Ogun flag-off FG’s school feeding programme

The Ogun state government on Monday flagged off the federal government’s Home Grown School Feeding programme for primary school pupils with no fewer than 2,969 food vendors, mostly women benefiting.

The school feeding programme is one of the five programmes by the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration to help the vulnerable in the country.

At the flag off ceremony tagged “Ogun Meals”, held at St. Paul Demonstration School, Oluwo, Onikolobo, Abeokuta, the State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun explained that out of the 2, 968 vendors, 1,381 are presently engaged, pending the time, the vendors’ documentation issues would be resolved.

The Governor said a total of 1, 554 primary schools are to benefit from the scheme in the State.

Amosun who was represented by his deputy, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga said that the feeding programme would provide a hot nutritionally balanced meal to every pupil in primary one to three in public school, every school day.

He explained that the scheme would further boost the employment generation programme and poverty alleviation.

Amosun said that programme would empowered the farmers, saying the food would be sourced locally and the suppliers for food items would be from the 20 local councils and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

His words: “A major beneficiary of the programme is about 2,968 women who will be enrolled as food vendors. Of this number, 1,381 vendors are commencing with us today (yesterday). Other vendors and pupils will be added as soon as the vendors’ documentation issues are resolved”.

He said ” An added advantage to our vendors is that a women empowerment scheme is embedded in the Ogun State School Feeding Programme. Thus, all our vendors are being equipped with all kitchen equipment to transform them into commercial food carterers”.

He disclosed that the programme was designed to eradicate poverty in the households, stressing ” As the women will make additional income from taking on catering businesses in their communities on weekends and when schools are off”.

Amosun said the utensils have been obtained via a single digits soft loan facilitated by the government and repayment would be through the earnings of the vendors.

” This (programme) will definitely enhance the production and income capacities of our farmers and the suppliers of our various products. The multiplier effect of all these daily transactions to the farmer as well as market women will be huge”.

The Programme Manager, Ogun Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Mrs. Tinuola Shopeju said the State was part of the five States that benefited from the first phase of the programme.

She said the State government have been working hard with Federal government to achieve the highly detailed standards prescribed for States that would benefit from the scheme.

Shopeju added that the Governor had provided the financial backup and human resources “weeded to bring this unique programme to reality”.

“To recap, the Home Grown School Feeding Programme is one of the social intervention programme is designed to create a safety net for the most vulnerable in our societies, it provides a free, nutritionally balanced meal for all the public Primary School pupils in primary one to three”.

“It will operate through our carefully selected and trained vendors who have been aptly equipped with a strict time table of nutrition foods easily grown in our local environment.”

She therefore explained “Our start-up food time table for our precious children consists of the following foods:Monday: yam porridge vegetable and fish, Tuesday: Rice and Stew and meat, Wednesday: Spaghetti Jollof and meat, Thursday: Beans and Stew and meat and
Friday: Ikokore or Eko plus moinmoin”.

She assured all stakeholders of the government’s commitment in ensuring that effective mechanisms are put in place “to ensure a continuous hitch-free school feeding programme befitting of our renowned Ogun standard”.

Some of the dignitaries included Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Suraj Adekunbi, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa, Commissioners, top government functionaries, Alake of Egbaland, Oba Aremu Gbadebo, traditional rulers, politicians, teachers, Parent Teachers Association (PTA) pupils and private organisations.

At the occasion, kitchen utensils were given to the selected vendors.