The Benue state government Wednesday said it will not condone any act inimical to the success of the new National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, noting that any cook found wanting will be shown the way out and penalised in accordance with the extant laws.
Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Aondowase Kunde, made this known in Makurdi, while declaring open training for Master Cooks of the Feeding Programme drawn from the 23 local government areas of the state.
He expressed belief that the gains of the exercise will ensure the delivery of safe and healthy meals for the over 400,000 pupils benefitting from the programme in Benue state and also ensure a healthy and safe hygienic environment for children.
He charged the Master Cooks to pay attention to the training sessions they will be receiving knowing that they will be required to cascade the training to over 6,512 of their colleagues ensuring a seamless implementation of the programme in line with standard best practices.
He said the state government was focused on strengthening the Social Investment Programme structure for maximum impact for the good of the ordinary Benue people.
He further said the governor, Hyacinth Alia, has directed that the recruitment of cooks for the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme be done locally, in council wards so that the common woman will have an opportunity to be part of the programme.
“This is a clear deviation from the past where only influential citizens cornered slots to themselves and their immediate families.
“This administration conducted a review and evaluation of the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme and as part of measures to re-organise the programme, all cooks who served between 2017 and 2023 have been disengaged,” he said.