FG spends N13.1billion to feed pupils at home, plans N7.5 billion for research
The Nigerian government has allocated N7.5bn for research activities in all its research institutes, universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for the year 2019.
This is happening as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, disclosed that the Federal Government would be spending approximately N13.1bn to feed primary 1-3 pupils in its home feeding programme.
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Prof Suleiman Elias Bogoro, in a document had said that the N7.5bn research fund represented about 50 per cent increase when compared with the N3.9bn released for the same purpose in 2019.
However, the Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development minister, in an interview, said that the feeding of 3,131,791 pupils in primary 1-3 currently at home, would cost the Federal Government a sum of N13, 153,522 ,200. To arrive at this figure, she said the number of pupils was multiplied by N4200, the cost of each food pack.
The home feeding programme of the Federal Government has been grossly criticised by many Nigerians, with most of them questioning both its workability and the essence of feeding children that are not in school.
However, Farouq said, “The take Home Rations are not unique to Nigeria. It is a globally accepted option. Seventeen other countries have adopted the use of Take-Home ration in response to COVID-19 and it has been endorsed by the World Food Programme. Each food pack is placed at N4, 200. And we plan to reach 3,131,791 households which comes up to N13.1bn across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.”
According to her, countries that favour Take Home Rations in Africa are Liberia, South Africa and Nigeria. She said the feeding programme has commenced in the FCT and Lagos and that government was already providing Take Home Rations of uncooked food items to the households of these children.
Recall that the school feeding is implemented at State level and that is the same structure we are using, with FG providing funds to the States. The school feeding programme is funded by the Federal Government and implemented by the State Government appointed aggregators who are responsible for sourcing the food supplies,” she added.
Asked why the ministry was bent on feeding children at home, she said, “I believe the question to ask is how we can support families with young children who are facing hunger. It is all about hunger. COVID- 19 has clearly highlighted that people are having to make a choice between staying safe at home and staying hungry. Our goal is to try to support these families so that they do not have to make that difficult and terrible choice.”
