By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Benue State Government has distributed cooking utensils worth over N400million to cooks recruited for the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, NHGSFP, in the state.

The Government also facilitated and funded trainings for the Cooks on Personal Health and Hygiene as well as COVID-19 Protocols, to ensure proficient delivery of the programme.

Governor Samuel Ortom made this known Tuesday when the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, handed over to him feeding utensils for beneficiaries of the NHGSFP, at the LGEA Primary School Wurukum, Makurdi.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Prof. Anthony Ijohor, the Governor said “decision by the Federal Government to distribute the feeding utensils complements the support of the Benue State Government which had earlier distributed cooking utensils worth over N400million to cooks recruited for the programme in Benue State.”

He commended the Ministry’s initiative to distribute the feeding utensils assuring of his government’s support for the National Social Investments Programme, NSIP, in the state “to ensure that a greater number of our people are lifted out of poverty.”

Earlier the Minister who was represented by the Director of Administration in the Ministry, Mr. Ladan Haruna disclosed that over nine million pupils who were being fed by 100,000 cooks had been enrolled into the NHGSFP saying plans were on to enroll more five million pupils into the programme.

The Minister said, “the NHGSFP is one of the 4 key interventions of the Federal Government, under the NSIP which seeks to boost school enrollment, nutrition, local economic activities across thousands of communities across the nation.”

The State Focal Person, National Social Investments Programme, Dr. Terris Damsa who commended the Ministry for the initiative also lauded the Benue state government for the huge support it was extending to the programme in the state.

One of the cooks, Mama Dina Anoukyaa who called for the recruitment of more cooks and payment of outstanding entitlements also called for upward review of payment to cook given the increasing prices of food items in the markets.

Head Teacher of the school, Mr. Bartholomew Atsar who commended the state and federal governments for the initiative appealed for the inclusion of the nursery section of the school in the programme.