The Federal Government has begun biometric data capture of 642,000 pupils to scale up implementation of the National Home-Grown School Feeding programme (NHGSFP) in Borno.
The Consultant of the programme Alhaji Mohammed Alfa stated this while briefing newsmen shortly after inspecting the ongoing exercise in some primary schools in Maiduguri.
Alhaji Alfa noted that the enumeration exercise was going smoothly across the state.
“Initially; we planned for 112,500 beneficiaries in Borno, however, the figure based on updated data rose to 642,500, and so far, we have only 55 tablets and expecting delivery of 212 others to speed up the exercise.
Borno state Director of the National Orientation Agency Alhaji Ja’afar said that personnel of the Agency with support of local councils’ officials were distributing the forms in some areas with security challenges.
He remarked that the personnel would also handle the biometric registration alongside Corps members engaged for the exercise.
According to him, the Corps members will handle the registration exercise in Maiduguri, Jere and Biu LGAs, while personnel of the Agency would conduct the exercise in the remaining 24 LGAs.
The Headteacher, 1,0000 Housing Estate Primary School, Konduga, Mrs Hauwa Balami said over 400 pupils had been captured in the ongoing enumeration exercise.
Mrs Balami added that no fewer than 12 food vendors were engaged to supply meal to the pupils in the school under the programme.
Some of the parents, Bukar Usman, Yagana Modu and Fatima Ali, lauded the initiative, saying it encouraged enrollment and retention in school.
A food vendor of the programme, Amina Mohammed, also commended the programme, adding it created employment opportunity for her and other women in the state.
Dauda Iliya