The Senate has approved a three-week extension for its ad-hoc committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative and expanded the probe’s scope to include multiple additional agencies, including the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).
The resolution followed a motion moved by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative, who argued that preliminary investigations had revealed strong links between the Safe Schools programme and these other agencies.
According to Kalu, limiting the investigation to the Safe Schools Initiative alone would prevent the Senate from conducting a comprehensive assessment of issues affecting school security and educational interventions.
“The issues surrounding student security, educational infrastructure funding, and social intervention schemes for vulnerable learners across the country are deeply interwoven,” Kalu stated. “Investigating the Safe Schools Initiative without reviewing these complementary bodies will result in fragmented legislative oversight.”
Under the expanded mandate, the committee will now evaluate financial flows, operational challenges, and accountability mechanisms across all the affected agencies. It will also review social safety net allocations linked to school feeding programmes, emergency relief for displaced students, and educational rehabilitation initiatives.
The panel will further audit infrastructure and security-related intervention projects funded by TETFund in tertiary institutions, assess NELFUND’s disbursement processes and operational readiness, and examine UBEC’s interventions in basic education.
Kalu noted that the committee required additional time because critical aspects of the investigation had yet to be completed due to its extensive workload and other legislative engagements.
Following a voice vote called by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, lawmakers unanimously approved the request.
The Senate inaugurated the committee in December 2025 amid growing concerns over persistent attacks on schools despite years of government funding and policy interventions. The probe gained further urgency following the abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, during which bandits killed the school’s vice principal.
The Safe Schools Initiative, launched in May 2014 after the Chibok schoolgirls abduction, was established as a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations, and private sector stakeholders to strengthen security infrastructure around schools.
Previous hearings have scrutinized the disbursement of N15 billion released in 2023, with the Nigeria Police Force receiving the highest allocation of N6.225 billion, followed by N3.362 billion to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, N2.250 billion to Defence Headquarters, and N519 million to the Federal Ministry of Education.
The committee has also queried alleged financial irregularities and consultancy payments, directing the Safe Schools Financing Office to submit a reconciled breakdown of all funds released, expenditures, and contractors.