A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Farah Dagogo, has described as fraudulent the Federal Government’s plan to continue its National Home-Gro
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Farah Dagogo, has described as fraudulent the Federal Government’s plan to continue its National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme despite schools being closed due to coronavirus pandemic, ThePunch is reporting.
According to him, the move is part of the corruption the current regime claims to be fighting. Dagogo, who represents Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in Rivers State, said the insistence to implement the programme when pupils are home with their parents and guardians showed a desperate ploy to “further rip us off of our commonwealth” and turn the programme into an epicentre of sleaze.
The lawmaker therefore urged the government to suspend the move, which he described as very unpopular and channel the billions already earmarked for the “jamboree” to the country’s health care sector that is in dire need of attention. He also said the fund should be spent on studies on the production of vaccines for the cure or prevention of COVID-19.
“Having gauged the pulse of my constituents and those of others from other constituencies, I want to strongly urge the Federal Government to have a re-think on the matter of continuing with the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, now that schools are not in session. Rather than continuing with the programme at this time, the funds for the programme should be re- channelled to the health sector to strengthen and sustain the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.”
Meanwhile, the modified homegrown school feeding programme targeted at children in Primary 1 to 3 in public schools commenced today in Kuje, Abuja and will run in all 36 states. Each take hoe ration is made up of 5 kg bag of rice, 5 kg bag of beans, 500ml vegetable oil, 750ml palm oil, 500 mg salt, 15 pieces of eggs, 140 gm of tomato paste.
