The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has commended the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government for its resolve to continue with the school feeding programme to ensure that future Nigerian leaders in Primary classes 1-3 continue to eat nutritional meals even as COVID-19 pandemic has forced the closure of schools in the country.
BMO lauded the Federal Government and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, for preparing to work together with state governments and the FCT administration in evolving modalities for delivering packages of school feeding foodstuff to the households of children benefitting from the programme in this period of schools’ closure
In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsuji and Secretary Cassidy Maduke, BMO recalled that on March 29, 2020 in a national broadcast, President Buhari directed the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to work with states governments to continue with the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme by delivering food packs to households for the benefiting children.
“Although schools are closed, I have instructed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to work with state governments in developing a strategy on how to sustain the school feeding program during this period without compromising our social distancing policies,” the President said.
The BMO noted that the Home grown School Feeding Programme is one of the four components of the country’s National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPs) and the current drive to deliver packages of foodstuff to the home of pupils to feed them, even when the schools are closed, is a mark of people-oriented leadership.”
The media group called on all those who would be involved in taking the foodstuff to the households to operate within the Muhammadu Buhari principles of accountability, honesty, transparency and involving the citizens in government policies developed to enhance their welfare.
Chairman Niyi Akinsuji and Secretary, Cassidy Maduke said that when schools were in session more than 8. 5 million pupils in over 50,000 primary schools were served school meals daily to boost their nutritional intake and make concentration and learning more conducive.
Experts who evaluated the programme said it has improved the nutritional intake of school pupils in primary 1-3, boosted school environment and created jobs for thousands of cooks and farmers all over the country.
