Nigerian Senate Launches Investigation into Safe School Initiative

The Nigerian Senate has launched a probe into the Safe School Initiative, citing concerns over the program’s effectiveness in securing schools across the country. Despite heavy funding and donor support, schools remain vulnerable to attacks, mass kidnappings, and fatal raids

The investigation was triggered by renewed anger over the abduction of 25 female students at Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi State, where bandits also killed the school’s vice principal. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Chairman of the ad-hoc committee, emphasized that the probe aims to uncover why the program failed to deliver on its core mandate of securing schools

The committee will conduct a comprehensive operational and financial audit, engaging federal ministries, state governments, security agencies, and civil society groups to determine how funds released since 2014 were spent. The review will cover:

– Utilization of federal and donor funds
– Deployment and effectiveness of security personnel
– Early-warning and emergency response systems
– Infrastructural upgrades in schools considered most vulnerable

The Senate’s action follows concerns over the alleged mismanagement of funds allocated to the Safe School Initiative. With over ₦144 billion committed by the Federal Government between 2023 and 2026, the program’s effectiveness has been questioned

The committee is expected to submit its findings in four weeks. Senator Kalu stressed that the probe is not designed to victimize any official or agency but to restore credibility to an initiative that has lost public confidence