The Senate has extended by three weeks the lifespan of its ad hoc committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative and expanded the scope of the probe 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 chamber said the expanded investigation is intended to provide a comprehensive review of the funding, implementation and accountability of education and social intervention programmes linked to the safety and welfare of students across the country.
The decision followed a motion moved on Tuesday by the Chairman of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), who sought an extension of the committee’s mandate and an expansion of its terms of reference.
Presenting the motion, Kalu said preliminary findings had revealed strong links between the Safe Schools Initiative and several government agencies responsible for educational funding, student welfare, humanitarian interventions and social investment programmes.
He argued that limiting the investigation to the Safe Schools Initiative alone would prevent the Senate from carrying out a thorough assessment of issues affecting school security and educational interventions.
“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 said.
He added that broadening the committee’s mandate would enable it to produce a comprehensive report aimed at strengthening accountability, improving transparency in the management of intervention funds, and enhancing the safety of students.
Under the expanded mandate, the committee will examine funding, operational challenges and accountability mechanisms across the Safe Schools Initiative and the affected agencies. It will also review social intervention programmes, including school feeding schemes, emergency relief for displaced students and educational rehabilitation initiatives.
In addition, the panel will audit infrastructure and security-related projects funded by TETFund in tertiary institutions, assess NELFUND’s loan disbursement process and operational efficiency, and examine UBEC’s interventions in basic education.
Kalu told lawmakers that additional time was needed to complete key aspects of the investigation.
“We’re 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.
The Senate inaugurated the ad hoc committee in December 2025 following growing concerns over persistent attacks on schools despite years of government funding and policy interventions aimed at improving school security.
