School feeding: Food vendors kick against FG’s N70 per pupil •Threaten boycott, as programme begins in Oyo tomorrow

A pall of uncertainty hangs over the expected take-off in Oyo State tomorrow (Monday) of the Federal Government’s home-grown feeding progamme aimed at bringing succour to about 5.5 million pupils nationwide.

Checks by Sunday Tribune showed that that food vendors already engaged for the purpose are kicking against the non-release of funds for the exercise, coupled with cost of their involvement in the scheme.

There are subdued anger and frustration among the vendors because of the problem of logistics occasioned by galloping inflation in the country.

They are curious about the potential huge losses arising from the cost of providing the meals to the pupils, which appear not to have been captured in the scheme.

It was learnt that the food vendors, who attended an orientation progamme in Ibadan in the outgone week, preparatory to the take-off of the scheme in the state tomorrow, were told that each would only get about N3, 6 40 per week to cater for a total of 52 pupils.

According to the officials in charge of the programme, each child each child is only entitled to N70 worth of meal per day.

The vendors are also required to undergo a number of medical tests ranging from blood to urine at the cost of more than N5,000 in government’s health institutions, just each of them is  to pay N2,500 for an apron.

As of Friday, the vendors claimed they had not received bank alert on the lodgment in their bank accounts, despite the fact that they are expected to commence the programme today in public schools in Oyo State.

The timetable of the menu obtained by Sunday Tribune showed that yam, stew, boiled egg and babana will be served on Monday; cornmeal, beans, beef and water melon on Tuesday, while bread, stew, boiled egg and orange on Wednesday.

According to the chart, while yam porridge, vegetable, beef and watermelon comprise the menu for Thursday, that of Friday include rice, beans, boiled egg and orange.

It was gathered that the vendors have threatened to  disengage from the programme.

The scheme, meant for pupils in primary one to three, is a component of the Social Investment programmes of the government designed to impact directly on the lives of Nigerian children and families.

A sum of N500 million was appropriated for the programme in 2016 after its inauguration on June 9, 2016 by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The implementation commenced in Anambra State which has an estimated 76, 690 pupils in 1050 schools.

A sum of N53, 687, 900 had been released directly to cooks for the kick-off in Anambra, with all the cooks were recruited from communities around the primary schools for the programme, verified and trained to provide catering service in the 21 local government councils in the state.

While the 2016 Budget of Change made provision for funding of the feeding programme in 18 states, which includeAnambra, AkwaIbom, Ebonyi, Enugu, Sokoto, Kaduna, Borno, Zamfara, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Delta, Abia and Bauchi..

Osinbajo had during the launching of the National Home Grown School Feeding Strategic Plan at the Old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja that it would change the lives of 20 million children, and that the one-meal per day programme, would create multiplier effect on the local economies in communities where the schools are located.