Over 3.4million primary school pupils would benefit from the Homegrown School Feeding Programme under the current cycle very soon, this is according to the Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande.
Mr Akande made this assertion on Monday in Abuja, stating that while Osun and Kaduna have gone ahead in the implementation, Anambra state has now joined based on FG funding.
“We have plans to scale-up the Homegrown School Feeding Programme very soon so that we can increase as soon as possible, the number of states implementing the feeding to at least 11 of the 18 states designed for this cycle,” the presidential aide said.
The 11 states are are Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Enugu, Sokoto, Kaduna, Borno, Zamfara, Ogun, Oyo, and Osun.
Also the Federal Government has successfully conducted food safety and hygiene training for over 25,000 cooks in 9 of those states already.
Yes, the cooks under the Homegrown School Feeding get paid directly from FG. This is the model https://t.co/wtDHZ6rKz7
— Laolu Akande (@akandeoj) December 9, 2016
Pupils in primary schools in Njikoka LGEA, Anambra State enjoying Day 2 of the Homegrown School Feeding which started yesterday. Fulfilling. pic.twitter.com/emixHCOciX
— Laolu Akande (@akandeoj) December 9, 2016
On reports that there are instances where beneficiaries of the Social Investment Programmes are being asked to pay fees to benefit, the SSA restated that “no one should have to pay any fees to benefit in the Homegrown School Feeding programmes, and any such imposition or request for fees is uncalled for and illegal.
He added that reports of such acts of extortion where beneficiaries are being asked to pay a ‘fee for registration’ have reached the Presidency, and firm instructions have been given that such acts should stop.
See photos of some of school pupils who have benefited from the programme:
