The Governor of Abia State Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu joined his wife Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu and other Stakeholders at the opening of a two day stakeholders workshop on Home Grown School Feeding Programme. The Governor who declared the event open at the Okpara Auditorium, urged the stakeholders to fashion out strategies that will enable the programme become a success in Abia. He emphasized on the need to embrace the project as it will also improve agricultural productivity in the State.
The programme is in tandem with the ongoing Abia State free Lunch programme initiated by the Wife of the Governor. The programme among other things, is aimed at providing balanced meal daily for pupils of public primary schools across the State.
According to Mr Chinenye Nwaogu, SSA to Abia State Governor on youth development and Job creation, the programme will bring all key players on board, to fully understand their roles and responsibilities as well as prepare a technical assistance, implementation plan and operational guidelines for easy take off.
When fully implemented, the home grown school feeding programme will tackle the issue of malnutrition among children. The project is directly targeting about 200,000 children in that regard.
The programme will also enhance learning ability of children, improve agricultural productivity as well as provide employment opportunities for over 1500 women in the State, mostly in rural communities.
The scheme will also encourage overall enrolment of children back to schools . Suffice it to say, it will encourage parents to send their wards back to schools, since the burden of feeding the children with balanced meal will be shifted to the State.
The Governor has continuously championed programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of common members of the society. With the encouragement of the wife, whose kindness has been felt by many in the State, Abia will continue to set a pace in all aspects of good governance.
The event attracted the State Governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and his wife Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, the Deputy Governor Rt. Hon Ude Oko Chukwu and his wife, State Commissioners, top government officials, industrialists and others, too numerous to mention.