On Friday, the federal government ordered the immediate
closure of 47 Unity Colleges over the recent abduction of students in Kebbi
state and Niger state.

The directive, issued in a circular released on Friday,
cited “recent security challenges in some parts of the country and the need to
prevent any security breaches”.

But in a statement on Sunday, Ini Ememobong, national
publicity secretary of the faction, said the Tinubu-led government has failed
to provide direction while affected states are taking “disparate measures”.

The party warned that closing schools in affected states
would amount to capitulating to terrorists who aim to stop children from
accessing formal education.

“We are aware that the closure of schools in these areas is
already being implemented by some state governments and is currently being
contemplated by the Federal Government,” the statement reads.

“We warn that this closure, if undertaken, like many of this
administration’s quick-fix approaches to serious governance issues, will amount
to a complete surrender to terrorists, whose sole aim is to shut down schools
and prevent children from obtaining formal education, which they declare
forbidden.

“If the schools are closed, the goal of the terrorists would
have been inadvertently achieved.”

The PDP urged the federal government to adopt a
comprehensive plan to tackle insecurity rather than resorting to a “simplistic
approach” designed to “score cheap political points”.

The party said shutting schools would worsen an already dire
situation in the north where many out-of-school children reside.

The party said the series of kidnappings within one week
reflects the “alarming insecurity that has become the contemporary lived
experience and new reality of Nigerians under the APC-led Bola Tinubu
government”.

The PDP criticised the president’s “lacklustre and
unempathetic” response to the abductions.

“For example, instead of the President visiting Kebbi and
Niger States to meet and sympathise with the parents of the children who are in
captivity, and to address the security personnel there, he merely directed the
Minister of State for Defence to relocate to Kebbi,” the statement reads.

“A juxtaposition of the contingents sent to the US Congress
and the G-20 meeting with Matawalle’s lone envoy, exposes the levity with which
the presidency treats this matter.

“This reaction is most insensitive and dismissive of the
gravity of the problem by the APC-led Federal Government.”

The PDP urged the federal government to immediately fund and
implement the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools.

The party said the policy, anchored on community
intelligence and rapid response, is capable of preventing and mitigating
attacks on schools.

The party said insecurity in schools is a major threat to
education, especially in the north.

It reminded Tinubu that the security of lives and property
is the “primary function” of government.

It said any administration unwilling or unable to execute
this duty “must either ask for help or honourably resign”.