* Extends scrutiny to TETFund, NELFUND, UBEC, others
By Ahmed Akanbi
The Senate has expanded the mandate of its Ad-hoc Committee probing the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI), and granted it a three-week extension to complete the investigation.
The committee’s scope was widened on Tuesday to cover the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).
The decision followed a motion by the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC Abia North), under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026.
Kalu told the Senate that preliminary findings showed clear links between SSI implementation and the funding mechanisms of agencies responsible for education, student welfare and humanitarian support.
He said investigating SSI alone would produce an incomplete assessment of school security, educational infrastructure and intervention programmes for vulnerable learners.
”The issues surrounding student security, educational infrastructure funding and social intervention schemes for vulnerable learners are deeply interwoven. Investigating the Safe Schools Initiative without reviewing these complementary bodies will result in fragmented legislative oversight,” Kalu stated.
He added that the expanded mandate was necessary to deliver a comprehensive report that strengthens accountability, protects students and ensures transparency in the management of intervention funds.
Under the new terms, the committee will review financial flows, operational bottlenecks and accountability structures across SSI and the listed agencies.
It will also audit social safety net allocations tied to school feeding, emergency relief for displaced students, and educational rehabilitation handled by the Humanitarian Ministry and NSIPA.
The panel is expected to examine infrastructure and security projects funded by TETFund in tertiary institutions, assess NELFUND’s disbursement processes and student access, and review UBEC interventions in basic education.
Kalu said time constraints and other legislative duties affected planned visits to critical locations.
”We’re supposed to submit our report, and there are four key areas that were not done. I needed the permission of the Senate so that we can conclude it in the next two or three weeks,” he said.
Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, put the request to a voice vote, and it was overwhelmingly approved.
The SSI investigation began in December 2024 following renewed attacks on schools, including the abduction of 25 female students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, where bandits killed the Vice Principal.
SSI was launched in May 2014 after the Chibok abduction of 276 schoolgirls. It was set up as a partnership between the Federal Government, the UN and private sector to secure schools in conflict areas.
The committee had earlier raised questions over the N15 billion released in 2023. The Nigeria Police Force received N6.225 billion, NSCDC got N3.362 billion, Defence Headquarters N2.250 billion, and the Federal Ministry of Education N519 million.
It also directed the Safe Schools Financing Office to provide a reconciled breakdown of all releases, expenditures, contractors and documents relating to the CBN Trust Fund account.
National Coordinator Hajia Halima Iliya informed the committee that SSI received $10 million from the Federal Government, $10 million from Nigerian business leaders, $1 million from AfDB, €2 million from Germany, $4 million from Norway via UNICEF, and support from USAID, Qatar Foundation and UN agencies.
With the expanded mandate, the Senate expects a holistic review of how educational and humanitarian funds are deployed to safeguard students and improve learning conditions.