Senate Probes Collapse of $30m Safe School Initiative, Summons Finance and Education Ministers

The Senate has opened a fresh inquiry into the alleged collapse of the $30 million Safe School Initiative and has summoned top government officials to explain how the programme fell apart despite huge financial backing.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, will face the Senate’s Ad Hoc Committee next Tuesday.

Wale Edun is expected to give a full account of how funds meant to fortify Nigerian schools were managed.

Also invited are the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa; the Minister of Defence, Lt.-Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.); the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi; and representatives of school owners across the country.

Their appearance follows the committee’s adoption of its work plan at its inaugural meeting in Abuja.

The panel, chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, is looking into why a programme launched in 2014 to protect schools from terrorists and kidnappers failed to achieve the basic purpose for which it was created.

The initiative attracted massive support from the Federal Government, state governments, foreign partners and private-sector donors, yet schools across the country remain exposed to violent attacks.

Speaking with journalists after the maiden sitting, Senator Kalu said the committee would “unravel all issues surrounding the implementation of the Safe School Initiative and ensure full accountability.”

He expressed concern that Nigeria has continued to witness abductions of students, attacks on school facilities and breakdown of basic safety measures despite years of investment.

Kalu described the situation as embarrassing for a country battling insecurity from several fronts. The lawmaker noted that at least 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped since 2014, while over 180 educational facilities have been attacked.

According to him, “It is unacceptable that our schools remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers,” insisting that the Senate must get to the bottom of the programme’s failure.

The committee plans to thoroughly examine how both the $30 million raised between 2014 and 2021 and the more recent N144 billion budgeted by the Federal Government were utilised.

Kalu stressed that Nigerians deserve transparency, saying the panel would look into every release, approval and expenditure linked to the initiative.

He stated that “Nigerians deserve to know why, despite enormous investment and global support, our schools remain unsafe,” adding that the committee will carry out “a comprehensive financial and operational audit, engaging federal ministries, state governments, security agencies, and civil society partners.”

Kalu also emphasised that the investigation was not designed to target individuals but to fix a system that has consistently failed Nigerian children. “We owe parents the assurance that their children can go to school safely,” he said.

Areas the Senate will focus on include fund utilisation since the launch of the programme, the deployment and performance of security personnel posted to schools, the strength of early-warning systems, response strategies during attacks, improvements in school infrastructure, and the level of involvement from development partners and private contributors.

This renewed scrutiny comes at a time when public anger is rising over repeated school abductions.

The recent kidnapping of 25 girls at Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State, and the abduction of more than 200 students at St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri in Niger State, have again highlighted the vulnerability of many schools.

Senator Kalu assured that the committee would dig deep into the reasons the initiative collapsed and recommend strong reforms that would rebuild confidence in the nation’s ability to protect schoolchildren.