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ABUJA: The Senate on Tuesday expanded its investigation into the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI), extending the probe to key federal intervention agencies, including the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).
The upper chamber also granted its Ad-hoc Committee handling the investigation an additional three weeks to conclude its assignment after lawmakers approved a motion sponsored by the committee’s chairman, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North).
Kalu, while presenting the motion under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders 2026 (as amended), said preliminary findings had revealed strong links between the implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative and the operations of agencies responsible for education funding, student welfare, humanitarian interventions and social investment programmes.
He argued that limiting the investigation to the Safe Schools Initiative alone would leave critical gaps in the Senate’s oversight of school security, educational infrastructure and intervention funds.
According to him, the committee’s expanded mandate will enable lawmakers to carry out a comprehensive review of financial flows, operational challenges and accountability mechanisms across the affected institutions.
“The issues surrounding student security, educational infrastructure funding and social intervention schemes for vulnerable learners across the country are deeply interwoven. Investigating the Safe Schools Initiative without reviewing these complementary bodies will result in fragmented legislative oversight,” Kalu told the Senate.
He added that the expanded investigation would strengthen accountability, improve transparency in the management of intervention funds and ensure better protection for Nigerian students.
Under the new mandate, the committee will examine social safety net allocations linked to school feeding programmes, emergency support for displaced students and educational rehabilitation projects implemented by the Humanitarian Ministry and NSIPA.
It will also scrutinise infrastructure and security projects funded by TETFund, assess NELFUND’s loan disbursement process, operational efficiency and student access framework, while reviewing UBEC’s interventions in the basic education sector.
Seeking the extension, Kalu explained that the committee was unable to complete visits to some critical locations due to time constraints and competing legislative assignments.
“We’re supposed to submit our report, and there are four key areas that were not done. I needed the permission of the Senate so that we can conclude it in the next two or three weeks and come back with a report,” he said.
Following a voice vote conducted by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, senators overwhelmingly approved the request, granting the committee three additional weeks to complete its work.
The Senate inaugurated the probe in December last year following mounting concerns over persistent attacks on schools despite years of funding and policy interventions aimed at protecting educational institutions nationwide.
The investigation gained further urgency after the abduction of 25 female students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, during which the school’s Vice Principal was reportedly killed by bandits.
The Safe Schools Initiative was established in May 2014 following the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State. The programme was conceived as a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations and private sector stakeholders to strengthen security around schools, particularly in conflict-prone communities.
The ongoing investigation has already uncovered concerns over the utilisation of funds released for the initiative.
During previous investigative hearings, the committee questioned the disbursement of the ₦15 billion released for the programme in 2023. Records presented showed that the Nigerian Police Force received the largest allocation of ₦6.225 billion, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) received ₦3.362 billion, Defence Headquarters got ₦2.250 billion, and the Federal Ministry of Education received ₦519 million. The amount released to the Department of State Services (DSS) was not publicly disclosed.
The committee also raised concerns over alleged financial irregularities and consultancy expenditures and directed the Safe Schools Financing Office to submit a comprehensive reconciliation of all funds released, expenditures, contractors and supporting documents relating to the Central Bank of Nigeria Trust Fund account.
National Coordinator of Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Hajia Halima Iliya, had earlier informed the committee that the initiative received funding from both local and international partners, including $10 million each from the Federal Government and Nigerian business leaders, $1 million from the African Development Bank, €2 million from the German Government, $4 million from the Norwegian Government managed through UNICEF, as well as additional support from USAID, the Qatar Foundation and several United Nations agencies.
With the expanded mandate, the Senate committee is expected to determine whether billions of naira committed to educational security, student welfare and humanitarian interventions have been effectively utilised and whether existing programmes are delivering adequate protection and support for Nigerian students.
