FG’s school feeding programme: The truths, half-truths and outright lies

The next day, I was back at school. It was about 10am. I introduced myself as Sarah Maxwell, a Federal Government official assigned to monitor the feeding programme in the state to ensure compliance, and asked to see the headteacher. The headteacher, who gave her name as Mrs Akintobi, sent for Alhaja Ibrahim whom she said supervised the cooks and handed me over to her.

“We have four cooks here. They are supposed to serve 280 pupils but the total number of pupils from Primary One to Three is 265,” Alhaja Ibrahim explained.

“One food vendor cooks for 69 pupils, another for 69 pupils, while the last two cook for 68 and 59 pupils, respectively,” she added.

I was asked to taste the meal before it was served. I did and to be honest, it wasn’t bad.

I noticed that the plates in front of three vendors were less than 20 and the food in their coolers would not be enough to serve half the number of pupils they were supposed to serve. I asked why.

“We lack plates here. The plates given to us by the government are not enough. It’s only Primary One pupils that have their own,” said Alhaja Ibrahim.

“We always write that in our report and when we go to the ministry every Friday, we notify them of what we are facing. We need 140 plates,” she said.

She told me that the population of Primary One to Three pupils had almost doubled since the feeding exercise commenced in the school. According to her, some parents brought in their children from private schools and that it was not exclusive to the school.

One of the food vendors whispered to the supervisor that the number of fish she was given was not enough. I asked what the problem was.

“They always deduct fish. The fish is not complete. They were supposed to give her 69 pieces but what is here is not even up to 30. It normally happens like this,” the supervisor responded.

I watched the food vendors serve the food one after another. After serving about 20 plates and sensing I was serious about watching her serve the 69 pupils allocated to her, the vendor started reducing the size of the food in each plate.

“If I want to serve this food on a normal day, this is the quantity I’d give them,” said the vendor, scooping one spoon of the spaghetti. “Yes, this is what I’ll give them because the money is not enough. That is why you see cooks giving the children small food.”

I moved to monitor another vendor. When she saw me staring at the fish, she got uncomfortable.

“They are the ones that cut the fish this small. We get the fish and meat we use from the ministry but they deduct N5,000 from our money for the fish and N6,000 for the meat,” she said.

“We go to their office to collect it raw and use it to cook for the next day’s meal. They are deceiving everyone but if I tell you the truth, they might send me away,” the second vendor added.

I watched all the food vendors serve all the meal. Some pupils got fish while others didn’t, but they all ate without drinking water.

“We have a tank but it’s not every time that there is water there,” the supervisor said.

She told me that some people came a week earlier to measure the height and weight of the pupils to know if they had improved.

“We were glad when they confirmed the children were healthier. We told them the problem we are facing with the children because some of them are orphans. They took the names of the children along with them to their office. I don’t know whether they are ready to help them,” she said.

When the supervisor excused herself to attend an urgent meeting outside the school premises, the vendors felt safe to vent their frustration.

“I’m given N33,000 to feed 69 pupils for two weeks. So, how do you expect us to manage? They said we should make gain out of that money. How can we make gain?” one of the cooks asked.

Another cook said she gets N27,000 every two weeks to feed 59 pupils.

“The truth is that they are not treating us well by giving us such amount of money. If you go to any school and you don’t see them performing well, it’s because they are not given enough money,” she said.

“They pay me N30,000 for two weeks to feed 70 pupils,” the third vendor chipped in. “They cannot give me a token and expect good food. Before there was an egg on the menu but because of the money, we could not afford to serve egg. They just give us nonsense money.”

One of the vendors said those in charge of the programme in the state tactically avoid bringing supervisors from Abuja to the school.

“Rather, they take them to Demonstration School at Onikolobo. There they mount the pupil’s plate with food, big meat and serve it to them with bottled water. So, you will think that is what is going on. It’s fake! Everything is fake! Don’t let anybody deceive you. Just do your job but anything they say is fake. I’m just telling you the truth,” she said.

They went on to complain about how the Ministry of Education was cheating them by pilfering their money.

“The money they are giving us is too small and people are taking out of it. They are cheating us too much. They’re stealing our money. I don’t know if the money they give us is the real money but anything we are doing, we are supposed to be careful not to be quoted,” one of them said.

“They give us N30,000 every two weeks to feed 70 pupils and I know Buhari did not disburse that amount of money. They just sit in their offices and steal the money,” she added.

Another food vendor said she was aware that those in charge of the programme in the state were not doing well but were only deceiving people.

“Just have it at the back of your mind that they are deceiving people. They keep telling lies. They are deceiving the whole nation. The money given to us is too small. They take our money and then they divide it within themselves. Buhari should not continue this way next term. If he does, they will continue to steal from us,” she said.

The vendors said they were worried as they were unsure if they would be paid for the following week since the pupils were going on holiday.

“We are supposed to serve beans and stew with meat tomorrow (Wednesday) but because they are deworming the children, we were instructed to serve garri or fufu with vegetable soup. That will cost extra and we don’t even know if they will pay us next week because they pay us every two weeks and the money expires this Friday (December 8),” said one of them.

OSUN STATE

My first stop in Osun State was Demonstration Elementary School, Olorunda. I got to the school, which is fenced with rusted zinc, around 10.30am on Wednesday, December 6. The school, cream and brown bungalow, is hidden behind an uncompleted building as if it is ashamed of itself.

I saw some food vendors positioned behind the uncompleted building while others sat on the pavement of the bungalow. One of the food vendors directed me to see the headteacher who could see the vendors from her office.

I met the headteacher with two other teachers in her office. I introduced myself as Chinyere Amadi from Child Education Development Initiative and told the headteacher that my NGO wanted to support the feeding programme. I asked how the programme was faring in the school and what they needed so we could see how to support.

“I hope you are not going against Aregbe,” the headteacher said, referring to the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola. “Let me see your ID card.”

I searched my bag for a few minutes as if actually looking for a non-existent ID card and lied to her that I forgot it at home. She referred me to the Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) to get permission. I told her my NGO wanted to support two public schools in the South-West and that we had one school and thought her school would be the second school.

“The process is too long and we don’t have much time because schools are going on holiday next week,” I said. “If you don’t want us to support your school, we can look elsewhere.”

“Help?” she interrupted. “Yes, we need your help.”

She said I could speak with the food vendors but lunch was already served. I told her I would return the following day.

“Please when you are coming tomorrow, let me see your ID card,” she said as she watched me leave.

The next day, I was back with a quickly-arranged ID card but the deputy headteacher who was not present the day before insisted I get permission from LGEA.

“With what we have been hearing, you will help us by going to the LGEA to keep them informed. The person supervising the feeding programme is in our LGEA. When you get there, you can explain yourself,” she said.

The headteacher said she would be going to the LGEA by 12pm and I said I’d go with her. I told them I wanted to use the restroom. I came out right on time to see the food the pupils were served. Each pupil had a small enamel plate containing rice, egusi soup and a piece of chicken. After eating, the pupils queued in front of a tank to drink water.

The food vendors said they needed their money to be paid in time and as at when due.

ENUGU STATE

I arrived in Enugu on Sunday, December 10, 2017, and sought to know schools benefitting from the feeding exercise. Everyone I asked told me that the feeding programme was dead in the state. I decided to find out if that was true and why.

Union Primary School, Obe

When I got to this school on Monday, December 11, I met four teachers under a tree. They were busy with their pupils’ exam scripts. I approached them, introduced myself as a representative of an NGO and asked to see the headteacher but was told she was not around.

I told the teachers that I had come to inquire if the school was one of those covered under the feeding programme because my NGO would like to support the programme.

Pupils not fed in 10 months

“What we have here is school feeding problem, not a programme,” one of the teachers said.

“Initially, our school was one of the schools but along the line, the food vendor got employment to teach in Community Primary School, Obe when teachers were recruited this year. She had just fed the children for two weeks in February when she got the job and she resigned. Since she resigned, the children have not been fed, but they keep paying money for the food into her account and they asked her not to touch the money,” the teacher added.

She narrated that when the former food vendor got the teaching job and told the school of her intention to resign, they pleaded with her not to resign but to withdraw the money and give another person to do the cooking, but she went on to resign.

“Two women applied for the food vendor job, the one that was selected cooked for two weeks and got a teaching job in Community Primary School, Obe. Our headteacher went to the ministry with the woman that applied but was not selected and other members of the school board. They were told that the account had been frozen but they pleaded that money should be withdrawn from the account and given to the second woman to feed the children but the man they complained to at the ministry said nobody should tamper with that account,” the teacher said.

Yet another teacher said those at the ministry promised to pay into the new vendor’s account the next month after the complaint was lodged since they had her details at the ministry, but months after, the problem persisted.

“It’s been long they fed the children here. The children have been looking forward to eating and they are tired. Some of the pupils here put their hope on that food. We need help so our children can start feeding. This government money is for everybody,” said the teacher.

When the headteacher, Mrs Josephine Okonkwo, returned to the school, she confirmed much of what the other teachers had said. She, however, insisted that the pupils were fed for just one week before the food vendor assigned to the school got a teaching job in another school.

“We pleaded with her not to resign. We knew that if she resigned, that would be the end of the news, but she went ahead and tendered her resignation letter at the Ministry of Education. She said with her BVN, they would know she’s working in two places. There are people in N-Power that still do this food vendor job. Have they killed them?” Okonkwo said.

She said despite the food vendor’s resignation, money has continued to be paid into her account.

“The money that has accrued in that account is running into a million naira and we were told that she had submitted her resignation letter and that we should not tamper with the account. We asked what would happen to that money at the end of the day and the man said it was not his business, that the order was from Abuja. We know at the end of the day they will spend that money,” she said.

“In these villages, there is abject poverty. Some children come to school barefooted. We’ve even gone as far as including this feeding problem in our morning prayers, that God should touch the mind and heart of those at the ministry to remember the pupils. It’s that bad. That previous food vendor still receives alert till date. Please help us. These children are suffering, I pity them,’’ she added.

Community Primary School, Obe

I arrived at this school around 11 am and introduced myself to the headteacher, Mrs Nwafor Eucharia, as a representative of an NGO with interest in child education. I presented my ID card and asked if the school was benefitting from the feeding programme. She replied in the affirmative but said the pupils had not been fed for about a month.

“The food vendor said they did not pay her to feed the pupils. It’s not her fault; it’s from the Ministry of Education.

“We have only one food vendor. She is supposed to cook for 96 pupils but she is not consistent. Sometimes she cooks for 75 pupils, at other times she cooks for 90 pupils. She doesn’t give the pupils fish and meat as she ought to. She does not give them chicken and egg. I asked why and she said it’s not everything they tell them to cook that they cook so they would make a profit. She gave the pupils chicken once when I complained about it. Maybe they should call the cooks and give them more training.

“The food they give the children is small. If you want to give the children food, you have to come periodically to supervise them to ensure they are giving what they ought to give because external supervisor is more active than an internal supervisor. They don’t come to supervise the feeding, the only day they were here was the day the programme started here,” the headteacher said.

I asked to see the food vendor from Union Primary School who got recruited as a teacher in her school early in the year but I was told she was not around.

“The pupils in that school (Union Primary School) are suffering, no one is giving them food but they ought to give them food because their money keeps coming,” she said.

When I contacted Patience Ngene, the food vendor assigned to this school, she said since the first term commenced in September, she had been paid only twice to feed the pupils.

“They paid me and so many other cooks twice this term. Will I use my money to cook and feed the children? The previous term, they gave us money for one month and they stopped.

“I received N68,000 this term to feed 98 pupils for two weeks. They gave me 98 pupils to feed but the children I’m giving food are more than 100 in number. They said if they did not put money in our account, we should not cook,” Ngene said.

Community Central School, Obe

The head teacher was not on seat when I got to this school. I was referred to two teachers handling Primary One to Three pupils. I introduced myself and told them about my mission.

One of the teachers told me that the feeding had not been consistent in the school.

“Sometimes the food vendors will appear with food, after two weeks they will stop. The last time they fed the children here was first week in November. The vendors said they stopped paying them. When they receive alert, they will continue,” said the teacher.

“We have 14 weeks in this term and the children were fed for just 4 weeks,” said a second teacher. “The last time the food vendor brought okpa (a local delicacy made from a species of pea) to my class, it did not go round. If I tell her that the food is not enough and all the pupils in my class did not come to school, she will say it’s not her fault. She would divide one wrap of okpa into four and serve the children without water. The children had to look for where to drink water.”

One of the teachers said since parents heard of the free meals, they formed the habit of sending their children to school on empty stomach.

“Sometimes I see some of my pupils holding their stomach and when I ask them what they ate that morning, they would say they ate nothing, that their mother said the school would give them food. Most times, I end up buying food for them,” the teacher said.

READ ALSO: Stop the scam of ‘school feeding’ for at-home pupils

Enugu State Ministry of Education

After several days of trying, I eventually got the contact of a man at the Enugu State Ministry of Education who is said to be aware of the situation at Union Primary School, Obe, especially as regards the continued payment into the account of the former food vendor who is now a school teacher at Community Primary School, Obe.

When I contacted him on telephone (08037764502), he was aggressive.

“How did you get my contact? What do you want to know? That’s not true. School feeding is ongoing in Enugu State,” he said.

When I asked when the pupils were the last fed, he hung up. I tried to reach him five times but he refused to pick his calls. I sent a text but got no response from him.

Although the man’s name was not given by the source who gave me his contact, Truecaller showed that the name registered against the telephone number 08037764502 is Sam.

PLATEAU STATE

From Enugu, I went on to Jos, the Plateau State capital, arriving on Tuesday, December 12 armed with the names of three public primary schools in Jos North Local Government Area covered under the feeding programme.

LGEA Primary School Tudun Wada, Jos

When I got to this school around 10 am on Wednesday, December 13, I learnt the pupils had gone on vacation. There was no staff in the school apart from security men and a few pupils who had come around to play.

I decided to go to Township Primary School but on getting there, I met Florence Binshep, assistant headteacher of LGEA Primary School Tudun Wada, who was attending a workshop in the school alongside other headteachers.

Binshep told me the feeding programme in her school had been encouraging when it started, but unfortunately the food vendors had not been forthcoming and that the school authority did not know the managers of the programme in the state.

“Before we went on holiday for the last term, we couldn’t see anybody bringing anything here. When the programme started, parents withdrew their children from other private schools to our school. The population is now so high that we cannot even manage because they hardly get a meal in a day.

“While this is happening, there are saboteurs. We cannot say who they are because nothing is happening. This term, I heard one or two women brought up to two meals but only for the morning session because I manage the afternoon session where Primary Three pupils are supposed to be fed. For Primary One and Two, I heard only one or two women brought food for a day or two and that’s all. We did not see any food vendor from September till date.

“Since the resumption of this term till the end of the term, nothing is happening. So, even if they pour these things on the ground, some people will divert it to a different place because we cannot tell why this programme was introduced with a good intention and now nobody knows where it is headed,” Bishop said.

Township Primary School, Jos

The headteacher of the school was also attending the teachers’ workshop holding at the school but I persuaded him to spare a few minutes to talk about the school feeding programme in his school.

The head teacher, who identified himself as Mr Miri, said the school feeding programme was more or less a mirage than a reality.

“They commenced the exercise last term when we were about going on holiday and fed the pupils for two weeks. We expected that by September when we resumed, they would come back with full force, but as I’m talking to you now, nobody has come here again regarding that issue,” he said.

Jos North LEA Millennium Science Model School