Senate Opens Investigation Into Alleged Failures of $30m Safe Schools Initiative

The Senate has launched a sweeping investigation into the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI), the security and education programme introduced in 2014 to protect students and learning environments after more than 300 schoolgirls were abducted from Chibok, Borno State.

The probe, triggered by ongoing attacks on schools and repeated mass abductions despite substantial funding, will be handled by an 18-member ad hoc committee chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North).

As part of its mandate, the committee has summoned key government officials and stakeholders, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Alausa; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa; the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi; state governors; civil society organisations; and school proprietors. They are to present documents and testimonies on the funding, implementation, and impact of the SSI.

At the committee’s inaugural sitting in Abuja, Senator Kalu assured that the investigation would be exhaustive and guided by constitutional provisions and Senate Standing Orders.

“This committee is not here for a witch-hunt but for truth and accountability,” Kalu said. “We must track every naira and every dollar allocated to the Safe Schools Initiative since inception.”

The investigation will cover financial audits of domestic and international funds from 2014 to date; a review of security measures, early warning systems, and infrastructure upgrades; an assessment of the operational effectiveness of security deployments and emergency responses; and an evaluation of partnerships with state governments, development partners, and the private sector.

The SSI began with $10 million contributed by Nigerian business leaders and an additional $10 million pledge from the Federal Government. Reports suggest that more than $30 million was mobilised between 2014 and 2021. More recently, the National Plan for Financing Safe Schools (2023–2026) proposed over N144.77 billion to further strengthen school safety nationwide.

Despite these investments and the adoption of the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) and the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools (NPSSVFS), schools have continued to face violent attacks. Senator Kalu said more than 1,680 students have been kidnapped and over 180 educational facilities attacked since 2014.

“It is unacceptable that our schools remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers,” he said. “Nigerians deserve answers.”

Designed as a multi-stakeholder partnership, the SSI involves the Nigerian Government, the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, the Global Business Coalition for Education, and private sector contributors. Its core components include physical protection of schools, community-driven security initiatives, and rapid response and resilience mechanisms. Lawmakers argue that many of these elements appear stalled or poorly implemented across various states.

The Senate’s action follows widespread outrage over the recent abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, during which bandits also killed a school administrator.

While presenting an urgent motion on the incident, Senator Abdullahi Yahaya (APC, Kebbi North) called the attack “a wake-up call.”

“A nation that cannot secure its children is not worth living in,” he said.

Former Senate President and current Chairman of the Committee on Defence, Senator Ahmad Lawan, also demanded a full audit.

“Since schools are still not safe, we must investigate the funds released and how they were utilised,” he said.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio named the 18 members of the ad hoc committee, including Senators Tony Nwoye, Yemi Adaramodu, Harry Ipalibo, Ede Dafinone, Mustapha Saliu, Diket Plang, Binus Yaroe, Kaka Shehu, and Musa Garba Maidoki, among others.

The committee has four weeks to present a detailed report and recommendations for restructuring the Safe Schools Initiative to better safeguard Nigeria’s educational institutions.

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