Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday disclosed that not less than 7.6 million children are being fed on daily basis by the Federal Government under the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) of the government.
Osinbajo who was in Ondo state on a two-day working visit ,stated this during the inspection and interactive session with beneficiaries of the NHGSFP and N-Power Programme at Alagbaka Estate Primary School, Akure, the state capital.
The Vice President said, the purpose of the programme was to ensure that children were, at least fed with very good meal everyday in public primary schools across the country.
Osibajo who also flagged off the pilot project of Special Intervention in Energising Markets as productive clusters at Isinkan Market, Akure, explained that the project is being put in places by the Federal Government to ensure power supply in all public markets with a view to boosting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME-s) in the country
He said the meal would improve the children’s health, boost farming and create job opportunity for Nigerians.
According to him, “I have tasted the food myself and I think is the quite nice.”
The Vice President also revealed that another 300,000 Nigerian youths were to be engaged in the -Power program of the Federal Government.
While explaining that the engagement was in addition to the existing 200,000 graduates while the new set would teach pupils in public primary schools, Osibajo described the N-Power programme as a very compelling testimony.
His words, ” have seen firsthand what the N-Power teachers were doing in the classroom, teaching using tablets. I was able to see it for myself and also use it in teaching the pupils.
“As you know, in the programme, each of the teachers have a tablet which contains materials for teaching and I wanted to see in particular how they used the tablets and the materials.
“I think it’s a very revolutionary thing. First of all these young men and women who have volunteered under the programme.
“And also the fact that we have been able to put all our teaching materials on a tablet which can be easily used by the teachers.”
Fielding questions from journalists, Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, commended the Federal Government for their efforts in bringing both programmes to the state.
Akeredolu attributed the success of both programmes to the positive relationship between the state and federal government.
The governor said, “It is rather unfortunate that we are just joining. Our caterers in the NHGSFP are being paid monthly which has improved the economy of the state.
“The food that I and the vice president can eat means that it’s a sumptuous meal that is being prepared for the pupils.
“I believe we are on course. What we need to do is to ensure that we get more school pupils registered. The Federal Government is ready to feed them also”.
In her address earlier, Mrs Grace Ekpemogu, Headmistress, Alagbaka Estate Primary School, Akure, commended the Federal Government over the NHGSFP which she said would guarantee the pupils one good meal a day.
Ekpemogu said the programme would help increase the intelligence quotient of the pupils and also go a long way in repositioning the education sector especially at the primary school level.
