Nigerian govt claims it has spent $100m to feed 10 million school children

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige has confirmed that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has so far spent over $100 million in feeding 10 million Nigerian children across the country under the National School Feeding Programme.

Ngige disclosed this on Friday when he played host to the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leornard and officials of the Department of State who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

Ngige said the Federal Government decided to embark on the school feeding programme as part of efforts to eliminate the scourge of child labour in the country and stem the tide of out of school children.

In a statement issued by the Head of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry, Olajide Oshundun, Ngige said that the Nigerian government had introduced the school feeding programme under its social security programme, to lure children engaged in child labour, back to school.

The Minister added that the government also “introduced social protection programmes to fight poverty, which is the major contributory factor to the prevalence of child labour in Nigeria.”

Read also: Nigerian govt says it spends N12bn on school feeding programme monthly

“We have introduced the National School Feeding Programme under our social security, to lure children back to school.

“As of today, we are feeding 10 million children across the country. We have spent nearly $100 million on this.

“We have also taken more schools into the areas prone to child labour and made education free in the whole country through the Universal Basic Education and the Child Rights Acts.

”We can’t be mouthing child labour and we leave it unattended to when we know that most of those engaged in it are those trying to make up for family needs,” he said.

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