The Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his recent caution to state governments on establishing schools in remote communities.
Baba-Ahmed voiced his displeasure during an interview on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme monitored on Thursday.
His reaction followed Tinubu’s call urging state governments to reconsider building boarding schools in isolated or poorly secured locations due to rising threats to students.
The advisory came amid a fresh wave of mass abductions affecting schoolchildren and teachers in Niger, Kebbi and other parts of the country.
Responding to the development, Baba-Ahmed said, “For the Commander-in-Chief to say stop building schools in remote areas, I will say continue building. I’m not contradicting the commander in chief, but he has said something very wrong.
“I wish it was possible to have avoided all these in the first place but wishful thinking is not the life that we live. I wish president Bola Tinubu can hear this very quickly, withdraw that statement and please correct himself.
He added that educational development should not be halted because of insecurity challenges.
“He should encourage people to build schools. If I had money, I would build in the rural areas. He should quickly remove that point of stopping people because in this sense, attack is the best form of defense.
“We in the educational world are fighting a war on behalf of the country that people don’t realize and it’s as good as what the Armed Forces are doing.”
Baba-Ahmed stressed that the President’s position could discourage efforts to expand access to education, insisting, “So for the Commander-in-Chief to say stop building schools in rural areas is wrong.”