• Grants Orji Kalu committee three-week extension to conclude investigation
• To scrutinise intervention funds, student loans, school security, social welfare programmes
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Senate yesterday expanded its ongoing investigation into the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) to key federal agencies handling education funding, student welfare and social intervention programmes in what lawmakers described as a determined effort to establish accountability in the management of billions of naira earmarked for the protection and welfare of Nigerian students.
In a move that broadens one of the National Assembly’s most far-reaching oversight exercises, the upper chamber approved the inclusion of 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) in the investigation.
The Senate also granted its Ad-hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative, chaired by former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), an additional three weeks to conclude its assignment and submit a comprehensive report.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Kalu pursuant to Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026 (as amended).
Leading the debate, Kalu told lawmakers that preliminary findings by the committee had revealed extensive links between the implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative and several government institutions responsible for financing education, supporting vulnerable students and administering humanitarian intervention programmes.
According to him, restricting the investigation to the Safe Schools Initiative alone would leave critical gaps in the Senate’s oversight responsibilities.
He said, “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 maintained that the expansion of the committee’s mandate had become necessary to enable the Senate produce a report capable of strengthening transparency, improving accountability and ensuring that intervention funds allocated for the education sector were effectively utilised.
He added that the committee intends to carry out a comprehensive assessment of financial flows, operational challenges and accountability mechanisms across all the affected institutions.
The expanded investigation will examine social safety-net allocations linked to school feeding programmes, emergency support for displaced students and educational rehabilitation initiatives implemented through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and NSIPA.
The committee will also scrutinise infrastructure and security projects financed by TETFund in tertiary institutions nationwide, assess NELFUND’s student loan disbursement process, operational readiness and administrative efficiency, and evaluate UBEC’s interventions in the basic education sector.
Explaining why the committee required additional time, Kalu disclosed that the panel had yet to conclude investigations in four critical areas because of its demanding schedule and other legislative engagements.
“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 Kalu’s presentation, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the request to a voice vote, with lawmakers overwhelmingly approving both the extension and the expanded terms of reference.
The latest decision represents a major escalation of the Senate’s scrutiny of intervention funds in the education sector, coming months after lawmakers launched an investigation into the Safe Schools Initiative over growing concerns that huge financial commitments made since its establishment had failed to translate into improved security for schools across the country.
The investigation was inaugurated in December last year following renewed outrage over persistent attacks on schools, despite years of funding and policy interventions intended to safeguard educational institutions.
It was further prompted by 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, reigniting nationwide concerns about the safety of students and teachers in vulnerable communities.
The Safe Schools Initiative was established in May 2014 after the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State.
Conceived as a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations and private sector stakeholders, the programme was designed to strengthen security infrastructure in schools, particularly those located in conflict-prone areas.
The Senate’s ongoing investigation has already raised serious concerns over the utilisation of funds released under the initiative.
During earlier investigative hearings, members of the committee questioned the deployment of N15 billion released for the programme in 2023.
The panel was informed that the Nigerian Police Force received the largest allocation of N6.225 billion, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) received N3.362 billion.
Defence Headquarters reportedly got N2.250 billion, while the Federal Ministry of Education received N519 million.
The exact amount released to the Department of State Services (DSS) was not publicly disclosed during the proceedings.
The committee also queried alleged financial irregularities, including consultancy expenditures associated with the implementation of the initiative.
Consequently, it directed the Safe Schools Financing Office to provide a comprehensive reconciliation of all funds released under the programme, including detailed expenditure records, names of contractors, supporting documents and transactions linked to the Central Bank of Nigeria Trust Fund account.
Appearing before the committee at an earlier hearing, the National Coordinator of Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Hajia Halima Iliya, disclosed that the initiative had attracted substantial financial support from both local and international partners.
According to her, the federal government contributed $10 million, while Nigerian business leaders made a matching contribution of another $10 million.
She also disclosed that the African Development Bank provided $1 million, the German Government committed €2 million, while the Norwegian Government contributed $4 million through UNICEF.
Additional support, she added, came from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Qatar Foundation and various United Nations agencies.
With the latest expansion of its mandate, the Senate committee is expected to undertake one of the most comprehensive reviews yet of education, humanitarian and student welfare intervention funds, as lawmakers seek to determine whether billions allocated over the years have effectively improved school security, strengthened educational infrastructure and protected Nigerian students from growing security threats.
