By Chris Paul Otaigbe
The Federal Government has denied spending N679m per day on the modified School Feeding Programme.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, made this known on Friday, adding that the list of all participating vendors will be submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This, according to her, is for the purpose of transparency and accountability, adding that the programme was being funded by the FG, implemented by states and facilitated by the ministry.
The minister said it was 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 had been on the programme since inception and that they were not new.
The minister added that the ministry had also invited Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to help with monitoring of events.
Farouq, speaking on the recently launched NHGSFP Intervention in the FCT, acknowledged the role of the United Nations World Food Programme in Nigeria in providing technical support.
“We are not spending N679 million per day as reported by the media. That figure is inaccurate. The take-home rations are worth N4,200 per household, and are planned as a monthly COVID-19 intervention, for 3.1 million households in the participating states.” Farouq explained.
She said the ministry is using various school registers containing addresses of all the pupils, as well as SUBEB databases, in order to reach houses.
“Also, since schools are community-based, it is easy for children to be identified/verified in the various communities,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, Farouq affirmed that payment of Npower Nigeria Volunteers’ outstanding stipends was in the final stages of processing and by next week, the beneficiaries would get their payments.
In another development, Chairman of the PTF on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said the CACOVID account was not under the Federal Government’s control.
According to him, they are funds sourced for, by the business community; they are the sole managers of the fund.
While explaining how private donations toward the pandemic were being managed in the country, Mustapha said that the second source of funding was from the NNPC and its partners.
“They are not even collecting cash. The total pledge was about N21billion, and part of their contributions was the Thisday Dome,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire said the ministry was able to persuade Mrs. Susan Idoko-Okpe, now popularly known as the “Benue Lady”, to allow a test sample to be taken to the laboratory for testing on Thursday.
Ehanire said the result was being awaited and would be given to her in person.
“Please note that, while some patients may disclose their result by themselves, the FMoH cannot do so, except with the permission of the person concerned,” he said.
