Abia State government has started free lunch for pupils of all primary schools in the state. The programme would help “meet the basic nutritional needs of children and expand the opportunity to reach their full potential and significantly enhance the academic performance of the children,” the government said.
Under the scheme, a total number of 136, 258 pupils, who will be fed, will consume 408, 774 fresh eggs, 51, 09, 670 grammes of ofada rice and 68, 120, 000 grammes of beans, weekly.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu flagged off the first phase of the programme at Ntigha primary school in Isiala Ngwa North council at the weekend. The governor said the initiative was borne out of a genuine desire to invest in children who are the future leaders. He said that he understood what it meant to go to school on an empty stomach as well as the pains some parents are going through to feed their children.
According to him, under the programme, every pupil in Abia was sure of least one hot meal a day. Ikpeazu regretted that tons of food ends up in the dust bin on daily basis, being remnants of the well-to-do, while some children go hungry due to lack of food. He pledged that his government will to sustain the programme.
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