NAN-H-32
Feeding
By Abdulfatai Beki
Ilorin, Jan.19, 2017 (NAN) Pupils in public primary schools in Kwara are to benefit from the National Home-Grown School Feeding programme of the Federal Government in 2017.
Chief Ayobola Samuel, Focal Person of the Federal Government Social Intervention Programme in Kwara, made this known to newsmen on Thursday in Ilorin.
He said that the pilot scheme had already commenced in 16 states of the federation where millions of pupils in public schools were benefitting.
Samuel, who is also the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, said that the programme would improve school enrollment.
According to him, other benefits of the programme are improvement in academic performance, reduction in child labour and improvement in child nutrition.
He said that the one-meal per day would also create multiplier effects on the local economies in the communities where the schools were located.
Samuel said that the Job Creation and Empowerment Programme of the Federal Government known as N-POWER, was meant to tackle poverty among the youths, vulnerable and the elderly.
According to him, 5, 559 unemployed graduates in Kwara have already been engaged in the scheme and would soon be redeployed to their various places of assignment in the health, agriculture and education sectors.
He said that the N30, 000 allowance for each of the beneficiaries would be paid to them before the end of January.
Samuel said that 10,800 households have started benefiting from the N10, 000 cash transfer programme of the Federal Government across 360 communities in 12 local government areas in the state.
He said that the remaining four local government areas would soon be captured on the programme.
Samuel said that about N220 million would be injected monthly into the state economy with the two empowerment programmes of the Federal Government to fully tackle poverty.
He said that the poorest people in various communities in the state had also been identified and were being paid N5,000 monthly.
Samuel said that many people would benefit from other empowerment programmes of the Federal Government such as the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programme (STEP) designed for indigent students in higher institutions. (NAN)
BEKI /DOR/GOK
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Edited by Nyisom Dore/Olagoke Olatoye