The Federal Government of Nigeria has budgeted N142.3 billion for the feeding of 9.86 million children and deworming of seven million others as well as enumeration of the pupils.
The proposed allocation which would be utilized by the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), accounts for 40.5 per cent of the total recurrent expenditure of the nation’s social investment programmes, NSIP, domiciled under the ministry of humanitarian affairs, which was established in 2019.
The proposed N142.3 billion is meant to cater for deworming of seven million primary 1-3 pupils in 35 states and FCT, the feeding of about 10 million, and 60,000 out-of-school children as well as enumeration of pupils and training of cooks and farmers.
In addition, N2.7 billion is planned to be used for the “purchase of feeding utensils, devices for capturing and aprons for cooks” for the feeding programme.
It is worthwhile to note that the amount billed for the NHGSFP is a slice from the N400 billion – N350 billion recurrent and N50 billion capital expenditure – proposed to the National Assembly for the implementation of the nation’s social investment Programmes (NSIP) in 2021.
The amount is expected to increase in consecutive years as the ministry of humanitarian affairs told the National Assembly that it plans to expand the NHGSFP programme to target additional five million children in conventional and non-conventional schools under the Alternate School Programme.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have taken to social media to berate the Federal Government for what they described as non-transparent huge spending on social investment programmes while the ‘lesser’ demands of ASUU are unfairly attended to.
Nigerian govt to feed, deworm children with N142.3 billion in 2021.
I'll ask again, how much is ASUU asking for?
— Ayemojubar (@ayemojubar) November 14, 2020
President Muhammadu Buhari administration is offering to release #20 billion for the revitalisation of no fewer than 70 public universities, an offer which would amount to few millions when shared by varsities.
In the Memorandum of Action (MoA) which contained timelines for implementation signed with ASUU on February 2019, the federal government promised to release N25billion by April/May 2019 “as a sign of good faith” but the government acted in bad faith by not resuming full implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on sustainable funding of education.
The government also promised to release N25billion earned academic allowances (EAA) as the first tranche before February 28, 2019. It failed to meet this timeline. It then promised to pay the outstanding balance (N80billion) in four equal instalments for 36 months (November, 2019; August, 2020; May 2021 and February 2022).
After failing to pay the N40billion owed lecturers which were due as at August 2020, ASUU team asked the federal government to pay this debt to move forward. Instead, it brought a ridiculous and shameful offer to release N30billion by November 6, while the balance of N10billion will be paid in two tranches (N5billion in May 2021 and N5billion in 2022).
Note that in the MoA of 2019, the federal government ought to pay N20billion by May 2021 and another N20billion by February 2022. With this present offer, the PMB administration is tyrannically acting in bad faith and aims to run away implementing nothing knowing election campaigns would be in the air by 2022 and everyone would be begging ASUU to consider national interest!
