The Statistician-General of the Federation, alongside the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, have been called upon to provide data and shed more light on the National School Feeding Programme,
The Scheme which has been on for a while, was initiated by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government
The probe was made by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts.
Alleging that the data used for the Initiative is unverifiable, the Committee, headed by Wole Oke, called on the NBS to provide a headcount of pupils and other beneficiaries of the Feeding Scheme.
Added to this, Oke asked for the certification of the Food Vendors for the School Feeding Programme, and a proof of their compliance with the Public Procurement Act, to safeguard the lives of the pupils.
Recall, that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development said that the list of all participating Vendors in the modified School Feeding Programme, would be submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, who said this at the Presidential Task Force, PTF, on Covid-19 daily news briefing in Abuja, noted that, it is for the purpose of transparency and accountability.
She stated that the modified School Feeding Programme is being funded by the Federal Government, implemented by State Governments, and facilitated by the Ministry.
The Minister added that it is targeted at heads of households, guardians, and caregivers of the pupils already benefiting from the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, NHGSFP.
She noted that the Vendors have been on the Programme since inception, and that they are not new.
