TETFund champions security masterplan for tertiary institutions, organises workshop on SEMPOTI

As part of the efforts to forestall any security threat in higher institutions across the country, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, (TETFund) has spearheaded the evolution of a security master plan for adoption and use on Nigerian campuses.

The initiative is called the Security Master Plan for Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria, SEMPOTI.

TETFund Executive Secretary, Mr Sonny Echono, who spoke on Thursday at a two-day campus security workshop at the University of Lagos, (UNILAG), said no serious learning or research could take place in an atmosphere devoid of security. The programme was held in conjunction with Bakas Guards.

Echono, who was represented by Mr Inene Erivwo, Director, Strategic Planning and Development of TETFund, noted that the Federal Government and other relevant agencies, including TETFund were already taking proactive steps to make campuses and educational institutions safe for students, teachers and others.

According to him, “Across various regions of the country, tertiary institutions continue to face threats ranging from banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, cultism and ethnic extremism, all of which endanger the safety of students, lecturers and staff, and disrupt the learning environment we strive to protect. As highlighted in the workshop concept documents, these realities make it imperative that we develop a coordinated, practical and sustainable approach to securing our campuses and safeguarding the academic community.

“This workshop marks the first major step toward the development of a Security Master Plan for Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria (SEMPOTI), a framework that will provide strategic guidance for managing and responding to contemporary security challenges within our public institutions. The Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared a State of Emergency on National Insecurity, underscoring the urgency of establishing a coordinated, practical and sustainable framework to address insecurity in all sectors education included.

“It is within this national security context that today’s workshop becomes a strategic imperative. We are gathered here not merely to discuss problems but to collectively design actionable, evidence-based and technology-driven solutions that will safeguard our campuses and strengthen the resilience of our institutions.

“In recent years, TETFund has made significant investments in physical infrastructure, ICT upgrades, research facilities, mini-grid power systems, innovation hubs, library development, security installations and improved governance systems across the nation’s tertiary institutions. These interventions, running into hundreds of billions of naira annually, reflect our collective commitment to repositioning tertiary education as the engine of national transformation. However, the sustainability of these investments is heavily dependent on the security of campuses. No infrastructure can thrive in an unsafe environment, no researcher can be productive where fear is constant and no student can learn meaningfully under the threat of violence.

“Thus, the issue of campus security is not peripheral, it is central to the survival and progress of the entire education system.”

He added, “It is in recognition of this reality that TETFund, working with relevant stakeholders, is giving serious attention to the development of a comprehensive Security Master Plan for Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions (SEMPOTI). This proposed initiative, as articulated in the newly submitted concept note, seeks to provide a nationally coordinated framework for protecting students, staff and institutional infrastructure, ensuring uninterrupted academic activity and aligning campus security operations with national laws, NUC guidelines and global best practices.

“SEMPOTI is designed around several strategic pillars that we shall examine during this workshop.

“The master plan also proposes the establishment of Campus Security Councils and Rapid Response Units in all tertiary institutions, dedicated annual security budgets, institutional collaborations with NPF, NSCDC, DSS and private security partners, and quarterly security audits to ensure continuous improvement. A nationally coordinated model such as SEMPOTI is necessary to replace the fragmented, ad-hoc security approaches currently adopted across institutions approaches which are often inadequate against the sophistication of today’s threats.”

In his welcome address, the Chairman of Bakas Group, Dr. Bashir Kurfi, expressed appreciation to TETFund for identifying the need to develop a security master plan for tertiary institutions in Nigeria and approving the workshop to enlighten stakeholders.

Speakers at the event included Air Commodore G.Truman (rtd), General Abubakar Sa’ad (rtd), Prof. Diya’uddeen Hassan, among others.