The Presidency has donated N50m to support the Special Committee on the Campaign Against Social Vices in Secondary and Tertiary Institutions, describing rising social vices among youths as a growing national concern.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the announcement on Thursday during a meeting with members of the committee, led by its Chairman, Prof. Jerry Ugokwe, at the State House, Abuja.
The Chief of Staff said the donation, to be released in two tranches beginning with N25m, demonstrates the Presidency’s commitment to addressing what he described as a challenge that has assumed “near-pandemic proportions globally.”
The State House Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr Abiodun Oladunjoye, disclosed the development in a statement titled ‘Presidency Backs Special Committee’s Drive Against Social Vices in Schools’.
“We cannot sit back and do nothing and expect this country to grow or develop if we do not start from the foundation,” Gbajabiamila said.
He warned that failure to properly guide and support youths could undermine the long-term gains of the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms, many of which are targeted at the younger generation.
The Chief of Staff emphasised that tackling the menace requires a whole-of-society approach involving parents, teachers, religious leaders, communities and relevant institutions.
“It takes a community to raise a child. It’s not just about the parents anymore; it’s about the clergy, your neighbour, the teachers. We all stand in loco parentis for the children,” he said.
Gbajabiamila underscored the strong link between law and morality, describing moral reorientation as fundamental to addressing social vices in schools and campuses.
He assured the committee of the Federal Government’s readiness to collaborate, adding that efforts would be made to mobilise support from corporate organisations through Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and to explore possible budgetary provisions.
The Chief of Staff urged the committee to think innovatively and adapt to changing realities, drawing from his experience of engaging students directly through school visits, which he said produced positive feedback.
He assured that his office would remain open for sustained engagement with the committee.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Professor Ugokwe, explained that the committee’s mandate includes identifying and addressing social vices in schools, promoting discipline and responsible leadership, and collaborating with institutional authorities and security agencies to combat cultism, drug abuse, examination malpractice, cybercrime and related offences.
He said the committee is also responsible for organising sensitisation campaigns and recommending policies to strengthen student welfare, campus security and academic excellence.
Professor Ugokwe disclosed that since its inauguration, the committee has moved from policy to action, successfully holding major engagements in Edo and Kwara States as part of its nationwide drive.
He appealed for stronger institutional ownership, including approval and logistical support for a proposed grand National launch of the campaign at the State House Conference Hall.
The committee chairman assured the Presidency of the committee’s commitment to transparency, measurable outcomes and sustained stakeholder engagement.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Sunday Asefon, who led members of the committee to the State House, highlighted the urgency of the intervention, citing a tragic case of a university student whose death was linked to drug intoxication.
“Such incidents underscore the need for a coordinated national response to rising social vices among young people,” Asefon said.
He disclosed that following the committee’s inauguration, his office engaged the Federal Ministry of Education, which subsequently made a budgetary provision for the committee in the 2025 fiscal year.
Asefon noted that despite limited resources, the committee has already conducted programmes in Edo and Kwara States and is planning a larger national engagement in Abuja.
He appealed for stronger institutional support, stressing that the committee’s work aligns closely with the administration’s broader youth development and nation-building agenda.
According to Asefon, the committee was deliberately structured as a multi-stakeholder platform bringing together education authorities, religious leaders and other critical actors to drive holistic value reorientation among students.
Gbajabiamila’s donation is expected to boost the committee’s capacity to expand its sensitisation campaigns to more states and educational institutions across the country.
The initiative reflects growing concern about the proliferation of social vices in Nigerian educational institutions, including cult-related violence, drug abuse, sexual misconduct, examination malpractice and cybercrime among students.
In recent years, several Nigerian universities and secondary schools have witnessed cult-related killings, drug abuse incidents and other forms of student misconduct that have raised alarm among parents, educators and security agencies.
The Federal Government’s establishment of the special committee represents an attempt to coordinate a nationwide response to these challenges through institutional engagement, moral reorientation and policy interventions.
Credit: punchng.com
