The Federal Government says it has begun to set in place measures to ensure that its school feeding program kicks off without hitches. To this end, a three-day workshop has been organized in Makurdi, Benue State, to focus efforts in this direction, as the program is set to be rolled out in schools across that state. Schools which are to participate in the scheme were at the event to witness its flagging off and get sensitized about their role in the welfare project.
National Manager of the Federal Government’s Social Welfare Program (SWP), Mrs. Abimbola Adesunmi, spoke at the workshop. She said that she was at the three-day event to help the State Government and stakeholders in the state to align their operations towards the smooth execution of the feeding program.
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, who also spoke at the event on Thursday, pointed out that the state could partner with the Federal Government in its implementation of the feeding program, as its prowess in agricultural production put it in position to supply food needed for the successful implementation of the program.
The National Home Grown School Feeding Program has been a long time in coming. A previous target date of September set for its commencement was missed by the Federal Government. The original plan for its implementation was to begin feeding 5.5 million school children across the country at the commencement of the new session. Government officials have blamed dwindling revenues resulting from a fall in oil prices and pipeline vandalism for the delayed kick-off of the program.