From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau
The federal government has planned to involved 5 million additional pupils upon existing 9 million already benefitting from the National Home-Grown School Feeding program (NHGSFP) nationwide with a view to reduce rate of hunger and malnutrition amongst the pupils in primary schools.
This was made known by the Minister of Humanitarian and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Farouq during stakeholders meeting for enumeration of beneficiaries and to scale up the NHGSFP in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, weekend.
“As a result of due consultations and research, President Buhari launched the implementation of the National Social Investment Program (NSIP) which is made up of four uniques clusters that are integrated to provide the maximum impact.
“In its implementation, the NSIP is strategically designed to fully involve all stakeholders most especially the State Governments to contribute immensely towards promoting 4 clusters on the NSIP including, The NPower aimed at building capacity, skills and competencies that can unleash the generation of jobs especially among the youth.
“The Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) is the 2nd cluster that is aimed at reducing the vulnerability of poor homes by providing monthly cash transfers of N5,000 and ensuring social inclusiveness through deliberate humanitarian activites.
“The National Home-Grown School Feeding program (NHGSFP) was also designed as a multi-faceted intervention to drive school enrollment up, boost nutrition of the pupils, support local production of food and encourage employment and income generation.
“Specifically, it is aimed at the provision of one nutritious meal to all pupils in public primary schools in classes 1 to 3 to achieve these objectives; and the GEEP which is aimed at advancing micro soft loans with no requirement of collateral or any interest charges.
“All these were deliberately designed to specifically target section of vulnerable Nigerians that include youths, elderly persons, widows, poorest of the poor, children, and micro businesspersons” the Minister has explained.
Effectively, the total impact of these special intervention as according the Minister, will affect millions of Nigerians with indices on the reduction of hunger and malnutrition, generating employment and creation of wealth.
She further added that, with over 100,000 cooks employed, and more than 100,000 small holder farmers participating in this value chain, the NHGSFP is a serious potential for socio-economic development and it needs to be strengthened, scaled up and sustained nationwide.
