When the federal government introduced the Home Grown Feeding Programme, Akwa Ibom state was one of the states that did not embrace the programme immediately. MARTIN PAUL writes that eventually, the programme is near failure in view of political interests.
The controversies
Although the federal government said the Home Grown Feeding Programme was viable in 19 states of the federation, Akwa Ibom state entrant into the programme is generating more controversies that expected returns.
Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, had said in Abuja during the launch of Global Nutrition Report that unlike other programmes of government, the school feeding had demonstrated its seriousness about catering for the needs of the most vulnerable population eager to go to school.
“One of the primary manifestations of this commitment to the vulnerable is our Social Investment Programme, comprising a School Feeding Programme for public primary schools, a Micro-credit scheme for small business people, a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, and Jobs programme for unemployed graduates.
“The School Feeding Programme, which directly seeks to improve the nutrition of primary school children, is now active in 19 States of the country, providing one meal a day to 5 million. Our target is 5.5 million children before the end of the year.”
The scheme provides a meal a day for pupils in public primary schools to boost enrolment, but the programme has ran into quagmire in Akwa Ibom state, despite its late embrace.
The coming of Akwa Ibom
The state was added to the scheme late last year along with Cross River and Niger, which invariably raised the number of beneficiary children by one million.
Anambra, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Delta, Abia, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba and Kaduna states were the first to embrace the federal government Social Investment Programme (SIP).
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said the programme is the federal government crucial part of its Social Investment Programme (SIP) aimed at tackling poverty, hunger and creating jobs.
Statistics at our disposal show that Akwa Ibom has 171,732 children in 1,101 federal schools, but this record is better demonstrated in papers than physical as the state claims that a total of 1,309 cooks are engaged in for the school feeding programme.
Although this could contentious, the demonstration by the food vendors engaged to feed the pupils, speak volume of the situation in the state.
Scandal
In a petition to the federal government, the vendors alleged that they were short-changed in the amount approved for the feeding of children in different schools in the state.
The women, on the platform of Akwa Ibom Food Vendor Coalition (AIFC), alleged that they were paid between N170,000 and N200,000 when the scheme commenced in the state in October last year.
Barely two months, “their money was slashed to between N29,000 and N30,000”.
The petition, addressed to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, was also copied the chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Akwa Ibom state, for probe.
They pointed accusing fingers to the management of a bank in Uyo and the Akwa Ibom State Social Investment Focal person, Mr. Ita Okon, of conniving to short-change them.
President of Akwa Ibom Food Vendor Coalition (AIFC), Madam Ekaete Ukeng, and secretary, Mrs. Abasiama Isidore, who signed the petition, called on the federal government to intervene to save the programme from being threatened in the state.
The petition stats in parts: “We write to bring to your attention the current criminally huge withdrawal from funds paid by the federal government into our various individual accounts at the bank in Uyo and its allied branches in Akwa Ibom state.
“The funds running into about N200,000 or more per vendor were recently lodged into the bank to facilitate our operations and services in the Home Grown School Feeding Programme at the various schools and communities across Akwa Ibom state for the month of March.
“We are surprised that some members got alerts for N29,000 and N30,000, depending on the number of pupils allocated to them.
“Most frustrating is the fact that a cabal has hijacked the purchase of food items for the vendors without our involvement, thereby forcing us to feed the pupils with substandard food.
“However, to the dismay of the traumatised food vendors in the state, the Akwa Ibom bank management in Uyo and some senior officials of the Social Investment Programme office went into an unholy and dubious connivance to illegally withdraw huge sums from our accounts without our knowledge.”
Reaction
But Okon in reaction, described the Food Vendors as criminals saying: “They are all criminals who do not know what they are saying or alleging, because neither me nor the state government has access to such funds as the money is paid directly into individual member’s account by the federal government.”
State of the State
Further revelations are that despite the cries and hues, many local government areas are yet to be visited for the school feeding programme.
Some of those local government areas are located in riverine and hard to reach places in places like Ibeno, Itu, Ibiono, Ekpat Akwa, among others.
In Ibiono Ibom, St. Patrick Primary School, Mbiakpan Atan, has never experience the presence of school feeding despite the fact that it is accessible to town.
Head teacher of the school, who identified himself as Uyime Obong, (not real name), said he has tried everything possible to bring school feeding team to the school, but to no avail.
“Here in Akwa Ibom, many things are politicised. It appears if one is not working in popular places, he or she cannot benefit from federal presence. This school, if I may say, is not among the big schools, but more than four villages are training their children here.
“I know that my school is not the only one, if the record is put straight, we have more than 1,101 federal schools and the number of beneficiaries is less than the 171,732 claim”.
He said he would not relent in pursuing the programme for the school, stating that the state government had assured that every school would be captured in the next phase.
Also, Itu local government area, with its peculiar terrain and topography, is lacking the presence of school feeding for its children and Chief Etim Udoudo, said that has affected the area immensely.
“We have tried our best, when they wanted food vendors, our women and young ladies, who are not doing anything applied, but as I am talking to you, they are yet to be engaged for the job.
Chief Udoudo argued that as a result, enrolment in primary schools have been fluctuating as poor parents would want their wards to go to either farms or hawking of wares.
He appealed to the state government to make good use of the federal government gesture, admitting that primary schools development was the responsibility of local and state government.
“If the federal government has waded into enrolment of pupils in schools, it proper that local government and states should compliment that efforts”, he added.
We further learnt, although unsubstantiated, that political party influence has contributed to the scanty implementation of the programme in the state.
