The Senate has extended the work of its ad hoc committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative by three weeks and widened the probe to include 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 decision, taken on Tuesday, is aimed at conducting a broader investigation into the funding, implementation and accountability of education and social intervention programmes linked to the safety and welfare of students nationwide.
The resolution followed a motion moved by the Chairman of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), who requested an extension of the committee’s mandate and timeline under the 2026 Senate Standing Orders.
Kalu told lawmakers that preliminary findings showed strong links between the Safe Schools Initiative and several agencies responsible for education funding, student welfare and social intervention programmes. He argued that restricting the investigation to the initiative alone would not provide a complete picture of the challenges affecting school safety.
According to him, the expanded mandate will enable the committee to examine funding, operational challenges and accountability across the affected agencies, while producing recommendations to strengthen transparency and improve the protection of students.
As part of the investigation, the panel will review intervention projects funded by TETFund, assess NELFUND’s loan disbursement process, operational efficiency and students’ access to education loans, evaluate UBEC’s role in basic education, and examine school feeding, emergency support for displaced students and educational rehabilitation programmes managed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and NSIPA.
Kalu said additional time was needed because several key aspects of the investigation were still outstanding. Following a voice vote presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, lawmakers unanimously approved the committee’s request for an extra three weeks.
The Senate established the ad hoc committee in December 2025 amid growing concern over repeated attacks on schools despite years of government spending on school security.
The investigation gained further momentum after the abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, during which bandits reportedly killed the school’s vice principal.
The Safe Schools Initiative was launched in May 2014 following the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State. The programme, created through a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations and private sector stakeholders, was designed to improve security around schools, particularly in conflict-affected areas.
The Senate committee has already questioned the management of funds allocated to the initiative, including the ₦15 billion released in 2023. Previous hearings showed that the Nigeria Police Force received ₦6.225 billion, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps received ₦3.362 billion, Defence Headquarters got ₦2.250 billion, while the Federal Ministry of Education received ₦519 million. The amount allocated to the Department of State Services (DSS) was not made public.
The panel has also raised concerns over alleged financial irregularities and consultancy payments under the programme, directing the Safe Schools Financing Office to provide a detailed reconciliation of funds, expenditures, contractors and supporting documents linked to the Central Bank of Nigeria Trust Fund account.
During earlier hearings, the National Coordinator of Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Hajia Halima Iliya, disclosed that the initiative received funding from several local and international partners, including $10 million each from the Federal Government and Nigerian business leaders, $1 million from the African Development Bank, €2 million from the German Government, $4 million from the Norwegian Government through UNICEF, as well as support from USAID, the Qatar Foundation and various United Nations agencies.
With its expanded mandate, the committee is expected to submit a more comprehensive report on the management of education, security and humanitarian intervention funds, and determine whether the programmes are effectively improving the safety and welfare of students across Nigeria.
