The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) on Thursday reiterated his commitment to seek the support of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LNSC) in curbing cultism and other social vices in primary schools in the state.
Dr. Abdul Ganiyu Shopeyin, the State Chairman, sought for the partnership when the board visited the LNSCA headquarter’s Safety Arena, at Oshodi, Lagos.
Shopeyin said that the agency was saddled with the responsibility of managing public primary schools in the state and ensuring that lives of pupils and property of the schools were safe.
He lamented that the rate of cult related activities in primary schools in the state was alarming.
“It is hard to note that we have observed cultism in primary schools. Apart from this, kidnapping and other crimes are also affecting primary school pupils,” he said.
The chairman added that the board deemed it fit to synergize with the agency with a view to ensuring that the operatives had direct contact with primary schools to tackle cultism and other inherent vices.
He urged the LNSA to fashion out strategies that would allow its members render assistance in dousing the threat of cultism and other vices in schools.
In his response, LNSA Chairman, DIG Israel Ajao (rtd), who lamented the challenge of shortage of manpower in the agency, promised to fashion out ways to grant SUBEB ‘s request.
“The manpower of the agency has dropped from its initial 5,700 to 5, 603 which is not enough to cover a densely populated state like Lagos according to United Nations Standard,” he said.
He also promised that agency’s operatives would monitor primary schools at critical hours which included resumption time, closing time, during the end of the term activities and sporting activities.