Few months after the inauguration of the Okezie Ikpeazu led administration In 2015, his amiable wife, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu launched the Abia Free School feeding programme on a pilot stage. With the federal government of Nigeria adopting it as a national programme a year later, the Governor of the State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu officially flagged it off on June 10, 2016 at Amapu Ntigha primary school, Isiala Ngwa North Local government council.
The programme which is being overseen by the State focal person on social investment programme, Mr. Chinenye Nwaogu, is designed by the federal government to feed pupils in public primary schools in basic one to three, but was however approved By the state Governor for its extension to pupils in basic four to six, including the ones in nursery classes.
With the Programme ongoing in the State before its adoption by the federal government, it wasn’t difficult for Mr. Nwaogu and his team to effectively oversee its smooth commencement, using the structures already put in place.
Since then till date, the Programme has contributed immeasurably and immensely towards the Socio Economic development and growth of the State, as about 655,000 pupils in 1,030 public primary schools in the State are currently being fed, between the five working days of the week, beside the Holidays, with 3,050 vendors engaged in cooking and serving of these pupils.
In addition, the Programme within the period under review has become a major enabler towards rapid school enrollment, which accounts for the 40% increament recorded in the enrolment of pupils into public primary schools in the State in the last six years of the life of the scheme.
Apart from saving parents the cost of providing lunch for their children especially during these periods of economic downturn, the Programme has become a vehicle to drive the standardization and balancing of meals for our children, as these pupils are served adequate meal per day, for five days in a week, with varieties ranging from Beans, jollof Rice, plantain, potato, moi-moi, yam porridge, egg, and vegetables to help boost their nutrition, whereas the cooks are recruited from the local community where the school is located for proximity.
Suffice it at this juncture to say that the programme has contributed to thousands of Job creation and a significant means of income for both the Cooks and our local Farmers.
The above truism was corroborated by two Cooks in the State, Mrs. Happiness Onuoha and Mrs. Lillian Nwoko who narrated how the programme has impacted positively in their families, by making them bread winners and bringing peace and economic stability to their homes.
On the part of the farmers who hiterto had difficulty on where to sell their farm produce, a farmer, Mrs. Joyce Jonah said the Free School feeding programme has afforded her and other farmers the opportunity to supply their products to the cooks without stress. Beside that, the Programme has afforded our local women the opportunity to be involved in bank transactions because all the payments they receive for the supply of foods to these schools are done through banks.
The benefits are in chains, with their ripple effects.
Economically speaking, the programme attracts a whooping sum of about #450 million monthly into the State economy, which is outside its multiplier effect on the life of the pupils, the cooks, the Farmers, increased enrollment in our public primary schools, and a significant respite and reduction of burden on the parents.
It is on the strength of these that the Abia State focal person on social investment programme, Mr. Chinenye Nwaogu in one of his inspections to some selected schools in the three senatorial zones of the State commended the wife of the Governor, Dr. Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu for her foresightedness which accounts for the smooth commencement and successful administration of the Programme in the State, having launched it a year earlier before it was made a national programme by the federal government, explaining further that the Abia first lady has gone a step further in the provision of packs for the packaging of the meals, including water containers, and thanked the State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu for his support and assistance which explains the numerous successes the programme has recorded in the State, adding that in line with the policy thrust of the Governor, his office will not relent in adding value to the life of Abians through the administration of all Pro-poor Programmes accrued to the State.
