Senate vows to track funds allocated to Safe School Initiative

The Senate in session. Photo Credit: Senate

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The Senate on Wednesday launched an investigation into the Safe School Initiative, expressing outrage that despite heavy funding, policy commitments and donor support over the past decade, schools remain vulnerable to attacks, mass kidnappings and fatal raids.

Chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, disclosed this at the inaugural sitting of the 18-member ad hoc committee set up to probe the initiative.

The former Abia State governor noted that the upper chamber was determined to uncover why the programme failed to deliver on its core mandate of securing schools across the country.

Kalu, who reeled out statistics showing that over 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped and 180 educational facilities attacked since 2014, described 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 declared.

He explained that the committee would conduct a comprehensive operational and financial audit, engaging federal ministries, state governments, security agencies and civil society groups to determine how funds released since 2014 were spent.

The review will cover utilisation of federal and donor funds, deployment and effectiveness of security personnel, early-warning and emergency response systems, and infrastructural upgrades in schools considered most vulnerable.

Kalu stressed that the probe was not designed to victimise any official or agency but to restore credibility to an initiative that had lost public confidence.

“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 added.

The Senate’s action was triggered by renewed anger over the abduction of 25 female students at Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State—an attack in which bandits also killed the school’s vice principal.

The incident, one of many in recent years, reignited concerns about gaps in the Safe School Initiative and the persistent vulnerability of educational institutions.

During plenary, lawmakers demanded clarity on how funds earmarked for school protection had been deployed. Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (APC, Kebbi North), who raised an urgent motion on the Kebbi attack, described the incident as “a dirty slap on the face of the nation.”

“A nation that cannot secure its children is not worth living in. This is a wake-up call,” he said.

Former Senate President and Chairman of the Committee on Defence, Dr Ahmad Lawan, also pushed for a forensic review of the initiative.

“Since schools are still not safe for our pupils, we must investigate the funds released and how they were utilised,” Lawan insisted.

Last Thursday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio named Kalu as chairman of the ad-hoc panel, with Senators Tony Nwoye, Yemi Adaramodu, Harry Ipalibo, Ede Dafinone, Mustapha Saliu, Diket Plang, Binus Yaroe, Kaka Shehu and Musa Garba Maidoki among the members.

The committee is expected to submit its findings in four weeks.

Launched in May 2014 in the aftermath of the Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, the Safe School Initiative was conceived as a joint project of the government, the United Nations and the private sector partnership aimed at fortifying schools in conflict-prone regions.

It began with $10 million in seed funding, ballooning to over $30 million between 2014 and 2021, with an additional ₦144 billion committed by the Federal Government between 2023 and 2026, according to the Senate committee.

Yet insecurity targeting schools has intensified, exposing structural weaknesses, poor coordination among implementing agencies and alleged mismanagement of funds.

Kalu said the committee’s work would help “re-engineer” the initiative and reposition it for real impact.

“Our goal is simple: to make Nigerian schools safe, secure, and conducive for learning. Nothing short of genuine accountability will suffice,” he said.

The Senate’s report is expected to influence broader national security reforms, particularly in the protection of children and educational infrastructure in high-risk communities.

The PUNCH journalist, Adebayo, has over 20 years of experience covering politics, health, metro, entertainment and properties

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