The Federal Government has commenced biometric data capture of 339,642 pupils in Kebbi State to scale up implementation of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq, represented by the Principal Administrative Officer, Mallam Aminu Attahiru-Zagga, stated this in Birnin Kebbi at the start of enumeration of pupils in the state.
The Minister said that, “the Ministry embarked on an enumeration exercise with a view to verify the existing data of the benefitting pupils on the program as provided by each benefiting state, update database with accurate data and ultimately scale up the program to reach more beneficiaries across the Nation”.
“We intend to maintain an accurate database that will serve us better in our planning , and improve the transparency of the program”.
“This is part of the FMHADMSD mandate of striving to ensure that every Nigerian in need receives the support they need through our social protection mechanisms. So as you can see the NSIPs are designed for people who need that additional support and boost to ensure that they can participate fully in our collective nation building efforts”.
She call on parents, school headmasters, cooks , traditional and community leaders to support government efforts in this exercise for the benefit of the pupils who are eligiblie for these free meals.
The Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) in the state, Mr Joseph Yaro-Machika, said the agency was saddled with responsibility of distributing registration forms to public schools.
Yaro-Machika said that personnel of the agency, with support of local councils’ officials were distributing the forms in some areas with security challenges.
He also said the personnel would handle the biometric registration alongside the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members engaged for the exercise.
“We will not leave any school un-captured in all the 21 local government areas of the state.
“The corps members will handle the registration exercise of 13 local government areas, while personnel of the agency would conduct the exercise in the remaining eight local government areas that have security challenge issues,’’ he said.