Senate Expands Safe Schools Initiative Probe to Include TETFund, NELFUND, UBEC

The Senate has expanded the scope of its ongoing investigation into the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) to include the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

The upper legislative chamber also granted its ad hoc committee an additional three weeks to conclude the investigation.

The resolution followed a motion moved by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North and chairman of the Senate ad hoc committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative.

Presenting the motion, Kalu said preliminary findings revealed that the implementation and funding of the initiative are closely linked to several government agencies responsible for education financing, student welfare and social intervention programmes.

According to him, limiting the investigation to the Safe Schools Initiative alone would not provide a complete picture of the challenges affecting school security, educational infrastructure and support for vulnerable learners.

He explained that the expanded mandate would enable the committee to examine funding flows, operational challenges and accountability mechanisms across the affected agencies to ensure transparency and improve the effectiveness of government interventions.

The committee is also expected to review social safety net allocations connected to school feeding programmes, emergency relief for displaced students and educational rehabilitation initiatives managed by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and NSIPA.

In addition, the panel will audit infrastructure and security projects funded by TETFund, assess NELFUND’s loan disbursement process and operational efficiency, and evaluate UBEC’s interventions in basic education.

Kalu requested additional time to complete visits to key locations, noting that four critical aspects of the investigation were yet to be concluded.

Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio observed that the committee could have presented an interim report but subsequently put the request to a voice vote. Lawmakers unanimously approved both the expansion of the committee’s mandate and the three-week extension.

The Senate inaugurated the ad hoc committee in December 2025 to investigate the implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative following persistent attacks on schools despite years of funding. The probe was further prompted by the abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, during which the school’s vice-principal was reportedly killed.

The Safe Schools Initiative was launched in 2014 following the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State. It was established through a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations and private sector stakeholders to strengthen security in schools, particularly in conflict-affected communities.