The Home grown schools feeding program introduced by the APC administration under the National Social Investment program, which include other components of Npower, GEEP,CCT,Trader Moni, etc was applauded by many including the United Nations, which described it as one of the best social security program in recent times.
Bauchi state is one of the benefiting states. It is also one of the pioneer states that is enjoying almost all the components of the social investment program; many thanks to Hon Mansur Manu Soro, the pioneer SA and state focal person of the program. But for weeks since the schools’ resumption (second term) the program is not forthcoming, something that left many questions unanswered.
You may recall that the program provided opportunity for income generation to the food vendors (women) and self reliance. It also serves as a source for income generation to the market men and women who serve as protein suppliers, something that boost the economic activities in the country. It is also believed that, the program, in some places, especially in the rural areas, brought back many deserted pupils back to the classrooms.
According to an unofficial report, many states received their January and February allocations, but unfortunately here in Bauchi, we are in third week of February and in week seven of the second term of thirteen weeks and still counting without the program, with no concrete explanations from the NSIP office here in Bauchi or from the newly introduced federal ministry of humanitarian affairs that is handling the program since it’s removal from the office of the vice president professor Yemi Osinbajo last year.
Not only the home grown schools feeding, have other components of the program still faced their own version of the problems. As I write these few lines, the Npower beneficiaries Nationwide do not received their January stipends, something that have become norm in the components for more than a year.
Last year, the beneficiaries received their October, November and December stipends on the 10th 11th and 31st of December 2019. While millions of Nigerians are waiting for the official opening of the Npower website to apply for the next batches, other problems are the exit package of the 2016 beneficiaries and device selection and distribution of the 2017 beneficiaries have become the topics of debates among Nigerians.
I hope these programs (all the NSIP Components) do not fall victims of negligence from the part of the executive or sabotage from the legislative arm and or corrupt tendencies from the civil servants.
I am using this opportunity to advice the newly appointed Special adviser and the state focal person Bauchi state, Hajiya Amina Mohammed Katagum to use her decades of administrative expertise and wealth of experience to correct these anomalies so that the state will benefit from the program in its entirety.
Isyaka Laminu Badamasi writes from Bauchi.
