The N144.8bn Safe Schools Initiative is expected to begin in 18 states, covering at least 48 schools in each state this year.
Also, the state government may budget for the Safe Schools Initiative from next year to support the Federal Government.
This was as the Federal Government said that it has budgeted N15bn to finance its Safe Schools Initiative in 2023.
The National Coordinator of the Safe Schools Initiative under the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Halima Illiya, disclosed during a press briefing.
Illiya noted that schools in the country have struggled with persistent attacks by extremists, bandits, and kidnappers, which compelled the government to launch the Safe Schools Initiative.
She also said that the plan is to cover 50 per cent of most of the public schools at risk of attacks over the medium term.
She noted that towards financing and implementing this programme, the former finance minister, Dr Zainab Ahmed, approved the setting up of the Financing Safe Schools Unit and a technical committee was formed.
This committee is composed of members from the Ministry of Education, Nigerian Governors Forum, Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of States Services, and Defence Headquarters.
She also noted that this committee was tasked with developing a national plan for financing Safe Schools, adding that the plan provides funding requirements for the initiative, which is expected to gulp a total of N144.8bn in three years.
She added that the funding of the initiative will be provided by the federal, state, and local governments, alongside multilateral agencies, foreign governments, businesses, and philanthropists, among others.
She noted that the civil defence has trained about 350 personnel and the police also plan training for some personnel towards the implementation of the project.
She disclosed that the World Bank, UNICEF, and Civil Society Organisations support the initiative.
