Replicate FG’s school feeding programme, Minister urges state govt
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Ms Sadiya Umar-Farouq, has called on state governments to complement the Federal Government’s school feeding programme.
Umar-Farouq made the call on Thursday, in Abuja at an event to commemorate the 7th Africa Day for School Feeding.
The minister, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Humanitarian Affairs, Alhaji Musa Bungudu, appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for the initiative.
According to her, the programme is an excellent one deserving to be replicated by state governments across the federation
Umar-Farouq said that 9.8 million children, who are the beneficiaries of the school feeding programme, had been enrolled across the country.
“This concerted efforts were actually driven from the commitments of President Buhari to lift, at least, 100 million people out of poverty; and he started this with the children.
“This is a great innovative programme,” she said
As result, the minister called on the state governments to replicate the programme to the children at the upper classes of primary four, five and six.
She said this would complement the effort of the Federal Government’s commitments to feeding those in primary one to three.
“I suggest that while the Federal Government is providing this school feeding programme to primary one, two and three, all the states where primary four to six are not included, state governors should also take that responsibility,” she said.
Earlier, Ms Chinwe Amba, the Focal Person, National Social Investments Programmes (NSIP), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) also commended Buhari for keeping to his promise to sustain the programme.
“President Buhari promised that he was going to reduce malnutrition in children and this is an evidence to what he is doing to that effect,” Amba said.
Amba said the commemoration of the event was taking place all over the country to mark its seven years of operation.
“We are here to thank the president for this beautiful programme designed for the pupils in the FCT and across the country.
“Today, we are marking seven years of feeding school children in the FCT and other states of the federation, ” she said.
She also commended Umar-Farouq for her passion to ensure that every child from Primary one to three across the country was captured in the programme.
“In the FCT, the programme is all about success stories; though there are some few challenges. And we hope that this year, we will get it better and right, ” she said.
Similarly, some pupils of Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School, Jabi in Abuja, appreciated the Federal Government for the school feeding initiative, while calling for its sustainability.
Obiora Nwodo, a 10-year old pupil, who spoke on behalf of other pupils, commended the President for initiating the programme.
According to Nwodo, the programme has sustained a good number of them while in school, and has also saved cost of lunch for their parents.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP), was introduced in primary schools in 2021 in a bid to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the country. (NAN)
