The Senate has intensified its probe into the failure of the Safe School Initiative (SSI) by summoning key government officials to appear before its Ad hoc Committee.
The move, which followed the adoption of the committee’s work plan on Wednesday, is a direct response to the persistent and growing wave of kidnappings targeting Nigerian schoolchildren.
Recent incidents, including the abduction of 25 female students in Kebbi and over 200 students in Niger State, have triggered fresh national outrage.
The Senate Ad hoc Committee investigating the initiative’s collapse, headed by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia), has slated the following critical stakeholders for appearance on Tuesday, December 9, 2025: Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa; Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa; Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Mohammed Audi; Representatives of school proprietors.
Senator Kalu vowed that the committee would undertake a comprehensive financial and operational audit to unravel all issues surrounding the initiative’s implementation and ensure full accountability.
He highlighted the massive funds allocated to the scheme that appear to have yielded little result.
The Senator said: “We will track every naira and every dollar allocated to the Safe School Initiative, some of which were the $30 million mobilised between 2014 and 2021, aside from the latest N144 billion released for the initiative by the federal government.
“Nigerians deserve to know why, in spite of the enormous investment and global support, our schools remain unsafe.
“The committee will undertake a comprehensive financial and operational audit, engaging federal ministries, state governments, security agencies, and civil society partners.”
Kalu noted that despite the investment and global support, over 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped and 180 educational facilities attacked since the SSI’s launch in 2014, describing the situation as “unacceptable.”
The committee stressed that the probe is not aimed at any individual but at strengthening accountability and transparency.
The areas of investigation include:
Fund Utilization: Tracking the utilization of all funds allocated since 2014.
Security Deployment: Assessing the deployment and effectiveness of security personnel.
Emergency Systems: Reviewing early warning and emergency response systems.
Infrastructure: Evaluating infrastructure upgrades in vulnerable schools.
Partnerships: Scrutinizing partnerships with international donors and private-sector contributors.
Other members of the Committee include Tony Nwoye (Anambra north), Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti south), Harry Ipalibo (Rivers west), Ede Dafinone (Delta central), Mustapha Saliu Mustapha (Kwara central), Diket Plang (Plateau central), Binus Yaroe (Adamawa south), Kaka Shehu (Borno central) and Musa Maidoki (Kebbi south).
Naijaonpoint understands that the Safe School Initiative (SSI) was launched in May 2014 in response to the Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, as a partnership between the Nigerian government, the UN, and private-sector organizations, intended to fortify learning environments in high-risk areas. Reports indicate that over the years, implementation has stalled in numerous states due to inconsistent funding and a lack of political will at the sub-national level.
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