Federal Govt set new date To Relaunch Troubled School Feeding Programme
Despite Past Fraud Cases, Tinubu Govt To Relaunch Troubled School Feeding Programme May 29
April 23, 2025
News
The programme’s target is to reach 10 million public primary school pupils across Nigeria.
The Nigerian Government is set to relaunch the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (RH-NHGSFP) on May 29.
The programme’s target is to reach 10 million public primary school pupils across Nigeria.
Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, made the announcement on Wednesday during a meeting with development partners, NGOs, and government officials in Abuja, News Agency of Nigeria reports.
He appealed for broad-based support to drive the initiative aimed at reducing child hunger and improving education outcomes nationwide.
“The initiative aims to benefit 10 million children and could increase school enrolment by 20 per cent and academic performance by 15 per cent by 2025,” he said.
Mr Sununu said the programme is structured to provide daily nutritious meals to pupils in Primary One to Three, using locally sourced ingredients to support both children’s health and rural economies.
“Our mission is to feed every public school pupil in Primary One to Three, nurturing their potential and building the nation’s future,” he added.
He stated that the May 29 relaunch would commemorate President Bola Tinubu’s second year in office, calling it “a major step towards fighting hunger, malnutrition, and low school enrolment across the country.”
Emphasising the need for transparency, accountability, and collaboration, the minister encouraged community ownership, parental participation, and training for food handlers.
He also highlighted the programme’s potential to empower women and smallholder farmers.
Development organisations such as the AMA Foundation and private firms including Tetra Pak pledged support during the meeting. Government officials also announced reform plans and strengthened monitoring to ensure effectiveness and sustainability.
National Programme Manager of RH-NHGSFP, Aderemi Adebowale, described the programme as a critical investment in Nigeria’s future.
“The updated RH-NHGSFP will provide daily meals to public primary pupils using food grown and sourced locally,” she said.
She revealed that N100 billion has been earmarked in the 2025 budget to scale operations and deepen local impact. Innovations include QR-coded supply chains and real-time tracking to enhance transparency and quality control.
Nutritionists, health professionals, and supervisors will monitor food quality and assess pupil health and programme outcomes,” Adebowale said.
“The focus remains on local sourcing, especially through women-led cooperatives, aiming to reduce rural poverty by 40 per cent.”
She added that all beneficiaries would be registered and tracked in partnership with the National Identity Management Commission.
Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Badamasi Lawal, represented by Binta Musa, said the relaunch marks a turning point in the fight against child hunger and inequality.
The session concluded with calls for stronger partnerships to align the programme with key Sustainable Development Goals.
Past Instances Of Corruption
Previously, the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Nigeria, aimed at providing nutritious meals to primary school students, faced significant challenges with corruption in the past. These issues undermined the programme’s effectiveness in achieving its goals of improving child nutrition, boosting school enrollment, and supporting local farmers.
A notable case occurred during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 when the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) reported discovering ₦2.67 billion meant for school feeding in federal colleges had been deposited into personal accounts. This was particularly concerning as schools were closed at the time.
In October 2022, the Nasarawa State government uncovered 349 “ghost schools” listed as beneficiaries in the feeding programme. These were non-existent schools or schools not participating in the scheme, indicating potential fraudulent claims. There have also been reports of food vendors disappearing after receiving payments without providing meals.
Allegations have frequently surfaced regarding the poor quality and insufficient portions of meals provided to students. This suggests that funds allocated for adequate and nutritious food may have been misappropriated, leading to compromised meal standards.
Delays and inconsistencies in payments to food vendors have been reported across several states. Also, there have been concerns about the transparency of procurement processes, with potential cost inflation and contract awarding under questionable circumstances.
