30,000 Lagos pupils to benefit from free school meal programme

No fewer than 30,000 primary and secondary school pupils in selected schools across Lagos State will benefit daily from a free school meal programme under the “Adopt a School Snacks for Thought” initiative, officials have announced.

The initiative, jointly funded by the Federal Government, the Lagos State Government and the state’s 57 Local Government and Local Council Development Areas, is aimed at tackling classroom hunger and improving learning outcomes among schoolchildren.

The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) Manager, Dr. Aderemi Adebowale, disclosed this on Wednesday during an inter-ministerial news conference on the PBAT FEEDS initiative held at Alausa, Ikeja.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is expected to officially launch the programme on June 30, with Lagos selected as the flagship state for its implementation.

Speaking at the event, Adebowale said hunger remains one of the major obstacles to effective learning, noting that inadequate nutrition affects pupils’ concentration, memory, school attendance and overall academic performance.

She explained that the initiative was developed as a public-private-community partnership to provide nutritious morning snacks and beverages to schoolchildren before the start of daily classes.

According to her, the programme complements the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda and the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme by improving children’s nutrition while encouraging community participation and corporate social responsibility.

“The initiative complements existing efforts by ensuring that children receive nutritional support that enhances learning outcomes while creating opportunities for community participation and corporate social responsibility,” she said.

Adebowale said participation in the programme is open to individuals, corporate organisations, philanthropists, faith-based organisations, alumni associations, community groups, development partners and government institutions through the PBAT FEEDS dashboard.

She added that the initiative seeks to ensure that no Nigerian child is denied access to quality education because of hunger by mobilising stakeholders to support school feeding through a transparent and sustainable model.

According to her, providing healthy snacks before classroom activities can significantly improve concentration, memory retention, attendance, classroom participation and long-term educational achievement.

She stressed that school feeding should be regarded not merely as a social welfare intervention but as a strategic investment in human capital development and national productivity.

Also present at the briefing were the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya; Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso; and other government officials.