The Federal Government of Nigeria has released N375 million (about $1.2m) to feed about 700, 000 pupils, in five states as part of the implementation of its Social Investment Programmes. This was declared by Laolu Akande, the senior special assistant on media and publicity to the vice-president, in a statement in Abuja.

According to him, the government released the amount for the execution of the school feeding programme in Anambra, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ebonyi states. “The sum of about N375, 434, 870 has just been released and paid to 7,909 cooks in those states for the feeding of a total of 677, 476 primary school pupils for 10 school days,” he said.

Akande added that later this week, Zamfara and Enugu states would also be paid N188.7 million and N67.2 million, respectively, the Cable news reports.

“By then, over N631 million would have been released so far in 2017 for school feeding in seven states, paid to 11,775 cooks and meant to feed over one million primary school pupils,’’ he disclosed.

Anita Fatunji