Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State on Wednesday disclosed that 3,000 women and widows drawn from 236 wards across 20 local councils and 37 local council development areas of the state would be engaged as cooks to feed 194,000 pupils in 1,554 public schools in the state.
BusinessDay reports that the national public school free meal programme pledged by President Muhammadu Buhari during his electioneering campaign in 2015, will begin with pupils of public schools starting from Primary I to Primary III in the September 2016 new school calendar.
Speaking at a two-day stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Ogun State government in preparation of home-grown school feeding programme held in Abeokuta on Wednesday, Governor Amosun described the initiative as being devised by the Federal Government to fight poverty and create job opportunities for jobless Nigerians.
While explaining that “indirectly, all parents will be relieved of some feeding cost and hospital bills, as this programme will ensure we have healthy children in our schools,” the governor said, adding “farmers who will enjoy ready market for their products which will increase their income, as funding for daily food provision form our 194,000 pupils is guaranteed.
“About 3,000 women, widows and the jobless drawn from the 236 wards in the state who will be empowered. They will serve as food vendors and in effect, the economic status will be improved.”
Meanwhile, Segun Dasaolu, chairman, All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Ogun State branch, said the Federal Government Free Meal Programme in public schools across the country would give rightful impetus to agriculture in Nigeria, particularly Ogun State, since the success of the scheme depended on vibrant agricultural practice.
“It (the free meal programme in public schools) will boost agricultural production and empower farmers in the state, and if farmers are empowered, it will also engender rural development in the state. It is a good initiative from both federal and state governments.
“With this free meal programme for public school pupils, government will have a new and meaningful focus on Agriculture since government cannot do the programme successfully with vibrant Agricultural practice,” the chairman said.
