The Federal government says it is increasing the number of pupils enrolled under the National Home Grown School Feeding Program to fourteen million across the country.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Hajiya Sadiya Farouq stated this during a stakeholders engagement on enumeration of beneficiaries in Sokoto state.
Represented by Deputy Director Finance and Account of the Ministry, Alhaji Muhammad Sambo Balarabe Gusau said President Muhammadu Buhari directed the ministry to increase the number of beneficiaries in all primary schools in the country with a view to boosting the nutrition of pupils and to increase children enrollment into schools in order to achieved the desired objectives.
The minister said the move would also provide employment opportunities to thousands of unemployed Nigerians.
Hajiya Sadiya Farouq explained that the National Orientation Agency would be engaged in sensitization and distribution of logistics while the NYSC corp members would also be engage in the enumeration and update of records with a view to ensuring transparency and accountability of the exercise in Sokoto state .
Also speaking, the Programme Manager in Sokoto state, Alhaji Musa Abubakar Girka said the school feeding program has enhanced student participation in learning and improve teaching and learning at the primary school level.
He said already, more than six hundred thousand primary schools children are benefiting from the program since its conception in 2016.
NASIR MALALI