North East Development Commission reports that over 40% of teachers have been killed by terrorists

ABOUT 40% of teachers working in northeast Nigeria have been by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating within the region over the last 13 years according to the North East Development Commission (NEDC).

Since 2009, Boko Haram and its offshoots like the Islamic State in West African Province (Iswap) have been waging a war against Nigeria as they seek to create a purist theocracy. Mohammed Alkali, the NEDC managing director, explained that teachers continue to be the primary target of Boko Haram terrorists across the zone.

He added that the commission, prioritised the training of teachers in the region because their ranks had been substantially depleted by the insurgents. With the number of teachers down, Mr Alkali added that the commission needed more recruits in the region in order to ensure effective teaching.

Mr Alkali said: “The scarcest product now, not only in Nigeria but elsewhere, is teachers. In the northeast, 40% to 50%  of teachers have either been killed or something has happened to them because of the insurgency, as they are the primary target of those people.”

He added that the 13-year insurgency had affected so many infrastructures, saying that the federal government had completed the construction of 1,000 housing units as part of its resettlement efforts for millions of inhabitants displaced. Already, these houses have been distributed to various households.

Mr Alkali explained that the houses, which cost N17.5bn, were built in Ngwom, Borno, with plans to build 500 housing units each in five other affected states. He further stated that the commission had created an Education Endowment Fund with a seed capital of N6bn with plans to dedicate 10% of its annual allocation to the fund.

He pointed out that a  lack of robust education system had fuelled the insurgency in the zone. According to Mr Alkali, the NEDC required at least N31.05tn to be able to execute its mandate as stated the North East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan over the next 10 years.