The National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), Dr Umar Bindir, has revealed that the federal government spends a monthly fee of about N12 billion on the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programmes (NHGSFP) under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (MHADMSD).
Dr Bindir made the disclosure on Monday, April 11, at a two-day stakeholders consultative workshop on the development of a national policy for NHGSFP in Abuja.
He explained that the feeding of school children was very expensive as over 10 million children are currently being fed at the rate of N100 meal per child as approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the number of children being fed is expected to increase to 12 million in the coming weeks.
Bindir maintained that it was necessary to sustain the feeding programme in order to help attract children to school, ensure the children are healthy, and for the children of the poor and vulnerable to attend school for a longer period of time.
