Nigerians have questioned the rationale behind the federal government plan to feed school children who are on lockdown in the different homes following the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world. The programme was initially organised under the auspices of the vice president, Yemi Osibanjo prior to the establishment of the new ministry by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Emerald News reports that the programme is aimed at feeding children in primary one to three in government primary schools across the country. During holidays the programme was not until the schools resume for a new term. Hence, Nigerians are questioning the rationale for the introduction of the feeding when Nigerian children are locked out of school with the coronavirus pandemic.
But during a briefing on Friday by the presidential taskforce on COVID-19 in Abuja, Nigeria’s minister of humanitarian, disaster and social development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, said the federal government school feeding programme is targeted at households, guardians and care givers of the pupils wo are already beneficiaries of the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme.
She said the modified school feeding programme is funded by the Nigerian government and implemented by the states across the country. But a cross section of Nigerians are puncturing holes in the project, noting that this period is not ideal to run such a programme that is actually meant for only school period.
It is viewed that all Nigerian children are at home with their parents and there is no wisdom in feeding the children at home with their parents. Rather, some are of the opinion that the money should be given to the parents as the much talked palliatives or rather the money should be kept pending when the schools will resume.
Nigerians are giving different interpretations to the action of the minister, giving the nature of Nigerians in public offices. Many are reasoning that the money is being embezzled by the people in charge, hence the call for the suspension of the resumed school feeding programme when the all educational institutions are on lockdown.
This is following the bogus amount being said to have been used in providing food for the children across Nigeria. The minister accused Nigerians of being saboteurs as they report “inaccurate figure” as being spent daily for the feeding programme.
She said: “We are not spending N679 million per day as reported by the media. That figure is inaccurate. The take-home rations are worth N4,200 per household and are planned as a monthly #Covid19 intervention for 3.1million households in the participating states.”
