Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has said that the ongoing free school feeding programme in the state has reverse the drift in public schools enrollment.
Dr Ikpeazu said that the programme initiated in 2016 has saw reduction in the number of pupils in private schools while that of public schools have increased from 150000 to 600000 pupils.
Speaking at a special reception held in his honour by Abia Primary School Cooks Association, Dr Ikpeazu said his administration was committed to sustaining the programme and expressed satisfaction of positive results achieved within the last two years in which over 5,300 persons have been empowered.
The governor while appreciating the efforts of his wife, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu in the school feeding programme, applauded the dedication of the programme manager and the cooks for their devotion to duty and thanked them for giving him a vehicle for his 2019 election campaign.
In her speech, the wife of the governor, Mrs Nkechi Okezie Ikpeazu said that the school feeding programme has been one of the major programmes of the present administration assuring of its continuity and called on Abians to support the Okezie Ikpeazu led administration’s second term bid.
The Chairman on the occasion, Mr. Raymond Aliga and the Programme Manager, Abia State Primary Schools Launch Programme, Elder Emeka Ahuruonye in their speeches, appreciated the governor for initiating the programme of feeding the entire primary one to six pupils in the state public schools.
They called for the sustenance of support for the governor so as to make the programme last beyond 2019.
Earlier in her speech, the President, Abia state Primary School Cooks Association, Mrs. Edith Okoro thanked the governor for using the programme to create employment for the people of the State.
According to Mrs Okoro, the programme which started with 750 cooks now has 5,365 cooks adding that the meals are prepared for 600,000 d pupils, their teachers and non teaching staff and assured the governor
that they are solidly behind him.
