The Niger State Government has uncovered another
plot to sabotage the Home Grown School feeding programme.
The federal government had about three months ago
sacked two top officials of the programme for similar sabotage and directed
that the scheme be transferred to the Ministry of Women Affairs.
The programme was only reorganised and restarted
two weeks ago following the initial sabotage.
This time, an official of the School Feeding
Programme had been caught stealing 200 crates of eggs meant for pupils in
schools in Bosso Local Government Area of the state.
Another desk officer also in the same local
government area was caught diverting several tubers of yams meant for the
feeding of the pupils.
The police and officials of the State Security
Service (SSS) had been called into the matter resulting in the arrest of the
suspects.
The security officials were also made to lecture
all the ad hoc staff involved in the school feeding programme on the
implication of their tampering with the items meant for feeding of the pupils.
The state Commissioner for Women Affairs, and
Coordinator of the programme, Mrs. Amina Musa, confirmed the development on Thursday while
addressing journalists after a meeting of the state executive council in Minna last
Wednesday evening.
Mrs. Musa who declined to give the names of those
concerned, however, confirmed that the
persons involved had been reported to the SSS for further action.
The commissioner disclosed that over 560,499 pupils
were benefiting from the programme in
the state while 4,929 food vendors were engaged, adding that N392million was
allocated to the state by the presidency for the first 10 days of the exercise.
Musa said the free feeding programme had led to
increase in school enrolment of pupils in the state but did not say the new
enrolment figure.
She also disclosed that the programme had boosted the economic empowerment of farmers
and women in the state due to the patronage of
agricultural products.
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