Buhari Set To Give Primary School Pupils Free Meals

The vice-president of Nigeria, Professor
Yemi Osinbajo, revealed on Tuesday,
September 1, that the Buhari
administration will soon start giving out
free meals to school children, fulfilling
one of the campaign promises.
The vice president said that the free meals scheme was a core
project of the federal government that would in turn yield about
1.14 million jobs and an increase in food production, The Punch
reports.
Osinbajo said this at the 45th Annual Accountants Conference
in Abuja. He further said the government would be investing
more in the people, in education and job creation. The vice-
president spoke on the topic “Repositioning Nigeria for
Sustainable Development: From Rhetoric to Performance”.
Osinbajo said that the introduction of the school meals scheme
would help to create 1.14 million new jobs; increase food
production by up to 530,000 metric tonnes per annum, as well
as attract fresh investments up to N980bn.
Osinbajo also said there are plans to give empower extremely
poor households financially. He said there is Conditional Cash
Transfer (CCT) for 25 million “extremely” poor households.
He however said in order to benefit from the CCT, there are
two conditions. He said beneficiaries must be vulnerable and
fulfill their civic responsibilities. They must participate in polio
vaccination, school enrolment and support other government
programmes.
“One of the most important interventions
required in the education sector is capacity
building to improve teacher quality. This
programme is intended to drive teachers’
capacity development; boost basic
education; attract talents to the teaching
profession. Better educated population
increases economic potential for
productivity. The All Progressives Congress
has made a commitment to provide one-
meal-a-day for all primary school students;
that would create jobs in agriculture,
including poultry, catering and delivery
services.”
“So, why are most (of our people) poor
despite rising revenues and GDP growth?
Our main revenue earners, the extractive oil
and gas economy, do not by themselves
create many jobs. Such is the irony of a
top-down economic model; when the major
revenue earner is extractive and the value
chain is poorly developed,” he said.
Osinbajo also raised the need to have an improved power sector.
He said: “despite the challenges, there have
been measurable improvements over the
past three months (June to August 2015).”
He also made it known that there are plans for the
administration to fight piracy, and to diversify the economy in
the agriculture sector to achieve self-sufficiency in rice and
wheat (staples) production; and in the areas of manufacturing;
entertainment and technology.
Meanwhile, Muhammadu Buhari has announced his government’s
commitment to taking all required action to stop perpetual
strikes by workers in vital spheres of the Nigerian economy.