FG announces plan to relaunch school feeding programme
The federal government is set to relaunch the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, an initiative that provides meals to students to increase school attendance.
Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, made this announcement during a meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Alternative Education.
The meeting, held on Thursday, August 22, focused on addressing the issue of out-of-school children in Nigeria, a challenge that has plagued the country for years.
In a statement released by Mohammed Manga, Director of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Finance, the minister emphasised the government's commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to quality education.
"The federal government is dedicated to tackling critical issues through innovative initiatives like the 'Home-Grown School Feeding Program' and the 'Secretariat for Financing Safe Schools'," Edun said.
He further highlighted that the relaunch of the school feeding programme would improve students' health and well-being and incentivise them to remain in school, thereby reducing the number of out-of-school children.
"Feeding children at school would positively impact the national budget by providing sufficient resources to support and sustain educational programs," Edun added.
This move comes after President Bola Tinubu suspended the programme in January as part of a broader probe into alleged irregularities within the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).
The suspension, which also affected other social investment initiatives such as N-Power and the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), was a response to concerns over financial misconduct within the agency.
Despite the suspension, there has been mounting pressure from the House of Representatives, which had urged the federal government to resume implementing these suspended programmes.
The Green Chamber had argued that a complete cancellation could have detrimental effects, particularly on the country's education sector.
Edun's announcement signals a renewed commitment from the federal government to strengthen educational infrastructure and ensure that future generations have improved access to learning opportunities, setting the stage for a more prosperous Nigeria.
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