By Haruna Salami
The Senate has expanded the scope of its investigation into the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) by extending the mandate of its Ad-hoc Committee to cover 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 committee was granted an additional three weeks to complete its assignment.
The decision followed a motion presented on the Senate floor on Tuesday by the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), in accordance with Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026 (as amended).
The motion sought an expansion of the committee’s terms of reference and more time to conclude its investigation.
While presenting the motion, Senator Kalu said the committee’s preliminary findings revealed strong links between the implementation and funding of the Safe Schools Initiative and several federal agencies responsible for education financing, students welfare, humanitarian interventions and social investment programmes.
He argued that limiting the investigation to the Safe Schools Initiative alone would leave critical issues surrounding school security, educational infrastructure and support programmes for vulnerable students inadequately addressed.
According to Kalu, concerns relating to student safety, funding for educational infrastructure and social intervention schemes are interconnected, making it necessary to examine the activities of related institutions to ensure effective legislative oversight.
He maintained that broadening the committee’s mandate would enable the Senate to produce a comprehensive report capable of enhancing accountability, promoting transparency in the management of intervention funds and improving the protection of students nationwide.
Under the expanded terms of reference, the committee will review financial flows, operational challenges and accountability systems within the Safe Schools Initiative and the newly included agencies.
It will also examine social intervention funds linked to school feeding programmes, emergency assistance for displaced students and educational rehabilitation projects implemented by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and NSIPA.
In addition, the committee will assess TETFund-funded infrastructure and security projects in tertiary institutions, evaluate NELFUND’s loan disbursement processes, operational capacity, administrative efficiency and student access mechanisms, as well as review UBEC’s interventions in basic education.
Seeking the Senate’s approval for the extension, Senator Kalu explained that the committee had been unable to complete visits to four important locations because of time constraints and other legislative responsibilities.
“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.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio subsequently asked lawmakers to vote on the request, and it received overwhelming support through a voice vote, leading to the approval of the three-week extension.
The Senate inaugurated the Safe Schools Initiative investigation in December last year following mounting concerns over continued attacks on schools despite years of funding and policy measures intended to improve security in educational institutions.
The probe gained added urgency after bandits abducted 25 female students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, during an attack in which the school’s Vice Principal was reportedly killed, raising fresh concerns about the safety of students and teachers in vulnerable communities.
The Safe Schools Initiative was launched in May 2014 after the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State. The programme, established through a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations and private sector stakeholders, was designed to strengthen security around schools, particularly in conflict-affected areas.
The ongoing investigation has already raised concerns over the utilisation of funds allocated to the programme. During an earlier investigative hearing, the committee questioned the disbursement of the N15 billion released in 2023, with the Nigerian Police Force receiving the highest allocation of N6.225 billion.
Other allocations included N3.362 billion to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), N2.250 billion to Defence Headquarters and N519 million to the Federal Ministry of Education, while the amount allocated to the Department of State Services (DSS) was not disclosed publicly during the hearing.
The committee also queried alleged financial irregularities and consultancy expenses associated with the programme, directing the Safe Schools Financing Office to submit a reconciled breakdown of all funds released, expenditures made, contractors engaged and supporting documents relating to the Central Bank of Nigeria Trust Fund account.
During one of the committee’s engagements, the National Coordinator of Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Hajia Halima Iliya, disclosed that the initiative received funding from both local and international partners. These include $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 various United Nations agencies.
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