Osinbajo: We Will not Import Food to Sustain School Feeding Programme

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has said that the Federal Government will not be importing food to implement its school feeding programme.

A statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Assistant to the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande said Osinbajo spoke while receiving a delegation of the World Food Programme in his office, led by its Executive Director, Ms. Ertharin Cousin.

The vice president said the Home-Grown School Feeding through which primary school pupils would receive one full meal a day, would “energize the agriculture base in the state, so that the farmers can benefit.”

Ruling out the importation of food stuff for the programme, the vice president noted that the programme would also create jobs, not only for farmers, but caterers and the entire value-chain would be beneficial to the local communities.

He said the school feeding had already started in some states and the impact was being felt, with well-fed students, increase in school enrolment and energized agricultural economies.

He said that the Federal Government would partner with the World Food Programme in the implementation of the feeding programmes.

He said:“It will be very helpful to look at your best practices, so that we are sure we are on course.”

Osinbajo emphasized the importance of such partnership because saying that nutrition was important for school children at that tender age.‎

In her remarks, the leader of the delegation, Ertharin Cousin commended the efforts of the Buhari administration in addressing the plight of the Internally IDPs in the North East.

She also disclosed that the UN agency was interested in partnering with the Federal Government in strengthening the school feeding programme as part of her organization’s contribution to education.