction, and no community should have to watch its future disappear because its schools have become targets of violence. Yet, across Nigeria, this basic expectation remains under threat.
The abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014 shocked the nation and attracted global attention. The subsequent Dapchi abduction, attacks on educational institutions, kidnappings of pupils and teachers, communal violence and other security threats have demonstrated that school insecurity is not an isolated problem. It is a persistent challenge with devastating consequences for education and national development.
In the Southeast, sit-at-home orders have disrupted schooling. Farmer-herder clashes and other forms of violence have forced schools to close in parts of Oyo, Benue, Ogun and other states. The recent abduction in Oriire, Oyo State, and the reported incident involving corps members in Imo are further reminders that no community can afford to assume that it is immune.
We must therefore ask: how many more warnings, disrupted school terms and grieving families will it take before school safety becomes an unquestionable national priority? Protecting schools requires government action, effective security institutions, community participation and adequate resources. But it also requires something essential to a functioning democracy and journalism that investigates, informs, questions and holds power accountable.
Journalism must make the invisible visible
The first responsibility of journalism is to bring public attention to problems that might otherwise remain ignored. Journalism gives these experiences visibility. It amplifies the voices of affected communities, documents emerging threats and creates opportunities for public authorities to respond before a crisis escalates.
But our responsibility must go beyond reporting tragedies after they occur. We must tell the stories that warn us before disaster strikes. Journalists should ask whether vulnerable schools have functional emergency response systems, whether teachers and administrators receive appropriate safety training, whether communities have reliable channels for reporting threats and whether school authorities have practical plans for responding to emergencies. Too often, the national response to school attacks follows a familiar pattern: an incident occurs, government issues a statement, security agencies announce interventions, public outrage rises, and attention eventually moves elsewhere. Meanwhile, the underlying vulnerabilities may remain unresolved.
Journalism must challenge this cycle by shifting attention from reaction to prevention. Where schools remain vulnerable despite official assurances, journalists must ask why. Where public resources have been committed to school protection, reporters must examine their utilisation and outcomes. This is the value of investigative and accountability journalism. In doing so, journalists must verify information, protect vulnerable sources and avoid publishing operational details that could expose children, teachers or rescue efforts to further danger.
When authorities announce new security measures, our reporting should not end with the announcement. When funds are allocated, we should investigate whether they are used as intended. When investigations produce recommendations, we should return to determine what has changed. Our ultimate objective is not to embarrass institutions. It is to ensure that they fulfil their responsibilities and that every child has a safer opportunity to learn.
Behind every school attack are human lives: children whose education is interrupted, parents gripped by fear, teachers exposed to danger and communities struggling to recover. Girls and children from disadvantaged backgrounds may face additional risks when insecurity makes schooling difficult or unsafe.
This is why education reporting must look beyond the number of people abducted or the number of schools closed. We must investigate how many school days have been lost, what support survivors receive, whether affected pupils return to school and what long-term measures are in place to restore learning. Children must never be reduced to statistics or used merely to provoke sympathy. Their stories deserve accuracy, dignity, sensitivity and appropriate protection of their identities.
A call to Nigerian journalists and stakeholders
Fellow journalists, the scale of this challenge demands sustained commitment. We must develop expertise in school safety, understand relevant policies and budgets, cultivate credible sources and strengthen our capacity to investigate threats to educational institutions.
Newsrooms should invest in collaborative investigations, work with researchers and education experts, and use radio, television, newspapers, digital platforms and community media to reach audiences often excluded from national conversations.
To government and security agencies, we urge you to treat credible threats against schools with urgency, improve communication with affected communities and ensure that school safety measures are implemented transparently and consistently.
To education authorities, school proprietors and administrators, we urge you to make safety planning an integral part of school management. To parents, teachers, students and community leaders, we encourage you to report credible threats through appropriate channels and participate in community safety initiatives without placing yourselves or children in unnecessary danger. To civil society organisations and development partners, we call for continued support for evidence-based interventions, independent journalism, research and community engagement.
Conclusion
Distinguished guests, the measure of our success will not be the number of meetings we hold, statements we issue or promises we make. It will be whether children can attend school without fear, whether teachers can teach in safety and whether parents can send their children to school with confidence.
We cannot promise that journalism alone will end attacks on schools but journalism can ensure that warning signs are not ignored, public resources are scrutinised, failures are exposed, promises are tracked and affected communities are heard.
As Chairman of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria, I reaffirm EWAN’s commitment to promoting responsible education reporting, strengthening accountability and keeping the safety of Nigerian schools firmly on the public agenda. Every school attack threatens more than its immediate victims. It threatens the future of a community and the promise of an entire generation.
Children are not safe until every school is safe. And every child deserves the opportunity to learn without fear.
Thank you, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.