Inside Africa – Nigeria: N6.2 Billion Spent on Homegrown School Feeding Programme

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity (Office of the Vice-President), Mr. Laolu Akande, has recently disclosed that the federal government of Nigeria has spent N6.2 billion under the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme.

The Buhari administration which is set to increase the Social Investment Programmes for this year is close to fulfilling a major goal of feeding three million primary school pupils this year under the Homegrown School Feeding Programme.

The minister outlined the various states that have been beneficiaries of the programme including the number of cooks.

“Specifically, at the last count, a total of N6, 204,912,889 has been paid out to 14 states during the school year ending August 2017.

“The 14 states that have been covered under the School Feeding Programme are Anambra, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Delta, Abia, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba, and Kaduna.

“So far, a total of 2,827,501 school children are currently benefiting from the School Feeding Programme, which is well on course to achieve the Federal Government’s projection to feed over three million pupils this year,’’ he said.

“33,895 cooks have been engaged in the communities where the schools are located across the 14 states.

“Anambra received N693, 013,300 while 103,742 children had been fed thus far, with 1,009 cooks paid.

Mr. Akande assured that more states and primary school pupils across the country will be included in the programme at the resumption of some schools next month for a new session.

Source – Africanleadership