Senate Extends Probe of Safe Schools Initiative, Expands Investigation to TETFund, NELFUND, UBEC, Humanitarian Ministry, NSIPA
The Senate has expanded the mandate of its Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) Programme and granted it a three-week extension to conclude its assignment.
Not only that, the Senate also widening the scope of the probe to include the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).
The resolution followed a motion moved on the floor of the Senate by the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North) on Tuesday, pursuant to Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026 (as amended), seeking an expansion of the committee’s terms of reference and additional time to conclude its investigation.
Presenting the motion, Senator Kalu informed the Senate that preliminary investigations by the committee had revealed significant intersections between the implementation and funding mechanisms of the Safe Schools Initiative and several federal institutions responsible for educational funding, student welfare, social intervention programmes and humanitarian support.
He noted that investigating the Safe Schools Initiative in isolation would result in an incomplete assessment of issues relating to school security, educational infrastructure and intervention programmes designed to support vulnerable learners across the country.
The committee is equally expected to audit infrastructure and security-related intervention projects funded by TETFund across beneficiary tertiary institutions, assess NELFUND’s disbursement processes, operational readiness, administrative efficiency and student access frameworks, while also examining interventions undertaken by UBEC in basic education.
Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio sought the opinion of lawmakers on granting the committee additional time to conclude its work.
Following a voice vote overwhelmingly supported by senators, the Senate approved the committee’s request for a three-week extension.
