The Senate has expanded its ongoing investigation into the Safe Schools Initiative to include the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the Universal Basic Education Commission and other key government agencies, as lawmakers intensified efforts to scrutinise education funding and student welfare programmes across the country.
The Red Chamber also granted its ad hoc committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative a three-week extension to conclude its assignment and submit its report.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia), during plenary on Tuesday.
With the expanded mandate, the committee will also investigate the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation as well as the National Social Investment Programme Agency over their roles in implementing education-related intervention programmes.
Presenting the motion, Kalu said preliminary findings by the committee revealed strong links between the Safe Schools Initiative and several federal agencies responsible for educational funding, student welfare, humanitarian interventions and social protection programmes.
According to him, restricting the investigation to the Safe Schools Initiative alone would prevent the Senate from carrying out a holistic assessment of school security, education infrastructure and intervention projects.
He said, “The issues surrounding student security, educational infrastructure funding and social intervention schemes for vulnerable learners across the country are deeply interwoven.
“Investigating the Safe Schools Initiative without reviewing these complementary bodies will result in fragmented legislative oversight.”
Kalu noted that broadening the scope of the investigation would enable the committee to produce a comprehensive report capable of strengthening accountability, improving transparency in the management of intervention funds and enhancing the safety of students nationwide.
He disclosed that the committee would examine financial flows, operational challenges and accountability mechanisms across the affected agencies.
According to him, the lawmakers will also review social safety net allocations linked to school feeding programmes, emergency relief interventions for displaced students and educational rehabilitation initiatives administered through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and NSIPA.
The committee is also expected to audit security and infrastructure projects financed by TETFund in tertiary institutions, evaluate NELFUND’s loan disbursement process, administrative efficiency and students’ access to the scheme, as well as assess UBEC’s interventions in the basic education sector.
Kalu explained that the committee had yet to complete inspections in four critical areas due to time constraints and competing legislative responsibilities.
“We are supposed to submit our report, and there are four key areas that were not done. I needed the permission of the Senate so that we can conclude it in the next two or three weeks and come back with a report,” he said.
Following the request, Senate President Godswill Akpabio sought the approval of lawmakers, who unanimously granted the committee an additional three weeks to complete the investigation and present its findings before the Senate.
The expanded probe comes amid growing public concerns over the management of education intervention funds, school security and the effectiveness of federal programmes designed to improve access to quality education across the country.
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