The federal government has proposed to spend N100bn on the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Daily Trust reports.

Analysis of the 2025 budget showed the programme is under the Service Wide Vote (SVW) and domiciled in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

It would be recalled that the feeding programme was suspended on January 12, after the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NSIPA Halima Shehu, was suspended over alleged financial malfeasance.

However, the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, had in August disclosed plans to relaunch the programme.

Christmas message by Governor Uba Sani
Delays, overcrowding mar free train ride
Edun, who assured that the government would provide sufficient resources to support and sustain educational programmes nationwide, reaffirmed the government’s dedication to enhancing education through a series of initiatives to grant access to quality education.

Edun said, “Feeding children at school would not only improve their health and wellbeing but also incentivise them to remain in school, thereby reducing the number of out-of-school children.”

ad
…To settle MDAs electricity debt with N15bn

The total expenditure for the SWV was increased to N6.7tr from the 4.4tr it received in 2024 among which is the settlement of MDAs electricity bills with N15bn.

Daily Trust reports that the Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EKEDC) had claimed that ministries, departments, and agencies including the military owe it N42bn.

ad
This amount is different from that of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) that earlier in the year threatened to disconnect electricity in the Presidential Villa and 86 federal government’s ministries departments and agencies over N47.1bn outstanding debts as of December 2023.

The SWV also had a N2.3bn provision for entitlements of former presidents/heads of state and vice presidents/chiefs of general staff.

While there is another allocation of N1bn for severance benefits to retired heads of government agencies and parastatals.

Similarly, there is an allocation of N5bn for International sporting competitions and N41.2bn for contribution to international organisations.

Daily Trust

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has Dangote Refinery over the recent slashed in the fuel price, describing it as a timely economic relief for Nigerians.

Speaking with journalists , the Chairman, NLC Lagos Council, Comrade Funmi Sessi said Dangote Refinery has come at the right time.

She expressed optimism that the reduction would ease transportation costs, lower the prices of goods and services, and provide financial relief to citizens struggling with the high cost of living.

“This adjustment promises to offer much-needed relief for millions of Nigerians who have been grappling with high fuel prices and the rising cost of living.

“If not for Dangote refinery,  we believe that government will still be importing fuel.

“But now, Dangote is producing about 650,000 litres of  barrel per day, while both Port Harcourt refinery and the other refurbished one are producing about 210,000 litres of barrels per day. Which is not even up to half of what Dangote is producing.

“With this, Dangote has brought a healthy rivalry to the sector and we have started seeing reduction in the petroleum prices and even Dangote have started taking Petroleum to countries such as Ghana, Togo and other countries. What this means is that it will bring stability on our own currency. In this instance , we want to give it to Dangote. We also appreciate its timely intervention.

“Don’t also forget that the National Assembly is trying to bring out a bill that Nigerians should start domesticating our own currency. It so disheartening that our currency is no more strong, even in the West Africa region.

“So, government should encourage Dangote and more players coming in because this will allow healthy rivalry.

“We welcome this relief, which will help many Nigerians struggling due to the high cost of living, and we urge other stakeholders to emulate the Dangote Group’s example for the benefit of all Nigerians,” Sessi said.

On the proposed 2025 budget ,Comrade Sessi said if the government can be strict in it’s implementation, there is hope for the revival of the economy.

” With the budget , we can see that there is hope for Nigeria. Most especially if government can be strict in it’s implementations, there will will improvement in the security , food production and other areas,” She said.

The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Second Chance Programme in Kano State has successfully enrolled 5,000 out-of-school girls back into the educational system. This was announced by Dr. Auwal Halilu, Technical Assistant for the AGILE Second Chance Programme, during a one-day training session for enumerators on the enrollment and validation of out-of-school girls held at the Centre for Reading, Bayero University, Kano.

Dr. Halilu explained that the training session served as a refresher for enumerators who have been instrumental in identifying out-of-school girls aged 15 to 25. “We have done a lot of work in November and early December, during which we identified 5,000 young girls. Some of the girls are above fifteen and they are all enrolled in young adult learning classes,” Dr. Halilu stated.

Cross section of enumerators during the session

He emphasized the importance of the refresher training, noting that it aligns with the objectives and ideals of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to see education prosper in Kano State. “We felt that our enumerators need to refresh their memory by 2025 in line with the objective and ideals of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to see that education prospers in Kano State. In AGILE Second Chance, we see the need to set a target, and by 2025, we aim to have young girls aged 15 to 25 returned to school,” he added.

The training focused on introducing enumerators to modern techniques, respecting clients, and cultural sensitivity. Dr. Halilu expressed the ambitious goal of returning ten thousand out-of-school girls to school each quarter, aiming to have at least 40,000 girls back in school by the end of 2025.

Hajiya Jamila Ibrahim addressing news men

Hajiya Jamila Ibrahim, another key figure in the programme, highlighted the importance of the refresher training for the enumerators. “We want our enumerators to put in more effort. We want to encourage them and show them the government’s interest in what they are doing and motivate them,” she said.

The enumerators shared their experiences and the impact of the training. Enumerator Ahmad Sani Saye expressed his satisfaction, stating, “We are very glad and the training has refreshed our minds.” Hadiza Ibrahim, who works at a private and voluntary institution board, emphasized the significance of the programme, saying, “Second Chance is a great opportunity to support the girl child. We are ready and understand what is supposed to be done.”

The AGILE Second Chance Programme aims to provide educational opportunities for out-of-school girls, enhancing their chances of a brighter future and contributing to the overall development of the region.