Group applauds Nigerian gov’t for preventing collapse of school feeding programme in Taraba
Story from Ahmed USMAN, Jalingo
Taraba State Co-ordinator of Independent Monitors supervising Social Investment Programmes Huzaifa Dalhatu has commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for suspending aggregators in the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Taraba.
The co-ordinator who spoke to our reporter in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital described the suspension as a move to halt the collapse of the NHGSFP in the state.
The National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) is a government initiative of school feeding programme that aims to improve the health and educational condition of public primary school pupils. It is based on farm produce locally grown by small holder farmers to provide children nutritious mid-day meals on every school day.
The programme is also aim at injecting money into markets to boost economy by empowering local farmers and petty traders.
Huzaifa explained that “We received series of complain from food vendors, parents and some public school managers during previous payment for the programme in November last year that the vendors were paid half of the initial payment while the remaining half was paid to aggregators contracted to provide some items.
“The vendors complained that most of them received credit alert of N60,000, N50,000, N40,000, N35,000 and N23,000 respectively instead of N120,000, N100,000, N80,000, N70,000 and N45,000 they have been receiving for the school feeding program in the state. He said.
There was newly introduced method of feeding under NHGSFP in Taraba State. The method involve contracting aggregators for the state who will be supplying food items to the vendors.The items include beans, fish, meat and Yoghurt juice.
The aggregators will be paid from the money deducted from the actual payment of the food vendors. The method generated public outcry in the state especially among stakeholders in basic education sector of the state.
According to the Co-ordinator, his team wrote a report on the involvement of aggregators in NHGSFP in Taraba state to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and officials of the ministry took the matter to the Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Faruq.
“We wrote a report to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. Officials of the ministry informed the Minister about our complains on aggregators. The Minister personally called me on phone where she assured me that she will send a committee to Taraba state to investigate our complain.
“The committee was in the state and we visited some selected local government areas where we met with stakeholders in NHGSF including food vendors and aggregators. We also inspected some schools.
“The committee submitted it report to the Minister and the outcome was the suspension of aggregators. We really appreciate the Honourable Minister for this gesture which rescued the NHGSFP in Taraba State.
“We also wish to commend the member of the House of Representatives from Jalingo – Yorro – Zing Hon. Kassim Maigari who wrote a petition to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Umar Faruq. His petition made our complain to be strong in the ministry.” He concluded.
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