Tobi Soniyi in Abuja
The federal government monday said it had released enough funds to start the serving of one hot meal a day to more than one million primary school pupils across seven states under the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande, disclosed this while giving a media update on the Social Investment Programme of the Buhari administration.
According to him, a total sum of N844,360,550 had so far been released for the commencement of the programme in Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Zamfara States.
He, however, stated that even though funds had been released to the seven states to kick off the programme, not all of them have actually started the implementation as at press time.
He said: “In Anambra, Enugu, Osun, Ogun, and Oyo, the feeding has actually started, while it is expected to start this week in the two other states of Ebonyi and Zamfara, that have been funded already.
“That means, the Buhari Presidency’s Homegrown School Feeding Programme would be feeding this week a total of 1,043,205 pupils in those seven states.”
He also said a total number of 11,775 cooks had been employed to prepare the meals in those states adding that the food prepared and served in the states were produced by local farmers.
Akande said Anambra had received three full funding tranches covering 30 school days, totaling N188,769,000 with a total of 937 cooks and feeding 96,489 pupils.
In Ebonyi State, the government, he said, had also released the sum of N115,218,600, while 1,466 cooks had been engaged and 164,598 pupils would be fed.
Also in Enugu State, government had released N67,244, 800 to feed 96,064 pupils and 1,128 cooks engaged while in Ogun State government had released N119,648,900 to feed 170,927 pupils and engaged 1,381 cooks.
Osun has received N92,425,400 to feed 142,193 pupils with 2,688 cooks engaged.
For Oyo State, a total of N72,288,300 was released by the FG to feed 103,269 pupils, engaging 1,437 cooks, while in Zamfara, it released N188,765,500 to feed 269,665 pupils and engage 2,738 cooks.
