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From Kenneth Udeh, Abuja
The Senate has expanded the mandate of its Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) Programme and granted it a three-week extension to conclude its assignment, widening the scope of the probe to include 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 resolution followed a motion moved on the floor of the Senate by the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North) on Tuesday, pursuant to Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026 (as amended), seeking an expansion of the committee’s terms of reference and additional time to conclude its investigation.
Presenting the motion, Senator Kalu informed the Senate that preliminary investigations by the committee had revealed significant intersections between the implementation and funding mechanisms of the Safe Schools Initiative and several federal institutions responsible for educational funding, student welfare, social intervention programmes and humanitarian support.
He noted that investigating the Safe Schools Initiative in isolation would result in an incomplete assessment of issues relating to school security, educational infrastructure and intervention programmes designed to support vulnerable learners across the country.
“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 stated.
According to him, expanding the committee’s mandate has become imperative to enable the Senate deliver a comprehensive and actionable report capable of strengthening accountability, safeguarding Nigerian students and ensuring transparency in the management of intervention funds.
Under the expanded mandate, the committee will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of financial flows, operational bottlenecks and accountability structures across the Safe Schools Initiative and the affected agencies.
It will also review social safety net allocations connected to school feeding programmes, emergency relief interventions for displaced students and educational rehabilitation initiatives administered through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and NSIPA.
The committee is equally expected to audit infrastructure and security-related intervention projects funded by TETFund across beneficiary tertiary institutions, assess NELFUND’s disbursement processes, operational readiness, administrative efficiency and student access frameworks, while also examining interventions undertaken by UBEC in basic education.
While seeking the Senate’s approval, Senator Kalu explained that time constraints arising from the committee’s extensive schedule and other legislative engagements had affected planned visits to some locations critical to the investigation.
“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.
Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio sought the opinion of lawmakers on granting the committee additional time to conclude its work.
Following a voice vote overwhelmingly supported by senators, the Senate approved the committee’s request for a three-week extension.
The Safe Schools Initiative investigation was inaugurated by the Senate in December last year amid growing concerns over persistent attacks on schools despite years of funding commitments and policy interventions aimed at protecting educational institutions across Nigeria.
The investigation was further necessitated by the abduction of 25 female students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, during which bandits reportedly killed the school’s Vice Principal, reigniting national concerns over the safety of students and teachers in vulnerable communities.
The Safe Schools Initiative was launched in May 2014 following the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State. Conceived as a partnership between the Federal Government, the United Nations and private sector stakeholders, the programme was designed to strengthen security infrastructure around schools, particularly in conflict-prone areas.
The ongoing Senate probe has already uncovered concerns over the utilisation of funds released to implementing agencies. During an investigative hearing, the committee raised questions over the disbursement of ₦15 billion released in 2023 for the programme, with the Nigerian Police Force receiving the largest allocation of ₦6.225 billion.
Other allocations disclosed include ₦3.362 billion to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), ₦2.250 billion to Defence Headquarters and ₦519 million to the Federal Ministry of Education, while the exact amount released to the Department of State Services (DSS) was not publicly disclosed during the hearing.
The committee had also queried alleged financial irregularities and consultancy expenditures associated with the programme and subsequently directed the Safe Schools Financing Office to provide a reconciled and comprehensive breakdown of all funds released, expenditures incurred, names of contractors and supporting documentation relating to the Central Bank of Nigeria Trust Fund account.
The National Coordinator of Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Hajia Halima Iliya, had informed the committee during one of it’s engagements that the initiative received contributions from both domestic and international partners, including $10 million from the Federal Government, $10 million from 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 United Nations agencies.
With the latest expansion of its mandate, the Senate Ad-hoc Committee is expected to provide a more holistic assessment of how educational and humanitarian intervention funds are being deployed across relevant institutions and determine whether existing programmes are effectively addressing the safety, welfare and educational needs of Nigerian students.
