Osun govt begins enumeration of school feeding beneficiaries

Inaugurates monitors for N-SIP
Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, yesterday, flagged off the enumeration and enrolment of beneficiaries of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) across public primary schools in the state.

The governor also inaugurated independent monitors of National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP) in the state. He distributed letters of engagement and monitoring devices to the trained independent monitors for the investment programme of the Federal Government.

Oyetola, who was represented at the inauguration held in Osogbo by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Wole Oyebamiji, further noted that the administration’s relentless efforts in the last two and half years had earned it the pride of place as a leading state on the Human Development Index.

IN her remarks, Farouq said 4,452 independent monitors had been trained across the country out of the 5,000 shortlisted.

She said the initiative was to ensure that each of the trained independent monitors keep a check on a designated number of beneficiaries of the N-SIP in their respective designated local councils.

The minister, who was represented by the Director, Finance and Administration, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Mr. Matthew Dada, said the initiative would further help to strengthen the existing partnership and mutual recognition of the need to do more on the NHGSFP.

Farouq said the government was looking at scaling up the numbers of the pupils benefiting from the feeding programme as directed by the President as over nine million pupils are currently benefiting from one free nutritious meal a day during the school term nationwide.

Also, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Social Intervention Programmes, Mr. Abimbola Bello, applauded Buhari and Oyetola for taking the welfare and well-being of the people as priority.

Bello, who disclosed that over one million Osun citizens had benefitted from various state and national social intervention programmes, urged the Federal Government to revisit the policy of “No payment, no feeding of primary school pupils.”

“I wish to make a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to revisit the policy of no payment no feeding of primary school pupils. Our children are our hope for a better Nigeria, let us feed them round the school calendar year,” he said.