At least 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped in Nigeria since 2014 when the Chibok girls incident happened, the Senate said on Wednesday.
Similarly, terrorists attacked about 180 school facilities within the same period, according to its AdHoc Committee investigating the implementation of the Safe School Initiative (SSI).
The committee, which is headed by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, said the trend of attacks highlighted the concerns about the programme’s failure to address the purpose for which it was introduced.
Consequently, the committee summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, over the failure of the programme to meet the objective of keeping the schools safe in spite of government investing over $30million in it.
Also summoned were the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa; Minister of Defence, Lt -General Christopher Musa; the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence, Dr Mohammed Abubakar Audi; and representatives of school proprietors.
Speaking after the inaugural meeting of the committee in Abuja, Kalu pledged that the committee would expose all issues related to the SSI’s poor performance.
He stated, “It is unacceptable that our schools remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers.
“We will track every naira and every dollar allocated to the Safe School Initiative , some of which were the $30million mobilised between 2014 and 2021 aside the latest N144billion released for the initiative by the federal government .
“Nigerians deserve to know why, despite 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.”
The committee plans to conduct a comprehensive financial and operational audit, involving federal ministries, state governments, security agencies, and civil society organisations.
The review will examine how funds have been used since 2014, the deployment and effectiveness of security personnel, early warning and emergency response systems, infrastructure improvements in vulnerable schools, and collaborations with international donors and private sector partners.
Kalu emphasised that the investigation is not aimed at targeting individuals or institutions but is meant to enhance accountability.
“This investigation was prompted by recent national outrage over the abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, where the school’s vice principal was also killed by bandits. During the plenary session, lawmakers questioned the use of Safe School Initiative funds given the ongoing security failures”, he explained.
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