FG Has Our Data But No Palliatives Yet, Says Abia Official

From Gordi Udeajah, Umuahia

ABIA

Primary Schools Lunch Programme, alias “Abia Free School Meal Initiative,” was flagged off by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on pilot basis on Friday, June 10, 2016, at Amakpu Ntigha Primary School in Isiala Ngwa Local Government Area. Until the outbreak of COVID- 19, which forced schools to be closed, pupils in all public primary schools in the state were served free lunch every school day.

The state Coordinator, Mr Chukwuemeka Alozie and the state Social Investment Programme Focal Person, Mr Chinenye Nwaogu, confirmed this in separate interviews.

Nwaogu explained that cooks were employed to prepare and serve one decent meal every school day to all pupils in all state- owned schools, adding that pupils in primary one to six benefit from the programme.

On the Lockdown School Feeding Programme, Nwaogu said the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs set up a team, which includes state Focal Persons, to fashion out modalities for its implementation.

She explained that under the new arrangement, suppliers would deliver raw foods to designated food centres while cooks would work with Head Teachers of schools to deliver the uncooked foods to the parents of school children in their homes.

Nwaogu stated that the state government has, in line with the Minister’s directive, submitted the list of pupils, schools and households in their wards to the ministry, disclosing that 67, 000 households in 184 wards in the state were captured.

According to him, once these households are identified, a voucher would be issued to the households specifying the dates, time and the designated closest or ward Food Centre where they can take delivery of their food allocation, which would be labeled. He stated that in line with the social- distancing rule, only 30 persons would be attended to within one hour at the collection centres, saying the collectors’ temperature would be ascertained, face mask given and hand sanitiser applied.

He, however, said the programme had not yet commenced in the state, saying the Ministry has been giving priority to the FCT, Lagos, Kano and Ogun states, which are considered as COVID- 19 frontlines.

Commenting on the initiative, parents described it as worthy, saying that it motivates their children to look forward to the reopening of schools, even as many of them prayed for the end of COVID- 19 pandemic. A head teacher in one of the schools, Mr. Onu Okoro, said that the school meal programme increased pupil enrollment. In contrast, a private school operator said she has lost some pupils to public schools.

“Our pupils ask why we do not serve them meals like others in public schools. We are mulling selling this idea to their parents for consideration, which however would imply paying more in this hard time,” she said.