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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Secretaries to Governments of States have appealed to the Federal Government to extend its school feeding programme of National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) to primary four through six.
The feeding programme currently caters to pupils from Primary 1-3. Over five million children in 19 states are now being fed as a result of the programme.
The recommendation was contained in communique issued at the end of the first quarter 2018 Edition of the Forum of Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) with the SGSs, held at the Banquet Hall, Government House Yola, Adamawa State on Monday, 26th March 2018, but released on Monday, April 2 to the media.
The forum recommended measures to improve the implementation of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) and Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) programmes, including the review and strengthening of the structure of NSIP in some States; strengthening of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) both at the State and Federal levels; ensuring extensive consultation with States in the planning and implementation of NSIP and other similar programmes; and increased awareness on how to benefit from the programmes.
Other recommendations of the forum include: continuous and regular funding of the home-grown school feeding programme under the NSIP; a proper structure and coordination of the programmes be ensured at the State level; the disbursement of funds/loans in the anchor borrower programme be time bound; that bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with the disbursement of funds under ABP be removed to ensure easy access to the loans; and that the CBN develop a more effective implementation structure in conjunction with the Office of the SGS in the States.
Others are that competent persons be appointed to head the Project Monitoring Team (PMT) who should in turn report to the office of the SGS, who will brief the respective Governors; Bank of Agriculture be empowered to handle ABP entirely in view of the problems being faced in dealing with commercial banks; the minimum of one hectare per farmer before accessing loans be reviewed to include medium and large-scale farmers; and that farmers be encouraged to own farmlands so as to use them as collateral to access further loan facilities.
The forum also commended Executive Governor of Adamawa State Muhammed Jubrilla, Deputy Governor Martins Babale, and the people of Adamawa State for the hospitality extended to participants during the one-day meeting.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha represented by the Permanent Secretary (Ecological Fund Office of the OSGF), Dr. Habiba Lawal, reiterated the need to forge cooperation and collaborations amongst the various tiers of government to ensure progress, growth and development of the nation.
He particularly noted the need to work as a team to solve some of the emerging problems confronting the country.
