School feeding scheme as albatross

• Why FCT ‘home-grown’ programme remains moribund

From **Idu Jude, **Abuja

This can practically be seen as a success by naysayers. A self-inflicted, unplanned project turned into an albatross.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) school feeding programme, part of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), has faced repeated suspensions, logistical hurdles and structural shifts. More troublesome is that the programme has had its own fair share as a failed project, even when it is currently undergoing a federal push for revitalisation and recent pilot expansions.

The programme, launched in January 2020 and flagged off at Karu Model School, Abuja, targets over 120,000 pupils in 626 public primary schools in the six area councils. However, it met bottle necks mid-2020 owing to COVID-19, which led to its modification to “Take-Home Ration” (THR) distribution model during pandemic school closures, targeting household support.

Again, in 2022–2023, the programme encountered immeasurable operational strains, plagued by rising food inflation, delayed vendor disbursements and broad administrative challenges that hit social investment programmes nationwide.

In early 2024, it was disbanded alongside other National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPA). Worthy of note was the political attempt to revitalise and rebrand another phase in 2025–2026, like the “Snacks for Thought” pilot in Abuja to resume feeding and retain primary school pupils.

However, parents berated any move by the present administration, labelling it the same old wine in a new bottle. They said the core challenges that affected the scheme were avoidable, if both the past and present administrations had taken into consideration possible human vices that may hamper the advancement of the programmes. Others insisted that the school’s home-grown feeding has become a conduit pipe to drain government’s purse, which now comes with different name tags.

Mrs. Theresa Etiosa, a parent, observed that issues militating against the survival of the program in the FCT are predicated on policy inadequacy. She said the idea was a laudable one but lacks clear-cut implementation.

She alleged that money meant for the programme was diverted to individual pockets: “After the removal of the former humanitarian minister, what else was heard about the mismanagement of the funds? So, we really asked what happens to the pupils we meant to believe that the country should be feeding? That is a very serious question to ask when it has to do with taxpayers’ money.”

Mrs. Joy Ezeanya, parent and teacher, shrugged off questions about school feeding: “It was obvious that it was not going to succeed the way it was going. Everything ended at the pilot stage before the COVID 19 lockdown. After that, we heard that they were visiting homes during the pandemic, which was a hoax. So, how could such a thing become successful? I think Nigeria should seek sincere leaders, not this kind of people in power.”

Mr. Jerry Gumwalk, a civil servant, argued that surging food prices were partly the reason for the suspension of the programme. This, he said, mismatched original budget appropriations, leaving cooks and vendors struggling with operational costs.

Dr. Yerima Dankwambo blamed the present administration for the indefinite suspension of the programme: “I don’t get it. Does it mean when an individual commits an offence, then the whole national programme collapses? It shows that the APC, as a party, has succeeded in giving nothing to the poor masses.

“One was the total failure of the subsidy removal and the mismanagement of palliatives. Second, the homegrown school feeding of our own children; what a shame.”

Also, he blamed administrative bottlenecks that caused delays in payments to food suppliers and weak inter-governmental tracking mechanisms:

“Can’t you see, there were high-profile federal probes into humanitarian disbursements that temporarily halted pipeline execution, but the results of the probes are yet to be heard.”

As it stands, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) seems not to have a record of implementation of the programme, as the blame hinges on the Federal Government’s suspension of the school feeding programmes.

Alhaji Kudu Dangan served as the manager and coordinator of the FCT Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. Daily Sun learnt the office ceases to exist due to the Federal Government’s suspension of the programme allegedly linked to financial misappropriation.

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