Five Weeks After It's Flag- Off In Bayelsa, State School Feeding Programme Yet To Commence.

 

 

The National Home -Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP  is yet commence in Bayelsa State five weeks after it's Flagg off.

Recall that the  feeding programme  which involves the feeding of pupils from primary one to three had been going in other states for more than six years now except in Bayelsa State.

 

The immediate past Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq had on May 25 performed a symbolic flag-off of the programme which pledged feeding of 59,000 pupils in 599 primary schools in Bayelsa.  

 

Umar-Farouq had said that NHGSFP was a component of National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) aimed at providing one free nutritious meal a day to pupils of primary 1 to 3 in public primary schools across the nation. 

But checks b this reporter  in public primary schools in Yenagoa , Bayelsa capital showed  that the feeding was yet to commence.

Speaking on Wednesday in Yenagoa,  Richman Otobo, Bayelsa Chairman of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) noted that the high hopes by pupils and parents who hailed the flag off ceremony has been dashed.

He said  "The school feeding programme which commenced in 2016 came late to Bayelsa and we thought that it is better late than never but after more than one month of launch, nothing is happening.

"The NUT was part of the flag off and we had hopes that the feeding will enhance learning and bring relief to parents and the new and old pupils are disappointed.They may have diverted the funds and nothing is happening.

Although,  Gentle Emelah, Commissioner for Education, whose ministry oversees the programme declined comment on delay experienced as all the calls and text message were not responded to, it was learnt that funds for the programme were yet to be released by the federal government.

 Emmanuel Benson, Focal Person for NSIP in Bayelsa said that other components were currently running smoothly except the school feeding programme which is yet to take off.

He said "The other social investment programmes being funded by the federal government are doing well in Bayelsa. We are eagerly awaiting the effective take off and a lot has been done already.

"It is a Federal Government funded programme domiciled in states and Bayelsa government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government and both parties are working in harmony.

"Our appeal is to the Federal Government to release the funds for our children to join their peers across the nation in the nearest future. 

"We also want Bayelsa State  government to sustain its support to the NSIP Secretariate in Bayelsa and enable us overcome the teething problems of the school feeding.

He  dismissed  speculations that the funds for the Bayelsa school feeding has been diverted as the funds are supposed to go directly to the beneficiaries selected to provide services.

He explained that the  process for NSIP is transparent and the beneficiaries get the funds by e-payment without any intermediary.