SENATE EXTENDS SAFE SCHOOLS PROBE, EXPAND INVESTIGATION TO TETFund, NELFUND, HUMANITARIAN MINISTRY

The Senate also granted the committee a three-week extension to conclude its assignment, saying the expanded scope would enable lawmakers to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the implementation, funding and accountability of education and humanitarian intervention programmes linked to school safety across the country.

The resolution follows the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), 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 complete its investigation.

Presenting the motion, Senator Kalu said preliminary investigations had revealed significant links between the implementation and funding of the Safe Schools Initiative and several federal institutions responsible for educational funding, student welfare, social intervention programmes and humanitarian support.

He said 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.

According to him, expanding the committee’s mandate has become necessary to enable the Senate to produce a comprehensive and actionable report capable of strengthening accountability, safeguarding Nigerian students and ensuring transparency in the management of intervention funds.

Under the expanded terms of reference, the committee will evaluate financial flows, operational bottlenecks and accountability mechanisms within the Safe Schools Initiative and the affected agencies.

It will also review social safety net allocations linked to school feeding programmes, emergency relief interventions for displaced students and educational rehabilitation initiatives implemented through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and NSIPA.

The committee is also 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 framework, and examine interventions undertaken by UBEC in the basic education sector.

Senator Kalu explained that the request for an extension became necessary because the committee’s extensive schedule and other legislative engagements had affected planned visits to critical locations relevant to the investigation.

The Senate inaugurated the Ad-hoc Committee in December last year following growing concerns over persistent attacks on schools despite years of funding commitments and policy interventions aimed at protecting educational institutions across the country.

The investigation gained further urgency after 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.

The Safe Schools Initiative was launched in May 2014 following the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State. 

It was conceived as a partnership between the Federal Government, the United Nations and private sector stakeholders to strengthen security infrastructure around schools, particularly in conflict-prone areas.

The ongoing investigation has already uncovered concerns over the utilisation of funds released for the programme. 

During an earlier investigative hearing, the committee questioned the disbursement of N15 billion released in 2023, with the Nigerian Police Force receiving the largest 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 released to the Department of State Services (DSS) was not disclosed during the hearing.

The committee also queried alleged financial irregularities and consultancy expenditures associated with the programme and directed the Safe Schools Financing Office to provide a reconciled breakdown of all funds released, expenditures incurred, contractors engaged and supporting documentation 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, Halima Iliya, disclosed 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, and $4 million from the Norwegian Government managed through UNICEF, in addition to support from USAID, the Qatar Foundation and other United Nations agencies.

With the expansion of its mandate, the Senate Ad-hoc Committee is expected to undertake a broader assessment of education and humanitarian intervention funds and determine whether existing programmes are effectively addressing the safety, welfare and educational needs of Nigerian students.