$30m Safe School probe: Senate summons govs, Edun, Education, Defence ministers, others

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA- THE Senate has begun a probe into the failed $30 million Safe Schools Initiative, a programme established in response to the 2014 abduction of over 300 Chibok school girls in Borno State.

It was designed to protect educational institutions across all regions of the country.

Consequently, the ad hoc committee, led by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, APC, Abia North, saddled with the responsibility of carrying out a holistic investigation into the initiative, has summoned the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Education, Tunde Alausa; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa; Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Audi, governors, civil society partners, and representatives of school proprietors, among other stakeholders.

According to the committee, those summoned will provide detailed testimony and documentation.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of committee members in Abuja yesterday, chairman of the committee, Senator Kalu, vowed that the committee would unravel all issues surrounding the initiative’s implementation and ensure full accountability.

He said the committee would invoke all the laws, constitution of the land, and Standing Orders of the Senate on all invited stakeholders.

He said: “This committee is not here for a witch-hunt, but for the pursuit of truth and accountability. Our mandate is clear and unambiguous:

‘’Financial audit: To conduct a comprehensive investigation into the utilisation of all funds, domestic and international, allocated, budgeted, or spent on the Safe Schools Initiative from its inception to date. ‘’We must track every naira and every dollar.

Implementation Review: To assess the operational effectiveness and impact of the implemented SSI strategies, including the deployment of security personnel, establishment of early warning systems, and the quality of physical infrastructure upgrades.”

On initial funding and mobilisation, Senator Kalu said: “ The SSI was launched with an initial fund of $10 million contributed by a coalition of Nigerian business leaders, with the federal government pledging a matching $10 million.

‘’The ministry of finance was tasked with managing the initial Safe Schools Fund. Reports suggest that over $30 million was mobilised between 2014 and 2021. More recently, the government has allocated funds through the National Plan for Financing Safe Schools (2023-2026), proposing an investment of over N144.77 billion over the four-year period.”

Senator Kalu noted that over 1,680 schoolchildren had been kidnapped and 180 educational facilities attacked since 2014, describing the situation as “unacceptable for a nation committed to educational development and child safety.”

He said further: “It is unacceptable that our schools remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers. We will track every naira and every dollar allocated to the Safe School Initiative.

Nigerians deserve to know why, despite enormous investment and global support, our schools remain unsafe.’’

According to him, the committee will undertake a comprehensive financial and operational audit, engaging federal ministries, state governments, security agencies, and civil society partners.

‘’Key areas to be reviewed include utilisation of funds allocated since 2014; deployment and effectiveness of security personnel; early warning and emergency response systems; infrastructure upgrades in vulnerable schools and partnerships with international donors and private-sector contributors.

Kalu, who noted that the probe was not targeted at any individual or institution, but aimed at strengthening accountability, said: “This is not a witch-hunt. We owe Nigerian parents the responsibility to guarantee that their children can pursue education without fear. We will not rest until we get answers.”

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