The Federal Government on Friday said more children would benefit from the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Akwa Ibom.
Hajiya Sadiiya Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, disclosed this when she paid a courtesy visit to the state Gov. Udom Emmanuel, in Uyo.
Mrs Nneka Anibeze, the Special Assistant on Media to Farouq said this in a statement on friday, in Abuja.
The Minister was represented by the Zonal Monitor of the NHGSFP, Dr Abubakar Sulaiman.
She said that additional five million pupils were being targeted by 2023 to add to the already nine million pupils benefiting from the daily free nutritious meal during school term nationwide.
“We are here in Akwa Ibom on the strength of our partnership and mutual recognition of the need to do more on NHGSFP, to bring more Nigerians under the umbrella of the Government’s social protection mechanism.
“The aim is to look at scaling up the number of pupils benefiting from the Programme.
“With over 100,000 cooks employed and more than 100,000 small holder farmers participating in this value chain, the NHGSFP is a serious potential for socio-economic development if strengthened and sustained nationwide.
“We will continue to work with states and Federal NHGSFP teams as well as key stakeholders such as the National Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Education, National Orientation Agency, National Population Commission, National Youth Service Corp, UBEC and State Education boards for effective results,” Farouq said.
The minister said her ministry was working jointly and closely with the stakeholders to verify the existing number of beneficiaries on NHGSFP and update the records for better effectiveness, transparency and accountability.
The governor, who was represented by the state’s Commissioner of Women Affairs, Dr Ini Adiakpan, thanked the Federal Government for its foresight and consistency in reaching out to the vulnerable.
He promised that the state government would continue to play its part in ensuring that the initiative recorded 100 per cent success. (NAN)