President Muhammadu Buhari’s government spends roughly N12 billion each month on the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development Commision.
This was revealed by Umar Bindir, the ministry’s national coordinator for the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), at a two-day stakeholder’s consultative workshop in Abuja on the establishment of a national policy for the NHGSFP.
Mr. Bindir said that the school feeding program was costly, citing the fact that over 10 million children are being fed at a rate of N100 per child, as authorized by President Muhammadu Buhari.
We are currently feeding an average of 10 million children, with the possibility of expanding to 12 million in the coming weeks or months.
“Based on the program’s effects – enticing children to school, ensuring that children are healthy, and poor and vulnerable children staying in school longer, the program must be maintained,” Mr. Bindir said.
To ensure sustainability, he stressed the importance of the government having a national policy on school feeding programs.
The goal of the workshop, according to Kim Do-Hwan, head of the UN World Food Program’s Capacity Strengthening and Policy Coherence, was to involve key stakeholders in identifying and agreeing on critical facets of a national school feeding program.
Mr. Do-Hwan stated that the policy-making process would address a wide range of factors that would benefit the NHGSFP as it was implemented across the nation.
He also stated that the policy would serve as a baseline for the NHGSFP’s success and long-term viability.
Credit: NAN
