The federal government says the soon-to-be resuscitated National Home Grown School Feeding Programme will cater for over 10 million pupils across the country.
This is contained in a statement by Yetunde Adeniji, a senior special assistant to President Bola Tinubu, on the school feeding programme on Wednesday.
Ms Adeniji said this when she visited the IDP camp at the Transitional Learning Centre, Wassa, Abuja. She said the school feeding programme would ensure that no child in public school was left behind.
The presidential aide was at Wassa to inspect the school feeding programme sponsored by Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation. The programme was in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.
Ms Adeniji commended the programme at Wassa for its demonstrable success in bolstering school enrolment and attendance rates. She said it was an instrumental force in the advancement of education, alleviation of hunger and the dismantling of the cycle of poverty.
Ms Adeniji said the school feeding initiative under the president’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ targeted pupils from primary one to three across the country.
She commended the efforts of the organization, saying it underscores the paramount importance of education and nutrition in the comprehensive development of every child, irrespective of their circumstances.
Ms Adeniji noted that by investing in children today, a brighter and more prosperous future was being forged for the nation. She added that smallholders would be engaged to supply foodstuff for the school feeding programme as soon as it commences.
While reiterating the objectives of the school feeding programme model, Ms Adeniji said the programme was aimed to increase resilience, promote equity, stimulate growth and poverty reduction.
“The school feeding programme stands as a transformative force in realizing the Renewed Hope vision. Beyond its immediate impact on addressing childhood nutrition, it serves as an incentive for families to prioritize education,’’ she said.
(NAN)
