MBF asks FG to discontinue with school feeding, says it is conduit for corruption

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has called on the Federal Government to discontinue the school feeding program forthwith as it has become a conduit pipe being used to siphon billions of Naira from the national purse.

This is coming against the background of claims by some Northcentral States that they were neglected in the distribution of palliatives from the Federal Government.

The national President of the forum Dr. Pogu Bitrus who spoke to the Guardian exclusively over the weekend challenged the Government on the need to rather empower Nigerians to cater for the needs of their families.

“To promote the school feeding programme at the expense of empowering the citizens is certainly a step in the wrong direction.

“The reality and rationality of the school feeding programme as a major policy of the Federal Government raises so many unanswered questions.’

He wandered how the implementators of the program would be able to account for the millions of naira being expended daily on the so-called school feeding program.

“Secondly, at a time when many of our communities are under attack, how would the government justify spending the huge sum they claim is being expended on the programme?

“Thirdly, schools are closed during this current lockdown.  How is the Federal Government able to spend the millions of naira to feed school children who are not in school?”
He said, instead of claiming the feat of expending hundreds of millions of naira on a daily basis without justification, the Middle Belt Forum calls on the Federal Government to review it’s  policies and strategically readdress it’s methodology on providing palliatives to the people who have been completely neglected in the current exercise under the lockdown policy.

He said the provision of relief materials to cushion the negative impact of Corona virus should be visible in the Middle Belt.