The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq has engaged 1,000 cooks into the national home-grown feeding (NH-GF) programme in Borno. The feeding programme is being implemented under the multi-faceted interventions to scale up school enrolments and nutrition of pupils in schools. While enumerating the beneficiaries for feeding Wednesday in Maiduguri, Farouq disclosed: “The feeding programme in schools will support local production of food, job creation and income generation.” The Minister, who was represented by Director in the Ministry, Ali Grema, said that feeding in schools will also provide nutritious meals to pupils in primary schools. Already, he said over nine million pupils benefited from the free meal per day during school terms across the country. On how to sustain the feeding programme, he said:
“The NH-GF programme could enhance socioeconomic development,” adding that it needs to be scaled up and sustained in Nigeria. He therefore urged the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and education boards to verify the existing numbers of beneficiaries of the programme. “I also encourage all of us to do more to ensure that children benefit from the free meals in schools,” he said. The Consultant of feed programme, Mohammed Alfa disclosed that 1,000 cooks are to be engaged and captured biometrically in Borno state. He said that about 120,000 pupils are to be enrolled for the feeding programme across the state. He noted that the Tsangaya school children are also to be captured biometrically along with other pupils. Alfa urged traditional rulers, teachers and parents to cooperate with the successful implementation of the feeding programme. Governor Babagana Zulum said that education is the topmost priority of the state government. Zulum, who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Prof. Isa Marte added that the programme should be upgraded and sustained to achieve the objectives of the feed programme.
