Senate expands Safe Schools probe, summons TETFund, NELFUND

The Nigerian Senate has extended the lifespan of its ad hoc committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative by three weeks. The committee's mandate has also been significantly broadened to encompass a more comprehensive review of educational and social intervention programs across the country.

Under the expanded scope, the probe will now 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). This move aims to ensure a thorough examination of how funds are utilized and implemented for student safety and welfare.

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Chairman of the Senate Ad hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative, presented the motion for expansion. He explained that preliminary investigations revealed strong interconnections between the Safe Schools Initiative and these other agencies. Limiting the probe solely to the Safe Schools Initiative, he argued, would lead to fragmented legislative oversight and prevent a complete assessment of issues affecting school security and educational interventions.

The expanded mandate will allow the committee to evaluate financial flows, operational challenges, and accountability mechanisms across all included agencies. It will also review social safety net allocations, particularly those linked to school feeding programs, and audit infrastructure and security projects funded by TETFund in tertiary institutions. The committee will further assess NELFUND's disbursement processes and UBEC's interventions in basic education, aiming to strengthen accountability and transparency in managing intervention funds.

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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.