Kunle Adelabu
-Several parents alleged deprivation, protested
Six days after the Modified Homegrown School Feeding programme kicked off in Lagos State, the Ikorodu phase of the exercise was held on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, in sixteen centres with beneficiaries commending government for the gesture.
Several centres of the exercise also witnessed protest by parents and pupils who alleged that they were not considered for the food items.
The modified school feeding programme was flagged off in Lagos State on Thursday, May 21, 2020, by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouk, Lagos State Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, and Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB).
The Minister, who was represented by Mrs. Margaret Ukegbu, Director, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDP’s, in her keynote address, stated that the modified school feeding programme was sequel to the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs should liaise with State Governments to develop strategy on the continuation of the school feeding programme.
About 6,000 parents benefitted from the Homegrown School Program in Ikorodu Local Government and five Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) in Ikorodu Division.
While the food items that were distributed arrived early at the Ayangbure, African Bethel, Holy Trinity, Anglican, Aga, Muslim Primary School centres, parents have different tales to tell in other centres at Oga Primary School, Ikorodu, Local Government Primary School, Ipakodo, and others where the food items arrived late in the afternoon.
Parents that were issued tickets for the collection of the food items were already at different centres when our reporter got to Oga/ Ayangbure/Methodist Primary Schools and Local Government rmary School premises at 7.00am.
There were also protests at Ayangbure, Holy Trinity and African Bethel Primary Schools centres and others as parents whose children were not considered for the food items vent their anger.
Most of the parents who spoke with our reporter expressed disappointment over the criteria used in picking other pupils for the collection of the food items at the expense of their children.
The situation at the African Bethel Primary School, which was used as distribution centre for three other schools, almost degenerated into serious situation as protesting parents threatened to pull down the school gate and hijacked the distribution exercise.
They claimed that the school always called on them for assistance whenever they are in need but failed to consider their wards for the food items.
It took the intervention of Dr Saheed Ibikunle, Permanent Board Member, Lagos State Basic Education Board (LSUBEB), to calm the aggrieved parents.
Meanwhile, most of the parents whose children were considered in the distribution exercise commended the government for the initiative.
Mrs Bisi Jacob, whose son attends Salvation Primary School in Ikorodu, speaking with THE IMPACT at the Ayangbure centre, commended the initiative.
“Government has done well with this food program. They have made us happy. We pray that the government will continue to progress”.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Bello, whose daughter is in Primary One at the Ayangbure Primary School in Ikorodu, stated:
“I pray to God to continue to uplift the government. I thank them for this gesture”.
In her own reaction, Mrs S.A. Bada, whose son is in Primary three in Ayangbure Primary School in Ikorodu, described the initiative as laudable and called on the government to ensure its continuity in order to reach other pupils.
“It is a laudable program for the masses. The government should ensure its continuity so that those who have not benefited could also benefit in subsequent editions. There are some parents at the gate that are not happy because their children were not considered for the food items”, she appealed.
Mrs Kafilat Olanrewaju, whose daughter is in Primary three at Methodist Primary School in Ikorodu, also speaking with THE IMPACT at the Ayangbure Primary School centre, said:
“We thank the government and we pray that God will give those in authority the capacity to steer the country aright and their government will continue to progress.
Mrs Nike Akinokun, who also has a child in Primary three at Methodist Primary School, also said that:
“We are happy for the gesture. This is a commendable effort”.
Also, Mrs Lawal, who has a child in Primary One at the Ayangbure Primary School, Ikorodu, while speaking with our reporter, said:
“We really appreciate this gesture as it will go a long way in helping us. Many parents are already lamenting because of the current situation due to the lockdown but this will make some difference”.
A woman, Mrs Oyeniran, whose child is in Primary three at the Methodist Primary School, Ikorodu, in her own reaction, said:
“This is okay. I pray that God will grant them the power to manage the country very well. I have never experienced something like this before. I was surprised when I heard about the distribution of the food items”.
Mrs Oluwatosin Rabiu, a mother of a primary four pupil at the African Bethel Primary School, Ikorodu, simply thanked the government for the food items.
Mrs Semiat Ahmed, who has a child in Primary two at the Temidire Primary School, also commended the Ffederal government for providing the food items to assist the parents.
In her own remarks, Mrs Kafayat Giwa, who lives at 62, Oriwu road, Ikorodu, and whose child attends African Bethel Primary Schoolal, Ikorodu, thanked the government for the intervention program which she said would compliment what they have at home.
Speaking with THE IMPACT, Mr Oyenuga Olaolu, the Presiding Officer of the program and the Coordinator of the distribution for four schools at the African Bethel Primary School, Ikorodu, described the process of the distribution as hectic due to parents’ behaviours.
“It has been really hectic because it is not easy to manage the parents.
“We also discovered duplications of names on the list of the beneficiaries and this took us time to sought out”.
He said that parents whose children were given the food items were happy with the initiative.
“So far, the turnout has been good and we are almost through. Parents are happy for the government’s gesture”, he said.
Dr Saheed Ibikunle, member, LSUBEB, who monitored the exercise in Ikorodu Division, said that parents appreciated the intervention of the government judging by the expression on their faces.
“We have to give kudos to the Federal Government as well as the State Government for organisng this.
“The impression so far has been that people really appreciate this gesture. You can see the turnout and the expression of gratitude and smiles on their faces for benefiting from this gesture, especially at this time of the pandemic when we have our children at home and government deemed it fit to continue the ‘one-meal-a-day’ program by providing the home ration. I think that it is a thing of joy.
“This is just a takeoff. The government is trying to see how it will workout first, because when the idea first came up and the President said that the one – meal – a – day program should continue, lots of people were skeptical about it”.
He said that about 113, 000 pupils are being targeted in different parts of the state for the program.
Dr Ibikunle commended the collaboration among the Federal Government , State and Local Government educational institutions for the success of the arrangements put in place for the program.
“You can see that right from the Federal government level, the Ministry of Disaster and Humanitarian which organized the program, liased with SUBEB at the state level and in return, SUBEB liaised with all the Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs) which also liased with their head teachers and teachers.
“We have gone round various schools and locations to verify and ascertain that those children that will be giving the rations are actually pupils in those schools and at same time, find out if they live in that community. That has been done before now”.
He said that the government would continue with the program due to its impact and the way the beneficiaries have embraced it.
“If the success is this huge, the government might decide to further the program with another batch to reach others that were not privileged to benefit in today’s program.
‘’It is supposed to be a continuous process”, he said.
