School Feeding Programme to Cover Basic Education, Says FG

The federal government has said the suspended Home Grown School Feeding Programme would now cover basic education and not just the primary schools when the suspension order is lifted.

The Director of Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Folake Olatunji-David, said this at the official launch and fundraiser of the Create that Change Development Initiative (CCDI) yesterday in Abuja.

“This programme (CCD launch) is a lofty idea and it demonstrates your unwavering demonstration in addressing the critical issues that we have in education that is advancing the well-being and development of children, adolescent and the society at large. Your innovative align with the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.

“We all know that we have the homegrown programme that is being put on hold for now. It is coming back stronger and better. Before now it only cover a segment of primary school. The President (Tinubu) has said it will be for basic education in its entirety.

“We are planning, we don’t just want to come out without planning to ensure as soon as we receive the directives proper implementation is done. If it is the whole of primary school or basic education it will be done properly. We await further directives on this,” she said.

Speaking earlier, Mrs Sharon Ayeni, the Executive Director CCDI, said that, the initiative is a vision God gave her to make a meaningful difference in the world, to address pressing challenges and to uplift those in need in Nigeria.

“The vision CCDI has is big. Our goal is to take our flagship programme Enhancing Nutrition, Exercise and Reading Initiative (ENERI) to every state in the federation, we call this the ENERI effect! Our next target is to implement ENERI in three new schools, and we also have other initiatives in the pipeline,” Ayeni said.

She listed the initiative to include ‘Build Her Initiative’ meant to empower and uplift girls and young mothers addressing critical areas such as girl power, personal hygiene, education, skills acquisition, and protection from societal vices; and ‘Toilet Angels Initiative’ to construct essential toilet and hand washing facilities in schools participating in the ENERI program.

“This is the reason I left my former employment with the UK Foreign Commonwealth Development Office of over three decades to return to Nigeria to set up the organisation and work towards changing today for a brighter tomorrow for the children and youth of Nigeria,” she said.

On his part, Dr. Fidelis Elom, Chairman Board of Trustees (BoT) of CCDI, said that Nigeria is confronted with staggering statistics that underscore the urgency of the CCDI cause.

“Nearly 350,000 lives have been lost to conflicts with extremist groups like Boko Haram, while millions more have been displaced from their homes. Additionally, youth unemployment stands at a concerning 32.5% perpetuating cycles of poverty and insecurity.

“Amidst these formidable challenges, however, lies a beacon of hope. Through initiatives like the ENERI Project, CCDI stands ready to effect tangible change in the lives of our youth. By addressing critical needs such as nutrition, exercise, and access to education, we possess the power to reshape the trajectories of countless young lives,” Elom said.