Member representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency, Hon. Farah Dagogo has lashed at the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Social Development and Disaster Management over the Federal Government’s school feeding programme.
He said the exercise at a precarious time of COVID-19 lockdown was not only a misplaced priority, but it is one of those scams that has reduced the country to where it is.
Reacting to the exercise that was due to begin in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun on Thursday, the lawmaker was appalled that there was such a misplacement of priority by the government that claims to fight corruption and they want Nigerians to believe them.
“How could such programme be successful when the targetted school children are at home”, noting that certain persons have entrenched their selfish agenda.
In a statement which was signed by his media Aide, Ibrahim Lawal and made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Dagogo assured that if the Federal government goes ahead with the “National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, NHGSFP, Covid-19, there would be financial sleaze at the end.
“Schools are already shutdown and pupils in the homes of their parents and guardians, it smacks of a desperate ploy not only to further rip us off our commonwealth, but also turn the programme to an epicenter of sleaze.
“This is an unpopular move at this time of COVID – 19 lockdown. They rather channel the billions already earmarked for the School feeding jamboree into the country’s health sector.
“Having gauged the pulse of my constituents and those of others from other constituencies, I want to strongly urge the Federal Government to have a re-think on the matter of continuing with the Home Grown School Feeding Program now.
According to him, a situation like this has always been an opportunity for corrupt elements to embezzle funds insisting that the outbreak of the virus has exposed the country’s health sector.
He called on government to invest hugely in the nation’s health sector in order to change the narrative.
“The Federal Government will on Thursday, formally flag off the School feeding scheme running into billions of naira despite closure of schools in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has not only succeeded in exposing the decay and rot in our health sector, it has also shown that lies and deceit cannot last forever.
“How do you justify spending billions of naira on a bogus school feeding programme when schools are in lockdown? How does it even sound? Is this not part of the corruption we claim we are fighting?
“According to Abraham Lincoln ; you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. That’s exactly what is playing out.
“The program could be re-introduced and re-invigorated after the fight against COVID-19 pandemic has been won and things normalized.
“We are in a critical time that requires equally critical execution of policies. If this Government wants the support and respect of Nigerians, it should desist forthwith from policies which could be termed ‘ Scam’.
“Nigerians are intelligent and see through all these subterfuges that aim to further rip us off our commonwealth. ” he added.
