SERAP Urge Buhari to Probe Missing $30m Safe School Fund

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the missing $30m for safe school funding.

A letter sent by the group to President Buhari advised him to find out what happened to the initial money mapped out before rushing to raise more funds.

The statement reads below:

Following the killing of three abducted Greenfield students, and the plan by Nigeria Governors to raise more funds for Safe School Initiative, SERAP has urged President Buhari to first probe the missing $30m safe school fund, before rushing to raise more funds.

In the letter sent yesterday, we also urged President Buhari Muhammadu Buhari to ask Mr Gordon Brown to wait for the outcome of any probe into the spending of the $30m budgeted for the Safe School Initiative, before pushing to engage donors for more funds for the safe school in Nigeria.

The letter read, in part: “We urge you to probe why the Safe Schools Initiative, established to bolster security at schools in response to the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls has failed to stop abductions of students and to ensure the safety and security of Nigerian children.

Rather than pushing to raise more funds for the Safe School Initiative programme, your government should prioritise and ensure a thorough, transparent and effective investigation into the spending of the $30m initially budgeted for the protection of schools and prevention of attacks.

SERAP will also consider asking Mr Brown to use his influence to insist on transparency and accountability in the spending of the $30m safe school fund before rushing to engage donors to commit to additional

funding of the Safe School Initiative programme.

SERAP also urges you to ask Mr Brown to put pressure on the 36 state governors to accept voluntary scrutiny by Nigerians and civil society regarding the spending of any funds spearheaded and raised by him to improve safety and security in Nigerian schools.

Despite the $30m safe school fund meant to ensure safety and security in 500 schools, and to provide a school environment free of fear, no school has been protected, as illustrated by the recent spate of abductions and killings of students in several parts of the country.”