The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the state government's claim that it spends N32 million daily on the school feeding programme.
According to the APC, the claim by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke is not truthful.
In a statement by its director of media and information, Kola Olabisi, the APC expressed concerns about the transparency of the programme's implementation. The party questioned the accuracy of the government's figures.
The Osun State government had announced plans to hold a conference in Abuja on the sustainability of the school feeding programme, titled "Sustainability of O’Meals for Improved Nutrition in Osun State."
The state Commissioner of Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, had on July 3 described the school feeding programme as a major driver of the grassroots economy, just as he disclosed the government’s plan to hold a conference in Abuja, themed: “Sustainability of O’Meals for Improved Nutrition in Osun State.”
The conference scheduled for July 8, is expected to be attended by partners, including African Union Development Agency (New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), Dangote Foundation, Family Health International (FHI360), UN World Food Programme, Nutrition International, Partnership for Child Development and Action Aid Nigeria and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Alimi had stated that “with over 200,000 direct beneficiaries, including pupils, food vendors, and local suppliers, the O’Meals programme in Osun State is not only a critical nutritional intervention but also a powerful driver of grassroots economic empowerment.”
However, while countering the state government’s claim, the APC argued that no public school pupil in the state was enjoying a free meal.
The opposition party said, “Our position on the N32 million that Governor Adeleke’s information commissioner said the state government is spending on the purported free meal for the pupils of public schools daily in the state is a manufactured story which is far from the truth as it is glaring that there is currently no public school in the state that is enjoying free meal.
“A free meal programme is supposed to be a public activity which could not be effected under the table without the express knowledge of all and sundry in the state. As things are currently, there is no school in the state where the state government is offering any free meal.
“We want to appeal to the Governor Adeleke-led administration to stop using lies and subterfuge to run his administration in the interest of the corporate image of the state among the comity of other states in Nigeria and beyond.
“What would Adeleke’s government lose to disclose to the outside world that its attempt to execute the free meal programme in the public schools for about two months in the life of the 32-month-old of his government was an unmitigated disaster as the vendors of the programme have copious sorry tales to tell about the bungled programme.
“For anyone to be stating that there’s a subsisting free meal programme in the public schools in Osun State is tantamount to blatantly telling a barefaced lie and subsequently heaping an insult on the sensibility of the people of the state, “the statement concluded.
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