The Nigerian Senate has summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to appear before its Ad hoc Committee investigating the collapse of the Safe School Initiative (SSI).
The summons, issued during the committee’s inaugural meeting on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, follows renewed public outrage over worsening attacks on schools, including the recent abduction of 25 female students in Kebbi State and more than 200 others in Niger State.
The meeting, chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, also saw members adopt their work plan as part of efforts to uncover what went wrong with the initiative launched over a decade ago to protect students in conflict-prone areas.
“Our Schools Remain Soft Targets”
In addition to the finance and education ministers, the committee will also summon the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (Retd.), Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Mohammed Audi, and representatives of school proprietors.
Senator Kalu vowed that the Senate would ensure accountability and transparency in the programme’s implementation.
“It is unacceptable that our schools remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers,” Kalu said.
He emphasized that the committee would conduct a full financial audit of all allocations to the initiative.
“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 ₦144 billion released by the federal government,” he added.
“Nigerians deserve to know why, despite the enormous investment and global support, our schools remain unsafe.”
The committee’s investigation will include financial and operational audits, as well as consultations with federal ministries, state governments, security agencies, and civil society organizations.
Background: The Safe School Initiative
The Safe School Initiative was launched in 2014 after the Chibok school abductions, aimed at protecting students and schools in conflict-affected regions. It sought to ensure that children could continue their education without fear of attack or abduction.
The programme is coordinated through a National Safe School Secretariat under the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, which manages its planning, financing, and monitoring. A technical working group made up of ministries, security agencies, and state representatives oversees its execution.
In December 2022, the federal government announced a ₦144.8 billion investment plan for the initiative over four years (2023–2026). The breakdown includes:
- ₦32.58 billion for 2023
- ₦36.98 billion for 2024
- ₦37.15 billion for 2025
- ₦38.03 billion for 2026
₦15 billion was released in 2023 to fund the first phase, which targeted 18 high-risk states and 48 vulnerable schools, with plans to expand coverage in subsequent years.
Worsening Attacks on Schools
The renewed Senate probe comes after a string of mass abductions underscored the programme’s apparent failure. In November 2025, gunmen abducted 303 pupils and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State—one of the largest mass kidnappings in recent years. Days earlier, 25 schoolgirls were taken from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi State, where the school’s vice principal was killed.
A report by Save the Children International revealed that between April 2014 and December 2022, Nigeria recorded 70 attacks on schools, leading to 1,683 student abductions, 180 children killed, and 25 schools destroyed. Since January 2024, at least 10 more attacks have affected over 670 children.
