No fewer than 168,692 pupils in 1,047 primary schools in Adamawa, in addition to 2,400 vendors, are benefiting from the Federal Government’s School Feeding Programme, an official has said.
Mrs Mary Yuwadi, Adamawa state Focal Person, National Social Investment Program (NSIP) made this known on Sunday, in Yola, at the distribution ceremony of engagement letters and tablets to trained independent monitors of the programme.
Yuwadi said that the home-grown programme was designed to improve school enrollment and completion, good nutrition for children and to stimulate agricultural production.
She further said that the programme was also aimed at creating employment opportunities for the community that would have a multiplier effect on economic activities generally.
“Today, 248 monitors in the state will be issued with engagement letters and Tablet phones, to enhance their work .
“The tablets are not for taking pictures and filling up the memory space with personal and online social activities, but meant to supervise and report the activities of the program to the national headquarters.
” In addition, under the Federal Government’s NSIP, about 1,047 Primary Schools, 169,692 Pupils and 2,400 vendors ( cooks) are benefiting from the programme,” Yuwadi said,
In his address, the National Coordinator of the programme, Dr. Umar Bindir, said that the federal government had designed the programme to eradicate the poverty of 100 million Nigerians.
Bindir explained that the independent monitors unit was designed to monitor the programme, located under Federal Ministry of Humanitarian, Disaster Management and Social Development.
“The monitors are to report the activities of NSIP in their respective Local Government Areas in the state. In doing so, the National office of the NSIP is also monitoring the activities of the independent monitors and their performances.
“I, therefore, advise the monitors to abide by the rules and regulations of the applications installed on their tablets, as any careless handling would be detected” Bindir said.
Also remarking, Mr Maxwell Gidado, Chief of Staff to Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri, said that the state government would give maximum support to the successful implementation of the programme.
Gidado noted that the state government had initiated a similar program at the state level, to eradicate poverty especially among women and youths. ( NAN)
