FG spends N49bn to feed pupils —Presidency

The Special Adviser to the President on NSIP, Mrs. Mariam Uwais, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja. Uwais said that 8, 596,340 pupils were currently being fed in 46,247 public primary schools in 24 states. The states are Abia, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara. The presidential aide stressed that through the programme, about 90,670 Nigerians were engaged and empowered as cooks, while more than 100,000 local farmers were linked to the programme to supply locally sourced farm produce. She said, “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.” Uwais noted that government was having challenges with the implementation of the school feeding programme in Niger and Benue states. She said that some officials involved in the programme in both states had been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for investigation and prosecution. “The National Social Investment Office is ably empowered to suspend the programme in any state where the prescribed standard is reported to have fallen below expectation until a redesigned and realignment is achieved,” the presidential aide noted. Uwais said the government had achieved 30 per cent improvement in school enrollment in the country since the commencement of the programme. She said that while the Federal Government budgeted and appropriated N500bn for the 2016 fiscal year and the same amount in 2017, only about N140bn was released in 2017 and N80bn was accessed in 2016.Other components of the SIP are N-Power, National Cash Transfer Project, and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme.]]>