Reported by: Puis Althea | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigerian Senate has significantly broadened the scope of its investigation into the Safe Schools Initiative, extending the probe to include key education and social intervention agencies such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the Universal Basic Education Commission, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the National Social Investment Programme Agency. The resolution, which also grants the Senate ad-hoc committee a three-week extension to conclude its assignment, followed a motion moved on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, by the committee chairman, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026. Kalu argued that preliminary findings revealed significant intersections between the implementation and funding of the Safe Schools Initiative and several federal institutions responsible for educational funding, student welfare, and humanitarian support, and that investigating the programme in isolation would leave critical gaps in the Senate's oversight function.
Senator Kalu told the Senate that the issues surrounding student security, educational infrastructure funding, and social intervention schemes for vulnerable learners across the country are deeply interwoven, and that investigating the Safe Schools Initiative without reviewing these complementary bodies would result in fragmented legislative oversight. He explained that the expanded mandate would enable the committee to produce a comprehensive report capable of strengthening accountability, improving transparency, and ensuring that intervention funds achieve their intended objectives. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, following a unanimous voice vote by the lawmakers, approved the committee's request for a three-week extension.
Under the new terms of reference, the committee will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of financial flows, operational bottlenecks, and accountability structures across the Safe Schools Initiative and the affected agencies. The investigation will specifically cover TETFund's security and infrastructure interventions in tertiary institutions, NELFUND's loan disbursement processes, administrative efficiency, and student access framework, as well as UBEC's interventions in the basic education sector. The committee will also review social safety net allocations connected to school feeding programmes, emergency relief interventions for displaced students, and educational rehabilitation initiatives administered through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and NSIPA.
The Safe Schools Initiative investigation was inaugurated by the Senate in December 2025 amid growing concerns over persistent attacks on schools despite years of funding commitments and policy interventions. The probe was further necessitated by 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 in vulnerable communities. The initiative itself was launched in May 2014 following the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, 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 Senate's probe has already uncovered concerns over the utilisation of funds released to implementing agencies, with the committee raising questions during an investigative hearing over the disbursement of ₦15 billion released in 2023 for the programme. Senator Kalu explained that the committee needed additional time because some critical aspects of the investigation, including planned visits to key locations, had yet to be completed. With the expanded mandate and the three-week extension, the committee is expected to deliver a comprehensive report capable of addressing the deep-seated issues affecting school security and educational intervention programmes across Nigeria, as the nation continues to grapple with the persistent threat of attacks on educational institutions.
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