By Bunmi Oguns, Associate Editor
Stakeholders drawn from the ministries of education, health, agriculture, women affairs, research institutes, as well as non government organisations, recently converged at the Combo Hall, LTV Complex, Agidingbi, Ikeja, to flag-off a two-day workshop for domesticating the Federal Government(FG’s) school feeding programme.
The programme set-up last year is designed toreduce hunger and malnutrition among school children and enhance the achievement of Universal Basic Education in the country.
In her remarks, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule stressed the need to domesticate implementation of the school feeding programme, by taking cognizance of the staple foods of the locality, nutritional value of meals, logistics, mode of selection of vendors, orientation, tradition and culture of the people.
Adebule who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Adeshina Odeyemi, expressed concern that majority of Nigerian school children are missing out on a healthy start in life as a result of their poor background, noting that every Nigerian child deserves the same healthy start as children born in Asia, America and Europe.
According to her, “It is not their fault, and this is not fair. Every Nigerian child should have a healthy start in life and a fairer opportunity to fulfil their potential for themselves, their families, and the nation.”
The school feeding program, the deputy governor said, is a veritable way of raising our literacy level, adding that, “an educated society, you all will agree with me, is easier to govern and manage because of the awareness of the citizens of their rights and obligations to and from the society. The resultant effect is that most of our social maladies will reduce greatly.”
She explained that the Federal Government’s free meal would also encourages the full cooperation of parents and guardians towards the success of education in Nigeria.
She said the programme will also give federal government credibility for keeping to a promise it made during the election of the present administration.
The introduction of the scheme, Adebule said, is expected to create 1.14 million new jobs; increase food production by up to 530,000 metric tons per annum, as well as attract fresh investments up to N980 billion.
“The improvement in our food growth for self-sufficiency and food security will receive a boost, as there will be ready market for their products. The current rice production revolution is a testimony. In fact, it is long overdue in a poverty stricken country like ours where many children of school age can barely take three square meals daily.
“Millions of school children in Asia, Europe and the Americas also enjoy school meals where their governments promote these policies. Don’t be deceived by nay-sayers position that the country’s population is too huge for the successful implementation of this program. Far from it, even countries with bigger populations than Nigeria implement school meal policies,” the DG stressed.
The National Programme Manager, Home Grown School Feeding, Mrs. Abimbola Adesanmi said she intends to see Lagos implement the programme that will allow the students to benefit, get enrolled in schools and attend regularly, which will encourage local production and market, as well as empower the women group to be able to prepare food for the children, adding that a model should be designed in such a way that will enhance the economy of the state.
She said, “Lagos has its own strength and weaknesses, so what we want to do is to be able to design a model in what Lagos state sees themselves becoming with the programme. The economic challenges has to do with different sectors , we are looking at improving the education sector first , let the children go to school to learn but basically, we are also looking at the agric sector. What we plant is what we are going to eat. The moment we have a lot of people planting, then we will have enough market value at a reduced cost.
“So it’s a long term and also a medium term goal, because it will allow us to encourage a lot of people to have jobs along the value chain. Jobs that will improve processing, storage and ware-housing. They will all have jobs because of this programme and when it comes to increasing production, whatever we sell to the school feeding programme is marketed, exported and used for other purposes and even processed for other things to be utilised by other countries.
“On the long term, it will help us to revive our economy. The advantages over rides what the disadvantages are.
Tasked on its sustainability, the coordinator said, “the policy at the federal level is an overacting policy that allows the state to see the need and develop a law that will enshrine the programme within the state. If the programme does not benefit the state, the is no need to implement the programme to get funds . The programme we are bringing in is to encourage states to see the benefits and tap into the benefits and create more jobs for the populace, bring children to school and encourage them to stay there and help our farmers have a ready market.”