The school feeding initiative of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government was ab initio aimed to push back on the rather embarrassing growing proportion of out-of-school children, estimated to have reached 20 million children. But in about seven years of the initiative and over N200 billion worth of meals for schoolchildren, attendance register of pupils is far from commensurate in several states nationwide. Iyabo Lawal (Lagos), Lawrence Njoku (Enugu) Ann Godwin and Obinna Nwaoku (Port Harcourt) Rotimi Agboluaje (Ibadan), Adewale Momoh (Akure) and Tina Agosi Todo (Calabar), report mixed results of the initiative nationwide, with the common thread of misappropriation, inefficiency, and poor execution of the supposed laudable programme.

The rumbling in her stomach did not go unnoticed by her classmates. For the umpteenth time, and ashamed, she hid her face on the rickety desk and burst into tears.

Her classmates, rather amused by the muffling echoes, let out a laugh as they ate.

It was breaktime, but eight-year-old Amirah Taofeek had no food to eat. For weeks, she had endured going to school without breakfast.

The following day, the young girl was not willing to go to school. She begged to go to the farm with her mother, who is saddled with the responsibility of caring for five children – young Amirah is the first.

In another instance, seven-year-old Ekene, a primary two pupil of Community Primary School, Awka South, in Anambra State, has a smile that could light up a stadium at night. It is the day they serve them free food in school.

A year ago, it took threats of beating from his mother to get him ready for school. Ekene eats breakfast before school, most days; it is fufu and bitter leaf soup. He could tell the family’s meal plan one year in advance.

As he devoured a generous portion of okpa, an eastern Nigerian delicacy prepared with a special type of beans – Bambara bean, otherwise known as moi moi in the south, he could not help but ask the teacher if they would be getting jollof rice the next day.

Indeed, there are millions of children like Amirah and Ekene, who either went to school hungry, had no idea of the next meal, or both.

Yet, it is a truism that “hunger doesn’t ravage the stomach leaving room for other concerns.” The children, majority of whom are malnourished by lack of food, are also rarely regular in schools.

Little wonder, then, that the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) – part of a N500 billion funded Social Investment Programme designed by the APC government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, to tackle poverty and improve the health and education of children and other vulnerable groups – was launched.

But seven years down the line, the programme has experienced its own myriad of problems, which threatens its continuity. President Bola Tinubu’s rekindled motivation to revive the scheme was met with scandals, which has immediately placed the entire social intervention programmes on suspension. But despite the pervasive corruption and inefficiency in the programme execution, the relevance and imperatives of the school feeding programme subsist.

Food for enrollment, education

Nigeria has one of the highest burdens of childhood malnutrition globally. In fact, it affects more than 42 per cent of school children in the country and it’s responsible for 49 per cent absenteeism of primary school age children.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated that 2.5 million Nigerian children under the age of five, suffer from severe malnutrition each year, with about half a million of them dying from it.

In 2016, when Buhari launched the school feeding programme, the idea was to address the growing number of out-of-school children, tackle malnutrition due to poverty among Nigerian children and their attendant consequences on education.

These, among other crises confronting education, especially poor school enrollment and retention of pupils at primary school level; and the need to improve nutrition among school children, were some of the core mandates the NHGSFP was set to address.

From inception, the scheme had the objectives of increasing school enrollments, improving nutritional status of beneficiaries, and stimulating local economy through the school feeding value chain, with over 150,000 cooks along with hundreds of aggregators mopping up protein items, engaged in the programme.

Also, thousands of other service providers in the value-chain participated in the production, processing, preparation and delivery of these free meals to targeted beneficiaries.

In 2019, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development was created with Sadiya Umar Farouq as minister. With the appointment of Farouq, different programmes, hitherto handled by the office of the Vice President, were transferred to the ministry, including the NHGSFP.

According to the erstwhile minister, about N12 million was spent monthly to feed over 10 million pupils during the school term in over 53,000 schools, with a pledge to reach additional five million pupils, get 100,000 cooks and more than 100,000 smallholder farmers participate in the value chain.

The project was implemented through collaboration between federal and state governments. While the FG provides funds for the feeding and ensures that state governments comply with set guidelines for implementing the programme, states get the vendors.

When the programme started, N70 was earmarked for feeding each pupil, but was reviewed to N100 last year. N70 was for the cost of all food items except egg, N14 for the cost of egg to be implemented through the state structures in partnership with the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), N10 stipends for cooks, N5 and N6 for micro-nutrient fortification, payable to cooks, and one naira for quality assurance, payable to supervisors, which is optional.

The Buhari-led administration, as part of its scorecard, said it invested the sum of N1.3 trillion to improve the lives of vulnerable Nigerians through its National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) in the last seven years, from 2016 to 2022.

These social programmes include N-power, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), NHGSFP, Conditional Cash Transfers (CCC) and Independent Monitors (IM).

Farouq disclosed that N890.7 billion was spent on N-power with N246 billion on CCT, N17.6 billion on GEEP, N2.7 million on IM, while the school feeding programme gulped N200.9 billion.

She stated that the ministry had, directly, touched the lives of over 15 million individuals and their families.

Giving further breakdown, she said 9.9 million pupils were fed in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); over three million youths benefitted from N-power programme, out of which one million received N30,000 monthly stipends; a total of 185,919 persons were beneficiaries under GEEP; while 1.9 million vulnerable persons were paid N5,000 monthly under the CCT, and 355,000 persons received grants of N20,000.

States: Reality bites

But the reality is far from the cute numbers reeled out by the former minister. Over the years, the scheme experienced serious challenges across the states.

Findings showed that the absence of food vendors, poor quality and small portions of food served, as well as non-payment of vendors, were among the myriads of problems, which threatened sustainability of the scheme.

There are more graphic accounts. After discovering alleged corruption in the first phase of the process, the then Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Maryam Uwais, said the programme was suspended in some states because of reports of poor-quality food, insufficient and irregular supply of food, as well as late disbursement of funds by state governors.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (1CPC) also reported that N2.67 billion, meant for school feeding in the Unity Colleges during the COVID-19 lockdown, was found in individual accounts.

In the 2023 budget, a total of ₦355,093,601,378 was allocated to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by Buhari, out of which about ₦1 billion was appropriated for the NHGSFP.

But this budgetary allocation did not have any impact on the children, as findings showed that the pupils were never fed, even before Buhari left office. It was learnt that the past administration failed to deliver meals to these children six months before exiting office.

The Guardian investigations in Kano, Oyo, Ondo, Enugu, and Rivers, showed that not only were meals not served, food vendors were also absent and students had stopped coming to school because the meals that had attracted them back to school were no longer being served.

In Kano State, if you blink your eyes once, about three children or more would be standing in front of you with bowls in hand and a pitiful eye crying for help. This is the reality of the 837,479 out-of-school children in the state, according to a World Bank report.

Fatima Usman, 12, and Abubakar Adamu, 11, are both primary school students of Wailari Special Primary School, one of the beneficiaries of the NHGSFP in Kano State.

The school’s head teacher, Mohammed Bako, said Fatima and Abubakar were two of the few students who were drawn to school because of the school feeding initiative, and are also part of the few, who have stayed behind despite the absence of the meals in the last one year.

At Missions Primary School, Kano, the head teacher admitted that the school feeding programme helped a great deal in increasing enrollment.

“We benefited from this programme because enrollment increased as parents brought their wards due to the food provided. We had eight vendors catering for the students. The last time the food vendors brought food was 2022, as a result, this has reduced enrollment in our school.”

At Okpe Primary School in Delta State, the story was the same, as teachers and pupils gave accounts of the programme.

However, the only little difference was that some parents still managed to send their wards to school despite the unavailability of meals, unlike in Kano, where the choice of primary school education is based on the school feeding programme.

At another school in the state, Ani Nshi Primary School, one of the teachers, Patrick Sunday, said most of the pupils were not eating at home when the vendors were coming, because their parents could not afford to feed them.

“When a child eats, the child would listen more to what the teacher is teaching. When the vendors were coming, they were serving them varieties. This made the children come to school because they knew that there would always be food for them.”

Secretary of the NHGSFP in Enugu State, Ifeanyi Onah said about 197,140 pupils, drawn from 1030 schools across the 17 local government councils, with 3005 cooks were engaged for the programme in the state.

Some students from three Model Primary Schools in Rumuosi, Ozuoba, Alakahia and Community Primary School in Rumuekini, Rivers State, said before it was stopped early last year, the scheme was unstable.

The head teacher of Community Primary School (CPS), Rumuekini, Beatrice Adams, said pupils were eager to come to school when the programme was on, but lamented that since it stopped, enrolment has reduced considerably.

Sunday Obitor, head teacher of Model Primary School, also agreed that since the feeding stopped, pupils’ interest in learning has reduced.

But Samuel Oshodi, an accountant assigned to the NHGSFG in the state, said about 285,000 pupils from 1,200 primary schools across the 18 local government councils in the state, were benefiting from the programme.

Deja vu

However, the idea to feed pupils during school hours is not entirely new in Nigeria and neither is its failure.

Recall that the initiative was first introduced in September 2005 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

But the programme struggled and failed in 2008 due to several factors, including delays in disbursing funds to pilot states, inadequate monitoring and evaluation, poor community, and private sector participation.

Many countries and organisations are using school feeding initiatives to drive nutrition and increase enrollments, including the World Food Programme (WFP) that praises such initiatives as having the potential to “boost local economies.”

These countries have successfully developed systems to disallow corruption in their school feeding efforts, something Nigeria could learn.

In Kenya, where 1.5 million children are fed in schools every day, the government did not get directly involved in funds disbursement. Instead, it allowed the WFP to send funds directly into the bank accounts of schools to purchase fresh food from smallholder farmers.

To checkmate possible misappropriation, school committees responsible for procuring food comprised school administrators, parents, and host community members.

Reintroduction of scheme, suspension of NSIPA

The importance is so compelling that earlier in December, President Tinubu ordered the reintroduction of the school feeding programme across all basic education levels and directed its transfer from the Humanitarian Ministry to the Education Ministry.

He said the initiative was necessary to address the challenges of out-of-school children and the learning crisis at the foundation level.

According to him, the programme, which was halted under former President Buhari’s regime, was not only aimed at providing nutritious meals to pupils, but also at encouraging attendance and enhancing learning.

Tinubu noted that the initiative’s relaunch was crucial in checking the learning crisis and fostering a better educational environment for all children.

Already, the Federal Government has earmarked N100 billion for the scheme in the 2024 budget. Tinubu said the provision would serve as a stimulant to encourage attendance in schools and tackle malnutrition among students.

However, following allegations of corruption and misappropriation trailing the social intervention schemes, Tinubu had directed the suspension of all intervention programmes by NSIPA, including N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer, Government Enterprise and Empowerment programme as well as the HGSFP.

He has, subsequently, constituted a ministerial panel to conduct a thorough review of the agency’s operations with a view to recommending necessary reforms.

Tinubu assured stakeholders and Nigerians that his administration remains committed to a swift and unbiased process that would ensure that the social intervention programmes work exactly as intended, to the benefit of the most vulnerable Nigerians.

Mixed reactions trail scheme, suspension

Opinions were, however, divided on the relevance of the programme. While some stakeholders argued that the scheme would address the growing number of out-of-school children, there was a growing vote of no confidence among others, who insisted that the scheme had failed to meet its objectives, given the high rate of out-of-school children in the country and complaints from both pupils and contractors.

A parent, Mr Vincent Eze, whose child is in Primary three at Obiagu Primary School, Ogui New layout, said: “My boys did not like missing school and I’ll attribute this to the kind of meal they served them. I stopped buying biscuits, Okpa, or any other kind of lunch for them. Surely, it is a good way of making pupils stay in their classroom, and not move around during school hours.”

He, however, stated that the programme would serve its intentions better if redefined, properly funded and supervised.

“Government must try as much as possible to address feeding and teaching patterns in public schools so as to encourage parents to send their wards there,” Eze said.

A retired school principal, Mr Adeolu Adenaiya, said the programme helped in increasing enrolment in schools.

“Most of the pupils attended school because they would be fed. Their parents also pushed them to school because the burden of lunch would be off their budget. Indirectly, when they get to school, they would not just feed them alone, but they are also going to educate them, so the literacy of the country would be increased that way,” Adenaiya said.

Although Mrs Omotayo Mala-Adebayo believed the scheme was a good one, she, however, identified some lapses, which should be addressed.

Mala-Adebayo, who is the Executive Director, Haven Initiative for Women and Children Development and Safety, said the programme was not well-managed.

The Chairman of Child Protection Network, Cross River Chapter, Mr Kebe Ikpi, said as commendable as the programme was, the quality of food being served to the pupils should be improved upon.

‘’The government must overhaul the programme. The disbursement of the money and the chain system must be well monitored. There must be feedback to evaluate the programme,’’ Ikpi said.

There were also those who claimed that the scheme had failed to address the problem of out-of-school children, these groups believed the children only showed up in school when the meals were about to be served, and disappeared immediately afterwards.

They advised the government to divert the funds meant for the purpose to equipping educators, and providing the needed learning tools and conducive environment for pupils and students.

Experts: How to make school feeding programme work

To make the scheme better, deliver on its objectives and guide against mismanagement, stakeholders have advocated an all-round inclusiveness involving community leaders and parents.

Chairman, Parents Teachers Association (PTA) in Ondo state, Abimbola Omojola, advised that a committee, comprising parents, teachers, officials of the ministry of education and SUBEB be set up to monitor the programme.

Omojola warned that the programme may flop like it did during the previous administration if the Federal Government fails to involve stakeholders.

Also, a community leader, Babajide Ojo, advocated the need for host communities to be involved.

This, he said, would help build trust and confidence in the programme, and also enable the people to give feedback on specific needs and preferences of their children.

A farmer at Eleyowo axis in Akure north local council of the state, Paul Akinkunmi, also emphasised the need to engage local farmers, to ensure availability of fresh produce,

With the approach, Akinkunmi said the programme will not only contribute to economic development at the grassroots, but it will also promote healthy diets among schoolchildren.

Others suggested regular payment of food vendors and creation of a separate agency in the education ministry.

An educationist, Mr. Johnson Edoh, said part of the challenge the programme faced under the last administration was payment of food vendors, which affected the quality of meals served to the pupils.

Edoh also tasked the education ministry on effective monitoring, noting that part of the challenge the ministry has faced over the years is inability to monitor schools.

Also speaking, a Supervisor for Education, Gerald Ikechukwu, noted that feeding the students alone would not improve attendance, saying there was need for improved teaching as a way of bringing the pupils to school.

Asked whether new hands should be engaged to manage the scheme since it has been removed from the previous agency, Ikechukwu said there should be a blend between those running the scheme before now and the education ministry.

A lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Precious Cornerstone University (PCU), Ibadan, Dr Ademola Sajuyigbe, said the Federal Government should approach the school feeding programme with a sustainable strategy that addresses the nutritional needs of students, while aligning with the broader objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .

Sajuyigbe also advised the government on the need to engage communities in the planning and implementation of the programme, noting that community involvement fosters a sense of ownership, increases effectiveness, and contributes to achieving SDGs 1 (no poverty) and 4 (quality education) goals.

According to a teacher in Rivers State, Baridekor Bonaventure, the Federal Government should increase the cost of meal per student from N100 to about N250 or N300 to make the quality better. (The Guardian)

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