The Senate on Wednesday deepened its inquiry into the collapse of the Safe School Initiative, summoning Finance Minister Wale Edun, Education Minister Tunji Alausa, and Defence Minister Lt-Gen Christopher Musa (retd.) to explain why the $30m programme failed to shield schoolchildren from ongoing attacks.

The invitations were issued by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Safe School Initiative, chaired by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, after the panel adopted its work plan at its inaugural sitting.

Edun and the other officials are expected to appear before the committee next Tuesday.

Launched in 2014 at the height of Boko Haram’s attacks on schools, the Safe School Initiative was designed to strengthen security and protect learning environments nationwide.

But more than a decade later—and despite millions of dollars and billions of naira in funding, schools nationwide remain exposed, with kidnapping incidents on the rise.

Speaking to journalists after the committee’s inauguration, Kalu said the Senate was committed to uncovering why the initiative collapsed despite significant domestic and international support.

“It is unacceptable that our schools remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers,” he said.

He pledged that the committee would pursue the financial trail relentlessly, leaving no room for compromise.

“We will track every naira and every dollar allocated to the Safe School Initiative, some of which were the $30 30million mobilised between 2014 and 2021, aside from the latest N144bn 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,” he added.

Kalu emphasized that the probe is not a witch-hunt but a move to restore accountability and rebuild public trust.

He stated that the committee “owes Nigerian parents the responsibility to ensure their children can pursue education without fear.”

The committee, he said, “owes Nigerian parents the responsibility to guarantee that their children can pursue education without fear”.

The Senate will also review the use of Safe School Initiative funds since 2014, assess the deployment of security personnel, examine early-warning and emergency-response systems, evaluate infrastructure improvements in at-risk schools, and scrutinize partnerships with international donors and private-sector contributors.