3rd June, 2020
The Lagos State Government on Wednesday disclosed that it fed 11,965 pupils in primary schools across the state in the last one year.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Princess Aderemi Adebowale disclosed this at a ministerial press briefing in commemoration of the first year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration in office.
She stated that the pupils, drawn from creche and primary four to six were fed under the ‘Snacks for Thought’ pilot scheme of the government.
Adebowale said that the scheme was meant to complement the Home Grown School Feeding Programme of the Federal Government which covered only pupils in primary one to three.
According to her, this was to ensure that all pupils in Lagos State partook in the school feeding programme.
“It is instructive to state that the pilot scheme was held in Lagos Island Local Government Area where 33 public primary schools, with a total of 11,965 pupils participated in the one week pilot school feeding exercise,” she said.
Adebowale stressed that the importance of the initiative could not be over-emphasied as the nutritious snacks and juice were to energise pupils for memory retention of lessons learnt, improve school attendance and academic performance and also serve as an incentive for higher enrollment and retention of pupils in public schools.
Also, the special adviser said her office would continue to work hard to ensure peaceful co-existence among the people of Lagos State through meaningful engagement and amicable resolution of issues that could lead to breakdown of law and order in the state.
“While no efforts would be spared at creating understanding and support for the various programmes and policies of the state government, particularly the THEMES agenda, our efforts at promoting civic responsibility of the citizenry will not be relented as it is central to attainment of a greater Lagos.”
Adebolwa further said as part of the social inclusion programme, her office introduced and organised a financial assistance programme with a business component, tagged: ‘Eko Cares’, with the theme – “Go Forward Grow Lagos”.
According to her, the programme, which was aimed at empowering the vulnerable ones in the State, involved provision of financial assistance, up to N20, 000 per beneficiary, to be disbursed partly in cash and partly in the form of micro-investment.
She said “In the first phase of the programme, some Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies were on hand to provide instant investment in micro-distributive trade by supplying their goods to the 2000 beneficiaries. The essence of this is to have a populace that can feed themselves, contribute to the development of the state and promote a stable and secured society.”