Criticisms still trail the two-year-old Osun State school feeding programme, FEMI MAKINDE reports
Two years after the Osun State Government under the superintendence of Rauf Aregbesola inaugurated the school feeding programme, controversy still seems to be the second name of the scheme.
While the protagonists of the initiative hail the exercise, which became operational on April 30 2012, as a worthy venture; those on the other side of the divide say it is a conduit for reckless spending of public funds.
For instance, the Peoples Democratic Party in the state says that a substantial part of the money for the programme goes into the hands of a few government surrogates. The party’s Chairman, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa said, the Aregbesola-led administration has created holes in the purse of the state in the name of school feeding.
He notes, “The governor ensures that a meager amount of money is made available to provide the meals for the pupils, while the government spends so much for the policy. In truth, a chunk of the money goes into individual pockets.”
Olaoluwa, who argues that the initiative did not even start with the Aregbesola administration, notes that the PDP under the leadership of former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola mooted the concept in the state.
The policy then, he insists, was devoid of politics. At present, the surrogates of Aregbesola, Olaoluwa says, have hijacked the project and turned it into a jamboree.
He adds, “Most of the time, when the governor goes to any public function, you will see these food vendors dancing and singing Aregbesola’s praises. They are members of the All Progressives Congress and how do you expect the administration to sanction any of them who is not serving the pupils the expected quality and quantity of food?”
Olaoluwa is not alone in finding fault with the initiative. The PDP’s governorship candidate in the forthcoming poll in the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, says the present arrangement has made it possible for some persons to enrich themselves via the initiative.
Like Olaoluwa, Omisore, speaking through his media aide, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, also declares that the government of Oyinlola initiated the move in the state.
Omisore notes, “Providing free meals for students is good, but in the case of Osun State under Ogbeni Aregbesola, we know that the governor is using the policy to enrich himself and part of the fund being mopped up illegally from this is expected to be used in the forthcoming poll in the state.
“By the grace of God, this fraud will soon stop and we shall move the seat of government from under the bridge in Lagos to Osogbo where it should be. This must end.
“If you look at the fraud perpetrated with the so called opon imo, you will be shocked. The same thing is going on in the school projects but we won’t allow it to continue like that.”
But the protagonists of the initiative say the Aregbesola’s administration has received applause from many quarters because of the exercise.
According to them, the free feeding programme has impacted positively on the lives of pupils in the state-owned elementary schools.
For instance, the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, who doubles as the commissioner for education, notes that the programme, which gulps about N3.6bn annually, has helped to lift basic education in the state to greater heights.
The exercise, she adds, has also helped to boost employment in the state.
Laoye-Tomori says, “Basic education should not be handled with levity, considering the pivotal role it plays in the life of every individual. It is the first level of exposure available to children outside their parental homes.
“The view to catch them young can only become a reality if primary education gets its rightful place.The Federal Government should, through Universal Basic Education Commission, assist states by increasing fund for the meal from N98m available to states for it.
“The meals cost government of the State of Osun N3.6bn annually. O-Meal has taken public primary school enrolment in the state from 155,318 in May 2012 to over 380,000 pupils this 2014.”
Besides, she notes that the initiative has rubbed off on the farmers and those in supply business in the state.
But even as the APC and the PDP leaders disagree over the success or otherwise of the initiative, a retired Headmistress of the AUD Elementary School, Sabo Eleran, Osogbo, Alhaja Oluremi Adeyemi, says the O-meal exercise is having a positive impact on the academic performance of the pupils.
According to her, most pupils now have less worry about hunger, especially during school hours because they are sure of eating a meal at break time. This free meal, she adds, has increased the number of children in the elementary school, which, according to her, is a good method of increasing enrolment figure in the state.
She, nonetheless, frowns on the approach adopted by the food vendors, especially in preparing the meals. In her thinking, the present arrangement where the meals are prepared in the vendors’ homes gives room for concern about hygiene.
She adds that preparing the meals in schools will allow teachers and government officials to monitor the quality and ensure the right dosage.
She further says that close monitoring will prevent untoward happenings and ensure safety of the pupils.
She notes, “The meals were prepared at each school when the administration of Prince Oyinlola was doing it. I think the current administration could borrow this idea to better this programme.”
For the state Nigerian Union of Teachers Chairman, Mr. Saka Adesiyan, the initiative is worth applauding.
He says, “This is a laudable idea and it is well thought out. Although the school feeding started during the Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration, the scope has broadened since the coming to office of Aregbesola.
“Those who are comfortable do not know the importance of the O’ meal but to those children whose parents could not afford to give them N20.00 to buy food, it is the best government policy.
“However, as laudable as the project is, it must be strictly supervised because some of the vendors have started cutting back on the quality and quantity of the food they are expected to serve. It must be strictly supervised, otherwise, those vendors would sabotage the good idea because of greed.”
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com