*** Senate will unravel all issues surrounding the Programme, Kalu Vows
ABUJA- THE Senate has begun probe into the failed $30 Million Safe Schools Initiative (SSI), a programme established a response to the 2014 abduction of over 300 Chibok school girls in Borno State designed to protect educational institutions across all regions of the country.
Consequently, the Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, APC, Abia North led Senate Ad-hoc Committee saddled with the responsibility of carrying out a holistic investigation into the SSI, 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, State Governors, Civil Society Partners, representatives of School proprietors, among other stakeholders.
According to the Committee, those summoned will provide detailed testimony and documentation.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the inaugural meeting of Committee members, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kalu who vowed that the Committee would unravel all issues surrounding the initiative’s implementation and ensure full accountability, said that it will invoke all the laws, the constitution of the land, the 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 utilization 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, the 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 mobilized 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 have been kidnapped and 180 educational facilities attacked since 2014, describing the situation as “unacceptable for a nation committed to educational development and child safety.”
“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 ”, Kalu said.
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 is 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,”
He said, “We must first state clearly what the Safe Schools Initiative is and what it was intended to achieve, based on publicly available information:
The Genesis: The SSI was formally launched in May 2014 under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. This launch was a direct, urgent response to the horrific mass abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in Borno State the previous month.
“Key Initiators and Partners: The Initiative was established as a multi-stakeholder partnership. Key initiators included the Nigerian Government, the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education (then Gordon Brown), the Global Business Coalition for Education, and a coalition of Nigerian business leaders and private sector organizations.
“Core Mandate and Scope: The Initiative was designed to protect schools, students, and teachers in areas affected by insecurity, starting with a pilot phase of over 500 schools in Northern states.
Implementation Pillars: The SSI was intended to operate across three main intervention areas:
“Physical Protection: Bolstering the security of school infrastructure, providing school guards, and facilitating the deployment of police and security personnel in partnership with local authorities. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) is a lead agency in the operational implementation.
“Community Interventions: Building Community Security Groups consisting of teachers, parents, police, community leaders, and youth to promote local safe zones and intelligence gathering.
“Rapid Response and Resilience: Creating school security plans, providing communication tools, and establishing a rapid response system for quick repair and replacement of destroyed education materials after attacks.
“Policy Alignment: Nigeria demonstrated further commitment by ratifying the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) in 2019 and adopting the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools (NPSSVFS) in 2020, which outlines the minimum standards schools must adhere to.
“The Unacceptable Reality. Despite this substantial financial commitment and well-defined policy framework, the reality on the ground is grim. We have seen a tragic continuation of mass abductions, including in Dapchi, Kankara, Jangebe, and most recently, in Kebbi and Kaduna States. Data reveals that since the Chibok incident, over 1,680 school children have been kidnapped, with over 180 fatalities in approximately 70 attacks between April 2014 and December 2022.
“The reports we receive indicate that the SSI project has stalled or is ineffective in many states, and key components such as functional early warning systems and adequate physical security upgrades exist largely on paper. This persistent insecurity has contributed significantly to the staggering number of out-of-school children, particularly in the North.”
The investigation follows fresh national outrage triggered by the recent abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where bandits also killed the school’s vice principal.
During plenary, lawmakers questioned how funds for the Safe School Initiative had been used, given the unabated attacks.
Senator Abdullahi Yahaya, APC, Kebbi North, who raised an urgent motion on the incident, described the attack as “a dirty slap on the face of the nation.”
“A nation that cannot secure its children is not worth living in. This is a wake-up call,” he declared.
Former Senate President and Chairman of the Committee on Defence, Senator Ahmad Lawan, APC, Yobe North who called for a full probe, said, “Since schools are still not safe for our pupils, we must investigate the funds released and how they were utilized.”
The Senate presided by Godswill Akpabio constituted an 18-member ad hoc committee chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu. Members include Senators Tony Nwoye, Yemi Adaramodu, Harry Ipalibo, Ede Dafinone, Mustapha Saliu, Diket Plang, Binus Yaroe, Kaka Shehu, and Musa Garba Maidoki, among others.
The Committee has four weeks to submit a detailed report and recommendations for overhauling the Safe School Initiative.
ENDS
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