FG approves N15bn for 2026 Safe Schools programme

The federal government has approved N15 billion for the implementation of the Safe Schools programme in 2026.

The National Coordinator, Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Halima Iliya, disclosed this on Wednesday during a panel discussion at the seventh annual summit of the Education Writers Association of Nigeria (EWAN) in Lagos.

The summit, themed “Schools Under Threat: From Reactive Responses to Sustainable Protection,” brought together education stakeholders, government officials, security agencies, parents, teachers, students and civil society organisations to discuss sustainable measures for protecting schools.

Ms Iliya said the 2026 allocation reflects the government’s continued commitment to the Safe Schools programme, which was established following the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State.

“I can authoritatively say this: the government has shown political commitment in the 2026 budget for this intervention. So we have 15 billion that has been approved, and we have started,” she said.

She explained that implementation began with mapping the three senatorial zones in each state to guide training and security interventions across host communities.

“We have developed maps of the three senatorial zones of each state to focus training on the entire host community, to be able to give us intelligence,” she said.

According to Ms Iliya, the State Security Services (SSS) and defence intelligence authorities have trained personnel nationwide, and security assets have also been deployed.

She said the programme was designed to build security resilience around schools by involving the wider community, including hunters, vigilantes and forest guards, while strengthening their capacity to detect, deter and respond to threats.

Previous funding

The 2026 approval follows the federal government’s release of about N15 billion to implementing agencies when full implementation of the National Plan on Financing Safe Schools began in 2023.

The Federal Ministry of Information said in 2023 that the National Plan on Financing Safe Schools, developed in December 2022, was designed to run from 2023 to 2026, with a projected investment size of N144.86 billion. The plan included strengthening security agencies’ detection and response capabilities and building security-resilient host communities.

Ms Iliya said the programme had since expanded to include needs assessments of vulnerable schools and communities, a database of vulnerable locations, a national response coordination centre and training for parents, teachers and students.

Attacks persist

The latest funding comes amid continued attacks on schools and abductions of pupils and teachers.

A PREMIUM TIMES analysis shows that over 2,000 students have been kidnapped by armed groups in about 30 incidents since 2014.

In May, 42 children were abducted from a school in Mussa, Borno State, while 46 pupils and staff were abducted from three schools in Oriire, Oyo State. The Oyo victims were later freed after 56 days in captivity.

Ms Iliya urged state governments to complement the federal intervention by incorporating Safe Schools measures into their annual budgets.

She specifically commended Lagos State for its efforts and called for stronger state-level participation in financing and implementing school safety measures.

Funding, accountability

In his welcome address at the summit, EWAN chairperson, Mojeed Alabi, said journalists should not stop at reporting attacks or government announcements but should follow up on the resources committed to school protection.

Mr Alabi urged education journalists to investigate how funds allocated for school safety are being spent and whether measures announced by authorities were actually implemented.

“When funds are allocated, investigate whether they are used as intended,” he said,

The Executive Director of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Motunrayo Alaka, also urged education journalists to move beyond reporting attacks and investigate the conditions that make schools vulnerable.

Ms Alaka said journalists should examine patterns in school insecurity and visit schools regularly to determine whether basic safety measures are in place, rather than focusing only on crises or government interventions.

She said education journalists should also understand the standards for safe schools, including security infrastructure, so that their reporting can identify gaps and prompt action before attacks occur.