· Captures 44k additional pupils
· Vendors plan protest over huge debts
By Godfrey AKON
Despite the controversies surrounding the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, NHGSFP, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has expanded the scheme to capture an additional 44,000 children to the 81,000 already covered in the programme.
The programme has been enmeshed in racketeering with reports of fraud, fake food vendors and non-compliance with menu marring the process across implementing states.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in February given approval for the feeding be raised from N70 to N100 per child. The FCT will, therefore, require a minimum of N12.5million daily to feed the children.
Vendors in the FCT had earlier threatened to stage protest over the non-payment of the additional feeding cost owed them.
However, at an interactive session with the food vendors, aggregators and other relevant stakeholders, the FCT Focal person and Special Assistant to FCT Minister of State on Social Investment Programme, Mrs Chinwendu Amba, assured that all outstanding payments will be paid soon.
The dialogue, which held at the LEA Primary School in Jabi, was against the backdrop of growing complaints from some food vendors over issues surrounding payment, menu among other issues affecting the programme.
Amba noted that the programme started in FCT with the feeding of 81,000 plus children, but currently has a total of 125,000 plus children, adding that the FCTA has written to the Ministry of the Humanitarian Affairs to capture the new intakes across the 657 primary schools in the next tranche of payment.
She said most of the issues resolved at the meeting, include the controversy trailing funds disbursement and purported payment of the approved additional N30 to the N70 feeding cost per pupil.
According to her, “the idea for this programme is financial inclusion, and that is what we are doing so far in the FCT, and because of this programme, we have more enrollment of children in our schools now.
“As the food on the menu are sourced locally, we are promoting agriculture and employing more cooks- that’s financial inclusion, making sure that those women in the rural areas are being captured in this programme.
“For me, this programme should be institutionalised for any other administration coming in, so we are asking and pleading for sustainability, because it has gone a long way to promote this administration and to reach out to people especially those in rural communities.”
Also speaking, Hajya Zainab Abubakar, National Coordinator, National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, who represented the Minister of Humanitarian, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, assured the stakeholders that payment of the approved increased package will soon commence.
She noted that it was not a once a year programme, as the ministry was trying to ensure consistency in funds disbursement to food vendors and aggregators.
Similarly, programme manager in FCT, Alhaji Kudu Dangana, disclosed that efforts are ongoing to capture all the schools as more schools are being created.
Dangana, who is also director, Social Mobilisation, FCT UBEB, advised the food vendors to report any teacher or school administrator found wanting in the schools, where the programme is being implemented
He adds, “Very soon everything will be okay that’s why we invited officials from the Humanitarian ministry and other stakeholders to come together to dialogue and sensitise them on the happenings about the programme, so as to ensure we won’t be having much complaints about it”.
Some of the food vendors who commended the government for the school feeding programme, however advocated for regular interactive sessions with stakeholders to help bridge the communication gap.
They also appealed for improved funds disbursement and implementation of the approved N100 per pupil payment.
