By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A total 196,873 pupils in public schools are to be verified in Nasarawa State to be sure of the number of beneficiaries of the School Feeding Programme (SFP) run nationwide by the federal government
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, disclosed this during a call on Governor Abdullahi Sule at Government House, Lafia.
Farouq, represented by her Technical Adviser Abdullahi Usman, said verification would provide more data to know the actual number of pupils in Nasarawa.
SFP is a multi-faceted federal intervention to drive school enrolment, retention, boost nutrition of pupils, as well as support local production of food and raise income.
“We are here in Nasarawa State on a verification exercise. We have been feeding pupils since 2016, but the data we have been dealing with is actually names of pupils sent by all the states.
“So this exercise will allow us to go into schools, identify these children by taking their details, their pictures and biometrics,” Farouq explained, per Vanguard.
She said verification would prove that those being fed are actual human beings who take one nutritious meal a day in primaries one to three in government schools.
Farouk added that the SFP plans to increase the number of beneficiaries so as to accommodate more pupils in the social protection system.
“Over nine million pupils benefit from one free nutritious meal a day during school term nationwide, and now we have the mandate to reach an additional five million pupils by 2023.
“Specifically, about Nasarawa, we have a total of 196,873 pupils that are being fed in 1,203 schools.”
Sule expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for introducing the SFP to assist the poor through provision of one nutritious meal to pupils in public primary schools across the country.
He said Nigerians are aware that Buhari would be happy if those targeted are the real and actual beneficiaries without anyone hijacking the programme.
“As long as the targeted people who are really in need of this assistance benefit from the scheme, I think all of us will be happier,” Sule stressed.
He pledged the assistance of his administration to ensure the programme succeeds in Nasarawa and sought its proper monitoring and supervision.
