School Feeding Programme: Gov Adeleke Living In Denial, Misleading The Public-Osun APC
Osun State APC has accused the Governor Ademola Adeleke administration of being economical with the truth in respect of its handling of the free school feeding programme in public schools in the state alleging that the state government has been feeding the unsuspecting members of the public with the opposite of what has happened with respect to the programme.
Recall that the state Commissioner for Information, Hon Kolapo Alimi had a few days ago while announcing a forthcoming high-level stakeholder conference aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the school feeding programme, disclosed that the Adeleke government spends N32 million daily on provision of free meals for pupils in public schools in the state.
The Information commissioner had said the programme organized by the state government through the Ministries of Education, Economic Planning, Budget and Development, and Federal Affairs which had as its theme ‘Sustainability of O’Meals for Improved Child Nutrition in Osun State’ is scheduled to hold on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at the NAF Conference Centre , Abuja, and it will bring together development partners and international agencies involved in school feeding programmes across Africa and beyond.
‘This significant conference aims to strengthen dialogue around the future of school feeding in sub-national contexts, with a particular focus on the unique case of Osun State.
As the only state in Nigeria to have consistently operated a structured school feeding programme since 2006, Osun’s O’Meals stands as a benchmark in the national conversation on food security, nutrition and educational development’ Hon Alimi said.
He also explained that ‘the daily ₦32 million expenditure covers over 200,000 direct beneficiaries, including pupils, food vendors, and local suppliers, making the programme both a nutritional intervention and an economic empowerment strategy’.
The state APC in a statement issued in Osogbo and made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by its spokesman, Mr Kola Olabisi however alleged that no pupil in public schools in the state has enjoyed free meals as claimed by the state government.
‘Our position on the N32 million that Governor Adeleke’s Information commissioner claimed that the state government is spending on the purported free meal for the pupils of public schools daily in the state is a manufactured story which is far from the truth as it is glaring that there is currently no pupil in public school in the state who is enjoying free meal’ the statement said .
Osun State APC also alleged that vendors of the programme have copious sorry tales to tell while calling it a ‘bungled programme’.
‘A free meal programme is supposed to be a public activity which could not be done under the table without the express knowledge of all and sundry in the state.
As things are currently, there is no school in the state where the state government is offering any free meal.
We want to appeal to Governor Adeleke to stop using lies and subterfuge to run his administration in the interest of the corporate image of the state among the comity of other states in Nigeria and beyond.
What would Adeleke administration lose to disclose to the outside world that its attempt to execute the free meal programme in public schools for about two months in the life of the 32-month-old of his government was an unmitigated disaster as the vendors of the programme have copious sorry tales to tell about the bungled programme.
For anyone to be stating that there’s a subsisting free meal programme in public schools in Osun State is tantamount to blatantly telling a barefaced lie and subsequently heaping an insult on the sensibility of the people of the State of the Virtuous.
The untrue story of the state government about the botched free school feeding programme could only be excused if only its reference is to another state called Osun elsewhere which is not to the knowledge of the right-thinking members of society and definitely not the constitutionally sub-national one.
Can’t the Governor Adeleke-led government be upright for once and imbibe the culture of decency instead of misinforming the African Union Development Agency (New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), Dangote Foundation, Family Health International (FHI360), UN World Food Programme, Nutrition International, Partnership for Child Development and Action Aid Nigeria and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the true state of the purported feeding for public school pupils?
We shall not open our eyes and allow the People’s Democratic Party PDP-driven administration in the state to misinform unsuspecting individuals and corporate bodies for reasons which could not be in the best interest of our state’ the statement added-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
