Senate Widens Safe Schools Probe to TETFund, NELFUND, UBEC, Humanitarian Ministry and NSIPA

The Senate on Tuesday extended by three weeks the lifespan of its ad hoc committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative and broadened the scope of the probe to include the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Universal Basic Education Commission, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the National Social Investment Programme Agency.

The Red Chamber said the expansion was aimed at conducting a comprehensive investigation into the funding, implementation and accountability of education and social intervention programmes linked to the safety and welfare of students across the country.

The resolution followed a motion moved on Tuesday by the Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026 (as amended).

Presenting the motion, Kalu said preliminary findings indicated that the implementation and funding of the Safe Schools Initiative intersected with the activities of several federal agencies responsible for education funding, student welfare and social intervention programmes.

He argued that investigating SSI in isolation would result in an incomplete assessment of issues relating to school security, educational infrastructure and support for vulnerable learners.

According to him, expanding the committee's mandate has become imperative to enable the Senate deliver a comprehensive and actionable report capable of strengthening accountability, safeguarding Nigerian students and ensuring transparency in the management of intervention funds.

Seeking the Senate's approval, Kalu said the committee required additional time because some critical aspects of the investigation had yet to be completed due to its extensive workload and other legislative engagements.

Under the expanded mandate, the committee will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of financial flows, operational bottlenecks and accountability structures across the Safe Schools Initiative and the affected agencies.

The panel is further expected to audit infrastructure and security-related intervention projects funded by TETFund in tertiary institutions, assess NELFUND's disbursement processes, operational readiness, administrative efficiency, and students' access to education loans, and examine UBEC's interventions in basic education.

It will also examine social safety net allocations linked to school feeding programmes, emergency relief for displaced students and educational rehabilitation initiatives managed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and NSIPA.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, put the motion to a voice vote, and it was unanimously approved. The committee now has three additional weeks to complete its work and submit a report.

The ad hoc committee was originally inaugurated in December 2025 amid persistent attacks on schools despite substantial government and donor funding for the Safe Schools Initiative, launched in 2014 following the Chibok schoolgirls abduction.

The probe was further elevated in urgency by the May 15, 2026 abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State , a crisis that paralysed the state's education sector for over 56 days and triggered a national conversation about the effectiveness of the Safe Schools framework and the management of funds allocated for school security.

Under the expanded terms of reference, TETFund will be required to account for infrastructure and security-related intervention projects at tertiary institutions funded under its mandate. NELFUND will face scrutiny over its loan disbursement processes, operational readiness, and the accessibility of student loans to eligible beneficiaries.

UBEC will be examined for the effectiveness of its interventions in basic education, including how funds intended to improve learning environments and school safety have been applied across the country's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, along with NSIPA, will face questions about the management of school feeding programmes, emergency relief for students displaced by insecurity, and educational rehabilitation initiatives that should have benefited vulnerable learners.

The Senate's decision to widen the scope of the investigation reflects a growing recognition that the failures of the Safe Schools Initiative cannot be understood without examining the full ecosystem of agencies responsible for education, student welfare, and social intervention in Nigeria.

Civil society organisations and education advocates have for years raised concerns about the fragmentation of education-related interventions across multiple ministries and agencies, arguing that poor coordination, weak accountability mechanisms, and inadequate monitoring have allowed significant portions of allocated funds to flow without producing measurable improvements in school safety or student welfare.

The expanded probe could produce one of the most comprehensive legislative assessments of Nigeria's education and social intervention funding landscape, with the potential to identify systemic loopholes, recommend structural reforms, and hold agencies accountable for the management of resources that were intended to protect and support the country's most vulnerable citizens.