Farmers question Osinbajo’s statistics on school feeding

A few days ago, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo released huge statistics regarding the Federal Government’s school feeding programme that sent tongues wagging, particularly stakeholders, and farmers’ groups. While delivery a lecture at the 50th convocation ceremony of the University of Lagos, Professor Osinbajo said the Federal Government buys 594 cows, 138,000 chickens, 6.8 million eggs and […]

A few days ago, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo released huge statistics regarding the Federal Government’s school feeding programme that sent tongues wagging, particularly stakeholders, and farmers’ groups.

While delivery a lecture at the 50th convocation ceremony of the University of Lagos, Professor Osinbajo said the Federal Government buys 594 cows, 138,000 chickens, 6.8 million eggs and 83 metric tonnes of fish every week to feed pupils under the school feeding programme.

He said the Federal Government spends  $0.19 (about N68) on each of the 9.3 million pupils in 49,837 public primary schools in 26 states of the federation with over 100,000 farmers supplying the food prepared by the 95,422 cooks.

This translates to an average of 2, 376 cows every month and 28, 512 cows every year. For the chickens, FG buys about 552,000 monthly and 6 million yearly. About 27 million eggs collected monthly amounts to roughly 326 million per annum, while for fish, 332 metric tonnes are sourced monthly, culminating to 3,984 metric tonnes annually.

With this huge figures that translates into billions of naira, farmers’ associations are wondering about the identity of the farmers FG is patronizing and how most of the respective associations under which these farmers operate are not been carried along to ensure equitable distribution of market that will benefit all.

Ezekiel Ibrahim is the President of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, which is the most organized industry in the livestock sector. In an interview with Daily Trust Saturday, he said PAN cannot verify the figure of birds and eggs the Vice President claimed because the association is not involved in the supply.

“This thing was also done to encourage farming activities. But you will find people who have no business with poultry trying to hijack the process.”

Mr. Ibrahim said the process needs to be more transparent for verification and they will be happy if government involves farmer groups who could easily trace every supplier and the quantum of supply.

“But if the government decides to deal with contractors, they are at risk of being given very wrong data, which might not reflect the actual spending.

Similarly, the Amalgamated Union of Food Stuffs and Cattle Dealers Association, which is a union of all cattle traders, said the huge numbers of cows given by the Vice President were not bought from them.

Alhaji Aminu Garba, the National Treasurer of the union, stressed that if the programme was not using the organized association, it will end up buying rustled cattle that are cheaper, adding that it will continue to fuel the menace.

“Where is the government buying these cows from?” He argued that involving the association makes data collection easier than dealing with individuals who could fundamentally falsify statistics to the government.

However, the National President of Catfish and Allied Fish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CAFFAN) Mr. Rotimi Oloye, said some of their state chapters members supply the fish used.

The fish farmer, who is based in Ibadan, said he was initially involved when the programme was initiated in 2016. He held meetings with a representative from the office of the Vice President on the modality to be used for the school feeding programme, the cost and other things but was later sidelined.

“I spoke with the three chairmen in the southwest that are supposed to be in the know. The Ogun State chairman confirmed that they do a regular purchase of about six tonnes every week from our farmers in the state and they process it in their plant in Ijebu Ode because there is a standard EU plant in the area.

“Through him, I can also confirm that the Ekiti State government sent a delegation to them in Ijebu Ode for training on the processing of fish to be used for the school feeding programme in the state,” he told Daily Trust Saturday.

An Abuja-based fish farmer and processor, Hassan Mundu, who is also an official of the association, told Daily Trust Saturday that market remains a huge challenge, adding that such programmes will not only boost the market but empower more farmers if handled in a coordinated manner to benefit large, medium and small-scale farmers across the country.

“My worry is that what they might be feeding the children may not be commensurate with these huge figures and it’s very likely some people handling the process are involved in financial infraction. The government needs to critically examine this programme to ensure transparency, otherwise it will end up like the fuel subsidy saga where millions went into private coffers,” the source said.