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Olabode Adaramola
Niger state has been adjudged by international monitoring group as the best in school feeding Programme in the country following its sustenance of food quality and hygienic nature since the inception of the programme across the country.
This appraisal was made by Action Aid Nigeria PATS-F project on transparency and accountability supported by the Mac Arthur Foundation during a tour on schools benefitting from the Home Grown School Feeding Programme in Niger state.
Coordinator, Action Aid, Kehinde Arowosegbe said “we have been to other states, visited South Africa and Niger state is currently placed among the best. Kaduna used to be the best but Niger state has taken over.
“We had recommendation from the national coordinator Home Grown School Feeding Programme, that there is a robust Programme going on in Nigeria and here we are. We have seen for ourselves, we are here to learn because with what we have seen on ground, Niger is indeed the best currently.
“Life is about competition, Kaduna state was leading few years back, Niger used to be backward but today it is now the best and I am sure we will learn and achieve more in Nigeria state than we would in South Africa”.
In her remarks, the National Programme Manager Mrs Abimbola Adesanmi said at the opening ceremony of the National Level Exchange and Experience Sharing Meeting in Minna that, about ten million school pupils across the country are benefitting from Programme and there are over 56,000 schools that the programme has captured.
In his remarks, the Governor of Niger state, Abubakar Sani Bello commended the federal government for the programme saying it has further encouraged children to go to school.
While calling on parents to allow their wards to go to school, the governor who was represented by his Deputy Ahmed Mohammad Ketso assured that the state will continue to support the programme.
The Niger state Focal person Barr. Amina Musa Gu’ar told Journalists at the IBB Primary School, Minna that over 3,000 schools are benefitting from the programme in the state.
Some of the pupils who were relishing their meal expressed satisfaction, but however disclosed that weekends are their sad days because they don’t get to eat free and good foods.
One of the pupils, Isah Abdulkadir (Primary 2B) told our Correspondent that “I eat every Monday to Friday, but I feel so sad that every weekend that I don’t get to eat because there is no school.”
The programme which has Ogun, Kaduna, Bauchi, Benue, Lagos, Anambra states and host Niger is expected to run for three days.
