By Newspot Nigeria Editorial Desk
The directive asking 41 Federal Unity Colleges to shut down because of security concerns is a decision that weakens Nigeria at a dangerous moment. Boko Haram rose on the belief that Western education should be rejected, and that belief shaped the name by which the group is known. When the government closes schools out of fear, it unintentionally strengthens the message these groups have pushed for years. The goal of the attackers has always been to keep children away from learning, and this decision plays directly into their hands.
History shows that nations facing threats to education must stand firm. During the Jim Crow era in the United States, Black students faced harassment, intimidation, and open violence for trying to attend school. The Little Rock Nine in 1957 became a defining example when a state governor used troops to block their entry. Instead of shutting the school, the American federal government sent in the 101st Airborne Division to protect the students and keep the school open.
Credit: National Archives and Records Administration
That response set a global standard for how a nation defends education. The aim was to show that learning must never bow to fear. Nigeria should study this example carefully, especially at a time when violent groups are testing the resolve of the state. Closing schools sends the opposite message and encourages those who thrive on disorder.
This policy choice hands psychological victory to the enemies of education. Nigeria should instead secure its schools with intelligence driven policing and visible federal backing. Communities must be made partners in early warning systems and local vigilance networks. A country that keeps its classrooms open under pressure sends a message of courage, not weakness.
-Newspot Nigeria
