The Federal Government National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) has trained 2, 746 food vendors in Nasarawa state to enhance the implementation of the initiative, an official has said.

Mr Aliyu Abdulkadir, the Programme Focal Person in the state, made the disclosure while declaring the programme open in Lafia on Tuesday.

He explained that the programme, an initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, was aimed at providing succour to boast the health needs of students in public schools.

‘‘The social investment programme is a Federal Government programme in collaboration with the state and local governments, aimed at feeding our pupils in the primary school, from classes one to three.

‘‘The vendors were recruited to cook for the children using local foods produced by farmers in the state,’’ he said.

Abdulkadir maintained that the value adding programme would help to put money in the pockets of farmers and cooks and improve the enrolment of primary school pupils.

He stated that it would also enable the pupils to concentrate on their studies and thereby guarantee them a clean and secure environment, fundamental to their overall development.

Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo recently said that over 7.6 million children in 22 states across the country were being fed daily under the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).

Also speaking, Amos Magaji, Desk Officer of the Federal Government Intervention programmes in the state, noted that the programmes had started in other states.

He said that the programmes would keep some women busy and work to specifications, adding that government would not tolerate poor feeding of pupils.

‘‘Our evaluation officers at the state, local and community levels are also being trained in all hygienic areas to ensure that the vendors are acquainted with the training and to maintain hygiene,’’ he said. (NAN)

– Aug. 28, 2018 @ 18:25 GMT |