Govt must account for every kobo on Safe Schools Funds – Senate declares

The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative has launched a probe into the administration of funds allocated to the programme, including foreign grants, donor contributions and budgetary appropriations.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, announced this on Friday during the opening session at the National Assembly in Abuja, saying the investigation was aimed at ensuring accountability in government.

He explained that because the matter concerns national security and the safety of schools, sensitive aspects of the deliberations would be held behind closed doors.

“Banditry, terrorism and attacks on schools are matters of national security. We will not discuss sensitive operational issues in public because we do not want to expose information that could be useful to criminals,” the chairman stated.

Kalu stressed that the probe was not targeted at any individual, but maintained that the government remains responsible for accounting for public funds at all times.

“Government is a continuum. Whether these funds were released before the present minister assumed office or not, government remains responsible for accounting for every kobo entrusted to it,” he said.

Kalu warned that all public officials must be accountable to the National Assembly.

“This is the seat of democracy. Every minister appointed by the executive must be accountable to the representatives of the Nigerian people,” he said.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, told the committee that most of the disbursements under investigation occurred between five and seven years ago, before he assumed office.

Alausa said that since he became minister, the only significant payments made were targeted interventions to security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, through the Ministry of Finance.

He disclosed that the Safe Schools Initiative has now been moved from the Ministry of Finance to the Federal Ministry of Education.

“When I became minister, I wrote requesting the transfer. Today, the Safe Schools Initiative is officially domiciled in the Ministry of Education. We have also established a dedicated Safe Schools Department,” he said.

The minister reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to protecting schools, stating that, “The President has made it clear that the security of our children, teachers and schools is non-negotiable.”

He added that the ministry is collaborating with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force to develop a comprehensive national framework for school safety.

“Safe Schools is much broader than physical security. It includes perimeter fencing, solar lighting, water and sanitation, technology and monitoring systems,” he explained.

Committee members, including Vice Chairman Senator Sahabi Yau and Senator Anthony Ani, said the assignment was not a witch-hunt but a constitutional duty.

“Parliament is simply performing its constitutional responsibility. We must ensure the original objectives of the programme are achieved,” Senator Yau said.