Okwe Obi, Abuja
With the process of feeding school pupils at home commencing on Thursday, the Federal Government has announced that each household would receive N4,200 to enable parents and caregivers to carry out the task.
The government explained that the Take-Home Ration of N4,200 would be made up of 5kg bags of rice, 5kg bag of beans, 500ml vegetable oil, 750ml palm oil, 500 mg salt, 15 pieces of eggs, and 140gm of tomato paste.
It said the process became expedient following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus which led to the shutting down of schools across the country as measures to contain further spread.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Saidya Umar Farouq, noted in a statement that the intervention would benefit 3,131,971, with Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States being the first beneficiary states.
“Each household will receive a Take-Home Ration valued at N4,200 and made up of 5 kg Bag of Rice, 5 kg Bag of Beans, 500 ml Vegetable Oil, 750 ml Palm Oil, 500 mg Salt, 15 pcs of eggs, 140gm Tomato Paste. A total of 3,131,971 households are targeted for this intervention.
“These rations have been reviewed by nutrition experts to ascertain the nutritional value and benefit to the children.
“The Ministry in consultation and collaboration with state governments identified the distribution of Take-Home Rations (THR) to the households of the children on the programme as a feasible method of achieving this directive after exploring several options.
“This is a globally accepted means of supporting children to continue to have access to nutrient-rich foods despite disruptions to the traditional channels of school feeding,” the minister said in the statement.
To avert food theft, the ministry requested other agencies of government including the Department of State Services (DSS), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Code of Conduct Bureau and a host of NGOs and CSOs to help monitor, adding that “the Ministry’s hotlines will be made available to the public to provide accurate information and for grievance redress.”
Farouq solicited the support of state governments in ensuring “the safety of beneficiaries, sensitise the communities and programme personnel on the need to ensure that this intervention reaches the intended beneficiaries and facilitate the timely delivery of quality food supplies provided by the state aggregators.”