Parents of beneficiaries of Household and Homegrown School Feeding progamme, in Abuja… on Thursday.
Photo: Olatunji Obasa
As of today, all schools across the country have remained closed in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus among school children, students and members of staff. It is also to keep to the social distancing rule by preventing the gathering of crowds as would normally be expected in a Nigerian public school.
In a 2019 report, after the programme had been on for four years, the Federal Government claimed that the programme was feeding “over nine million pupils in 52,604 schools across 30 states and empowering 101,913 cooks with bank accounts.”However, the challenge today is that schools are on break, no thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and school children are at home.
“This is a globally accepted means of supporting children to continue to have access to nutrient-rich foods despite disruptions to the traditional channels of school feeding. Yet, the modified HGSFP is not sitting well with many who hold the view that it’s another conduit used by government officials, in connivance with contractors, to help themselves to the contents of the treasury at a time schools are shut. The National Association of Nigerian Students, for example, threatened on Friday to embark on a nationwide strike if the government decides to go continue with the programme.
“We do not only condemn this, we also frown at any attempt by some people to further loot our national treasury. The continuation of the school feeding programme at this period that schools are closed is sheer fraud. The Executive Director of CWRF, Alhaji Lateef Akinborode, said, “It is a scam. I am part of the people who monitor N-Projects in Lagos State, especially in Ikorodu and Kosofe Local Government Areas. School feeding is part of the programme. The only state that has complied with the school feeding programme for the past 5 to 6 years is Osun. In Lagos State, it started a few months ago.
According to him, the current “rush” to supply food to households will at best provide the chance for the drivers of the programme to line pockets with public funds. “Ultimately, the solution to this problem is to improve the living condition of the parents; create job opportunities for them so that they will earn real income to feed their children by themselves. When the children leave home and come to school, at launch time you may give them some snacks.
“First, there is no transparency. Secondly, no school names that they have been feeding; no picture of a particular school and no accountability. Perhaps, they fed one or two schools, but where is the evidence?”
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