The Senate has launched a new probe into the reported breakdown of the $30 million Safe School Initiative, summoning key government officials to account for the programme’s collapse despite significant financial investment.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has been scheduled to appear before the Senate’s Ad Hoc Committee next Tuesday.
Wale Edun is expected to provide a detailed explanation of how funds allocated to strengthen security in Nigerian schools were handled.
Also invited to the panel 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, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi; and representatives of school proprietors nationwide.
Their summons comes after the committee adopted its work plan during its inaugural meeting in Abuja.
The committee, chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, is probing why a programme launched in 2014 to protect schools from terrorists and kidnappers failed to meet its core objectives. Although the initiative received extensive backing from the Federal Government, state authorities, international partners and private donors, schools across the country remain susceptible to violent attacks.
Speaking with reporters after the committee’s first sitting, Senator Kalu said the panel would “unravel all issues surrounding the implementation of the Safe School Initiative and ensure full accountability.” He voiced concern that Nigeria continues to witness student abductions, school assaults and lapses in safety measures despite years of financial commitments.
Kalu described the situation as an embarrassment for a nation battling widespread insecurity. According to him, at least 1,680 schoolchildren have been abducted since 2014, while over 180 educational institutions have come under attack. He stressed that “It is unacceptable that our schools remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers,” insisting that lawmakers must determine why the programme failed.
The committee intends to scrutinise how the $30 million raised between 2014 and 2021, as well as the more recent N144 billion appropriated by the Federal Government, were expended. Kalu said Nigerians deserve full disclosure, noting that the panel will review every financial release, approval and expenditure connected to the initiative.
He stated that “Nigerians deserve to know why, despite enormous investment and global support, our schools remain unsafe,” adding that the investigation will include “a comprehensive financial and operational audit, engaging federal ministries, state governments, security agencies, and civil society partners.” Kalu further clarified that the probe is not aimed at witch-hunting but at repairing a system that has consistently failed to protect pupils. “We owe parents the assurance that their children can go to school safely,” he said.
Areas earmarked for review include the application of funds since the programme began, the deployment and effectiveness of security personnel in schools, the robustness of early-warning mechanisms, response procedures during attacks, upgrades to school infrastructure, and the level of input from development partners and private-sector donors. The renewed probe follows growing public frustration over recurring school kidnappings.
Recent incidents — including the abduction of 25 girls from Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State, and the kidnapping of more than 200 students at St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri in Niger State — have again underscored how vulnerable many schools remain. Senator Kalu assured that the committee will thoroughly investigate the reasons behind the programme’s failure and propose reforms strong enough to restore confidence in the nation’s capacity to safeguard its schoolchildren.
