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FG targets 20m pupils in school feeding programme by 2026

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1 year ago

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The Federal Government has set a target of reaching 20 million children through the Homegrown School Feeding Programme by 2026, describing it as both an educational investment and a national security strategy.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, announced this on Friday at the National Policy Forum on the Institutionalisation and Implementation of the Renewed Hope National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, held in Abuja.

The forum was hosted by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion, in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria and other stakeholders.

Represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Office of the Vice President, Dr. Kolade Fasua, Shettima said the expansion under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, was the boldest yet in the history of the intervention.

He explained that the programme, relaunched earlier this year, is designed to improve school enrollment and learning outcomes while creating a guaranteed daily market for smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs, and local processors.

“This year, the federal government relaunched the Renewed Hope National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, signalling a decisive return to scale and systemisation. The programme is designed to boost enrollment and attendance, improve academic performance, and raise smallholder incomes through stable local procurement.

“Alongside the core programme, the government has inaugurated the Alternate Education and Renewed Hope School Feeding Project, an expansion that targets out-of-school and highly vulnerable children, with the ambition of reaching up to 20 million by 2026”, he said.

With the integration of the National Identity Management Commission system, Shettima added, transparency would be assured so that “real pupils receive real meals, and every naira spent works twice—once for the child, and once for the local economy.”

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While acknowledging that sustaining nationwide coverage could cost as much as one trillion naira, the Vice President argued that the initiative should not be seen as a drain on public finances but as a nation-building investment.

“Ambition requires investment, and the federal government has acknowledged that sustaining national coverage may require around one trillion naira.

“But this is not a cost. It is a nation-building investment with high social, economic, and security return. This is why the school feeding must be understood not just as a social intervention but as a national security investment”, he stressed.

According to him, every hot meal served in a classroom also acts as a barrier against recruitment into violent groups, a reinforcement of the state’s presence, and a source of hope in conflict-prone communities.

“A child with knowledge is less vulnerable to exploitation. A farmer linked to a market is less vulnerable to despair. Communities where youth are engaged are less vulnerable to insecurity

“By bringing MSMEs, women, and vulnerable households into the financial system, we shrink the shadows in which insecurity grows. When local markets thrive, when farmers see guarantees in demand, when cooks receive fair and timely pay, and when women micro-entrepreneurs build assets, the drivers of conflict weaken,” Shettima said.

He urged development partners, private investors, and state governments to align with the federal government’s vision, saying the success of the scheme would be measured not just in hunger-free classrooms but also in safer, more resilient communities.

In his keynote address, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Tanko Sununu, represented by Director, Social Development, Mr. Valebtine Ezulu, called for a National Home Grown School Feeding Act that will provide legal backing for the programme.

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He further recommended the development of a nutrition guideline, in line with global best practices, to ensure safe and healthy feeding for the children.

“We must work towards enacting a National Home Grown School Feeding Act that guarantees continuity across political cycles, while clearly defining federal, state, and local roles within a cost-sharing framework.

“A National Nutrition Guideline for Home Grown School Meals, aligned with international best practices, must be developed and enforced to guarantee safe, balanced, and quality meals for every child”, Ezulu said.

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Education

How Nigerians can apply for 2027/2028 UK commonwealth scholarship – FG

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5 days ago

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September 15, 2026

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The Federal Ministry of Education has invited qualified Nigerian university graduates to apply for the 2027/2028 Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowship Plan, with applications closing on October 20, 2026.

The scholarship notice was shared by the Lagos State Scholarship Board.

The scholarships, which are tenable in the United Kingdom, are available for a one-year taught Master’s programme or doctoral studies of up to three years.

The notice was issued by the ministry’s Department of Scholarship Awards, formerly known as the Federal Scholarship Board, and signed by the Director Overseeing the Office of PSE, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, for the Minister of Education.

According to the notice, applicants for the Master’s category must have a first degree with at least a Second Class Upper Division.

For doctoral studies, applicants are required to possess a relevant Master’s degree in addition to at least a Second Class Lower Division in their first degree.

Applicants for both categories must have secured admission into at least two UK institutions.

Doctoral applicants are also required to provide a supporting statement from a prospective supervisor at their chosen UK institution.

The ministry further listed evidence of participation in the National Youth Service Corps among the eligibility requirements.

The notice stated that the selection process would focus on three key areas.

“Applications will be assessed on Academic merit, Development impact on completion and Quality of Study plan,” it said.

How to apply

The notice said all applications must be submitted through the Electronic Application System.

Applicants are required to register on the EAS portal and complete the application form online.

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They must also upload scanned copies of their passport photographs, university academic transcripts, birth certificates and admission letters received from a UK institution listed in the application form.

Completed applications must be submitted online on or before October 20, 2026.

After submitting the application, candidates are required to create a PDF version of the completed form, download and print one hard copy for submission at the interview venue.

The notice said foreign certificates must be accompanied by official translation and evaluation.

It also advised applicants to consider Nigeria’s developmental priority areas relevant to their fields of specialisation when preparing their study proposals.

The priority areas include education; health; economic growth and the private sector; governance and conflict; climate and environment; water and sanitation; engineering; science and technology; food and nutrition; and humanitarian disasters and emergencies.

The ministry also advised prospective applicants to ensure that their proposed studies align with Nigeria’s development needs.

Prospective applicants were advised to consult the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website for further information on the scholarship and selection criteria.

Further enquiries may be directed to the Director, Department of Scholarship Awards, through fsb@education.gov.ng, 09124516750 or 09082454557.

Application portal: https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships-results/?wpv_view_count=13930&wpv-cscukscholarshipcountry=nigeria&wpv_filter_submit=search

 

Source: punchng.com

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Education

NELFUND: ‘A Child Should Be Able To Graduate Without Being Buried In Debt’ – Atiku Fires Tinubu’s Aide

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7 days ago

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September 13, 2026

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has slammed the Special Assistant on Social Media to President Bola Tinubu, Olusegun Dada, over a remark that he hates NELFUND and wants it cancelled.

It was reports that Dada, in a post via 𝕏, said Atiku does not believe that the child of a nobody should have access to education.

He wrote: “Mr @atiku hates NELFUND and wants to cancel it because he does not believe the children of the poor should have access to education.”

Responding to Dada, Atiku, in a statement through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, via 𝕏 assured that he is not opposed to the education of poor children.

Atiku said he only opposes turning education into a debt trap after the government first allowed fees to skyrocket.

The former Vice President said he wants poor children to graduate without being buried in debt.

The post read, “@DOlusegun, this is simply dishonest. Atiku does not oppose education for poor children. He opposes turning education into a debt trap after the government first allowed fees to skyrocket.

“Imagine a widow selling food by the roadside to send her daughter to university. The government raises the fees beyond what she can afford, then tells the daughter to borrow the money and begin adult life in debt.

“That is not compassion. Atiku’s position is clear: make education affordable again, restore scholarships and grants, and ensure that a child’s future does not begin with a loan burden.

“The child of nobody should not only enter school, that child should be able to graduate without being buried in debt.”

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Education

ASUU threatens nationwide strike over unpaid salaries, agreement

Published

1 week ago

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September 11, 2026

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities has threatened to resume its suspended nationwide strike if the federal government and state governments fail to urgently address outstanding issues affecting university lecturers.

ASUU said it could reactivate the strike “without any further notice” over the incomplete implementation of the December 2025 agreement, payment of the remaining 3.5 months of withheld salaries and non-remittance of billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ salaries.

The union’s position was contained in a statement sent to our correspondent in the early hours of Friday by its President, Christopher Piwuna, after an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council held at the University of Abuja.

ASUU said the December 2025 agreement followed more than eight years of negotiations and struggles but had not been fully implemented by the Federal Government and several state governments.

“Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to FULLY and COMPREHENSIVELY address issues bordering the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics, ASUU-NEC will not accept any blame for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible,” the union warned.

It commended Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and the governments of Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina and Borno for commencing implementation of the agreement.

The union said Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe and Bayelsa had also pledged to commence implementation in September or October, while warning other states to act before their universities were plunged into an “industrial crisis of monumental proportions.”

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On withheld salaries, ASUU acknowledged that the Tinubu administration had paid four of the 7.5 months withheld during the Buhari administration but demanded the immediate release of the outstanding 3.5 months.

“We have consistently acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for paying four (4) out of the withheld salaries. However, leaving out the unpaid balance does not give his government the full credit of a labour-friendly administration,” it said.

ASUU also alleged that pension contributions, cooperative deductions and union check-off dues running into billions of naira had remained unremitted for several months.

The union warned that the combination of unpaid salaries, unremitted deductions and poor implementation of the agreement was threatening industrial peace in the universities.

“In no mistaken terms, ASUU posits that the non- or haphazard implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement by federal and state governments is a recipe for industrial crisis in Nigeria’s public universities,” it stated.

It urged the Federal Government and state governments to act quickly, insisting that it would not accept responsibility if the suspended strike was reactivated.

“ASUU-NEC resolved to notify all concerned that the Union may activate its suspended strike action without any further notice if the critical issues raised in this release are not speedily addressed,” the union said.

Source: punchng.com

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