Senate probes safe school initiative

By Haruna Salami

With the rising wave of kidnapping of school children in parts of the country, the Senate, on Wednesday, formally opened an extensive investigation into the Safe School Initiative (SSI), expressing deep concern over the programme’s failure to curb persistent attacks and mass abductions in Nigerian schools despite years of funding and policy commitments.
Presiding over the inaugural sitting, Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee and former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, vowed that the Senate would unravel all issues surrounding the initiative’s implementation and ensure full accountability.
Therefore, the Ad-Hoc Committee has summoned the Minister of Finance and all those concerned, DSS, the Police, proprietors of private schools, representatives of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to appear before the committee on Tuesday next week.
Senator Kalu noted that over 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped and 180 educational facilities attacked since 2014, describing the situation as “unacceptable for a nation committed to educational development and child safety.”
“It is unacceptable that our schools remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers,”.
“We will track every naira and every dollar allocated to the Safe School Initiative. Nigerians deserve to know why, despite enormous investment and global support, our schools remain unsafe ”, Kalu said.
The committee will undertake a comprehensive financial and operational audit, engaging federal ministries, state governments, security agencies, and civil society partners.
Key areas to be reviewed include:
“Utilisation of funds allocated since 2014
Deployment and effectiveness of security personnel
Early warning and emergency response systems
Infrastructure upgrades in vulnerable schools Partnerships with international donors and private-sector contributors”.
Kalu stressed that the probe is not targeted at any individual or institution, but aimed at strengthening accountability.
“This is not a witch-hunt. We owe Nigerian parents the responsibility to guarantee that their children can pursue education without fear. We will not rest until we get answers ”, he assured.