Humanitarian Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq,
BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto –
Impressed by the outcome of the Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) across various states, the Federal Government has resolved to enroll additional primary school pupils between class 1 to 3.
The Minster of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq, who made the disclosure in Sokoto, said the Federal Government have inaugurated stakeholders’ engagement for scaling up of the programme in Sokoto.
The Minister who was represented by the Deputy Director in the ministry, Alhaji Sambo Balarabe-Gusau, divulged that they had engaged members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as enumerators towards ensuring seemless conduct of the enrollment exercise across the federation.
While noting that, the ministry would ascertain the actual number of beneficiaries from the enumerated data, the minister, further, assured that the programme would enhance the nutritional values of children.
She also hinted that the engagement of stakeholders and Corps members as enumerators with officials of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) undertaking the enlightenment, sensitization and distribution of forms as the most innovative way to manage the National Social Investment Programme (N-SIP) especially the NHGSFP.
”Technical teams were deployed in all the states of the federation, which is part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to obtain the right data and enroll more pupils.
“We have resolved that having the biometric data of all the beneficiaries of this programme would create an avenue for better programme planning and implementation.
“It will create room for enlisting more beneficiaries for transparency and accountability in line with set regulations,
“It will further ensure judicious and accurate use of resources with available data collected and allocated to the ministry.
“Our partners whom we have engaged are required to identify and capture the biometrics of each child on the programme,” She said.
Reacting to the development, Alhaji Musa Abubakar-Gurkau, the Sokoto State Programme Officer of NHGSFP, said the intervention has helped in boosting school enrollment in Sokoto State.