During the last year's presidential election campaign, President Muhammadu Buhari and vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo promised to provide at least one free school meal for all pupils. Since assuming office in May the policy is yet to be implemented but yesterday, Abimbola Adesanmi, the national programme manager of the project said it will commence in September when school resumes.
Speaking in Abeokuta during the opening of a two-day stakeholders’ workshop on the Ogun State Home Grown School Feeding Programme. Ms Adesanmi explained that the government has resolved to start the programme will accommodate pupils in Primary One to Three at the outset and would move to other classes as the nation’s resources improved.
She, however, explained that all the states of the federation, depending on their preparedness, would benefit from the social intervention programme. Ogun State governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun, said about 200,000 in Primary One to Three in 1,154 public primary schools in the state would benefit from the initiative.
He added that over 3, 000 women, widows and jobless drawn from across the 236 wards in the state would be empowered serving as food vendors. According to the governor, the programme would have a knock-on effect with suppliers and farmers, so should boost the economy of the state.
Governor Amosun said: “It’s a well-thought out programme because the unemployed would be engaged. All the value chains of the agricultural sector would be involved as poultry producers will sell, the meat sellers will sell their produce and the agriculture sector will generally get a boost.
"Agricultural produce that often gets spoilt would now be mopped up and more money will come into the purse of the average farmer.”
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