We’ve spent N49bn feeding schoolchildren in two years– FG

The flagship programme of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, the school feeding program, has cost the nation a whooping N49 billion in two years, the Federal Government has revealed.

According to the FG, the amount was used to feed public primary school pupils in 24 states.

Disclosing this in Abuja on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the President on National Social Investment Programme, NSIP, Mrs. Mariam Uwais, also said the federal government is putting measures in place to ensure that good standards are maintained and that the cooks are well trained.

Speaking further, Mrs Uwais said a total of N220 billion has been released within the period for the implementation of the four major components of the programme. She listed the programmes as N-Power, NHGSFP,NCTP and GEEP, with a monitoring process involving the communities where the schools are located.

Read also: PHOTOSCENE: Buhari tours re-election campaign office

Though N500 billion was budget each for 2016 and 2017, she disclosed that only N140 billion was accessed in 2017 and N80 billion in 2016.

Mrs. Uwais further disclosed that the school feeding prograamme is being enjoyed by about 8.596 million pupils in 46,247 schools in 24 states, adding that the programme has also engaged 90,670 Nigerians who were empowered as cooks while over 100,000 local farmers have also been linked to the programme to supply locally sourced farm produced.

“We have created a value chain with significant economic benefits to the micro economic development of the states. The value chain offers additional benefits of job creation and increased livelihood outcomes for both cooks and small holder-farmers, hence improving livelihood and the local economies”, she said.

 

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