Senate Commends Alausa’s Accountability, Backs FG’s Renewed Safe Schools Drive By Beauty Akporido Aroh
Senate Commends Alausa’s Accountability, Backs FG’s Renewed Safe Schools Drive
By Beauty Akporido Aroh
The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative has commended the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, for his commitment to transparency, accountability and respect for parliamentary oversight, even as the Federal Government unveiled fresh measures to strengthen the protection of schools and learners nationwide.
The commendation came during an interactive session between the committee and the Federal Ministry of Education, where lawmakers reviewed the implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative, including the utilisation of appropriated funds, international grants and other external support allocated to the programme.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, praised the Minister for consistently honouring invitations from the National Assembly and engaging constructively with lawmakers in the exercise of their constitutional oversight functions.
Kalu also applauded Alausa’s ongoing reforms in the education sector, describing them as bold interventions aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s education system while reaffirming the committee’s readiness to support initiatives that guarantee the safety of schools, teachers and learners across the country.
Responding to issues raised during the session, Alausa clarified that the funds under legislative review were released several years before his appointment as Minister of Education. He explained that the Safe Schools Financing Unit responsible for managing the funds at the time was domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Despite the timeline of the disbursements, the Minister maintained that the present administration remains fully committed to accountability and transparency in the management of public resources.
“Government is a continuum. We have a responsibility to account to Nigerians for how public resources have been managed, and we will continue to cooperate fully with the distinguished Senate in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities,” Alausa said.
The Minister announced that the Federal Ministry of Education has established a dedicated Safe Schools Department to provide stronger leadership, coordination and oversight of school safety programmes across the country.
According to him, the new department replaces the former Safe Schools Unit with a more robust institutional framework that aligns with the Ministry’s constitutional mandate to formulate policies, coordinate implementation and monitor education programmes nationwide.
He disclosed that the Ministry now oversees the Safe Schools Initiative through a unified national framework designed to improve implementation, enhance accountability and strengthen monitoring of interventions across all 774 Local Government Areas.
Alausa further revealed that the Ministry is working in close collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other relevant institutions to implement a comprehensive national strategy for safer schools.
He stressed that school safety requires coordinated action rather than isolated interventions, noting that the initiative now goes beyond physical security to include perimeter fencing, solar-powered lighting, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, surveillance technology, trained security personnel, technology-driven early warning systems, effective monitoring mechanisms and stronger collaboration among federal and state governments, local communities and security agencies.
The Minister said the creation of the new department reflects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian child, from foundational to tertiary education, learns in a safe, secure and conducive environment.
He thanked the Senate Committee for what he described as constructive engagement and reaffirmed the Ministry’s determination to sustain collaboration with the National Assembly, security agencies, state governments and other stakeholders to strengthen accountability, improve coordination and deliver lasting solutions to school safety challenges.
Alausa assured Nigerians that the Ministry would continue to provide the policy leadership and strategic partnerships required to build a more resilient education system where learners can pursue their education without fear.
