“We need to slaughter 594 cows every week for the pupils and 83 metric tonnes of fish is consumed weekly in just 26 states and more states are coming on board," Maryam Uwais, Special Adviser to the President on the National Social Welfare Programme, said.
Maryam Uwais, Special Adviser to the President on the National Social Welfare Programme, has said the Federal Government feeds pupils with six million eggs, 594 cows on a weekly basis on the Home Grown School Feeding Programme.
She also noted that the programme has captured nine million children in 26 states.
According to NAN, Uwais disclosed this in Abuja on Monday, when she received a delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on a study tour of Nigeria to learn from the social intervention programmes in the country.
She said: "Presently, each child eats at least an egg in a day, adding up to 6.8million eggs being consumed weekly by children under the programme in just 26 states. So, the poultry farmers are now doing so much to provide eggs for the schools because every meal is a balanced diet and every child must have at least one egg.
“We need to slaughter 594 cows every week for the pupils and 83 metric tonnes of fish is consumed weekly in just 26 states and more states are coming on board.
“Farmers are growing and requesting for rice meals now because they are saying I was growing 20 bags but because of the programme, I now provide more so I need a rice meal.’’
Uwais said farmers were now requesting government support on mechanised farming.
Adesanmi Abimbola, Programme Manager; National Home Grown School Feeding Programme said 95,000 cooks had been employed so far, adding that mechanism had been put in place for the maintenance of quality standard.
John Mugabushaka, Chief of Staff, Ministry of Social Affairs, DRC and head of the delegation said they were sent by the DRC government on an experience sharing tour.
“We have been sent by our Ministry of Social Affairs through the DRC government with the purpose of learning how Nigeria runs its social programme," he said.