Presidency releases N375m to feed 700,000 primary school pupils
- President Buhari’s administration has released N375 million to feed 700,000 primary school pupils for 10 school days
- Five states have currently been paid to start the school feeding programme
- Also, Presidency is claiming only 2 states in Nigeria are yet to begin the N30,000 monthly stipends for graduates
The federal government of Nigeria has released over N375 million for the feeding about 700,000 primary school pupils in five states in 2017 under the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programmes (SIP)
Giving a media update in Abuja on Sunday, January 22, the senior special assistant on Media and Publicity to the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande also disclosed that federal government last week released money for this year school feeding programme. The money has been given to Anambra state, Ogun state, Oyo state, Osun state and Ebonyi state to cover the feeding for 10 school days.
Akande said the SIP were proceeding at different stages of implementation.
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According to Daily Post, Akande said the sum of about N375, 434, 870 has just been released and paid to 7,909 cooks in those states for the feeding of a total of 677, 476 primary school pupils.
Below is the breakdown of the school feeding fund:
1. Ogun state got a total of N119, 648, 900 paid to 1.381 cooks to feed 170, 927 pupils.
2. Ebonyi state got N115, 218, 600 paid to 1.466 cooks to feed 164, 598 pupils.
3. Anambra state got N67.5m paid to 937 cooks to feed 96,489 pupils.
4. Oyo state got N72.2m paid to 1437 cooks to feed 103, 269 pupils.
5. Osun state got N867,370 paid to 2688 to feed 142, 193 pupils.
The vice president's aide said: “All monies are paid directly to the cooks and cover 10 days of school.”
He further disclosed that later this week, those figures would go up when Zamfara and Enugu states were expected to be paid N188.7 million and N67.2 million respectively.
Speaking further, he said: “In Zamfara, the sum would be paid to 2,738 cooks to feed 269, 665 pupils. And in Enugu, the sum would be paid to 1128 cooks to feed 96, 064 pupils.
“By then, he noted that over N631 million would have been released so far in 2017 for school feeding in 7 States, paid to 11,775 cooks and meant to feed over One million primary school pupils-exact number of pupils by then would be 1, 043, 205.”
On N-Power, Akande stated that the process of payments of verified graduates who were beneficiaries had advanced and were at different stages of progress in all but two states.
He stressed that payment of the “December Stipends which has commenced across the country would be completed in all states except two that did not meet the extended deadline for the verification process for December stipends.”
The vice president’s spokesperson assured some beneficiaries who had issues to remain patient, while observing that quite a number of the beneficiaries had banking information irregularities.
Akande said the payment of the unemployed graduates which had created a huge buzz across the country especially on the Social Media was being done in batches.
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Meanwhile, Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari appealed to the senate to confirm Mr Ibarhim Magu as the substantive chairman of the country’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Buhari reportedly conveyed this message in a letter sent to the Senate President Bukola Saraki on Sunday, January 22.
President Buhari was reportedly silent on the the allegations leveled against Magu by the Department of State Services (DSS) which the senate said it relied upon to halt the confirmation in December.
Source: Legit.ng
