Adeyeye promises to re-introduce School Feeding Programme in Ekiti

Afenifere Chieftain and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State has promised to re-introduced the School Feeding Programme being ran by the immediate past PDP government, which was stopped by the Dr Kayode Fayemi-led All Progressives Congress (APC) if becomes the State governor next year.

He decried the stoppage of the programme, saying; "When I was the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), we were giving our pupils free eggs and cocoa drink and. But in demonstration of their hatred for Ekiti children, those in government now stopped the programme without considering its effects on our school pupils and the economy of the State."

Adeyeye, who was addressing a mammoth crowd of PDP members in Ilawe-Ekiti, headquarters of Ekiti South-West Local Government, Igede-Ekiti, headquarters of Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government and Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said apart from providing food and necessary nutrients for pupils of public schools in Ekiti, the School Feeding Programme also boosted poultry business in the State.

The Segun Oni-led PDP government in Ekiti State launched the school feeding programming on October 9, 2008, whereby eggs and chocolate were served to pupils in public primary schools and Junior Secondary Schools throughout the state.

"In India, where the government has been involved in giving free daily meal to about 50 million pupils, reports show that the school feeding programme became an incentive that attracted children to school.

"When we were running the programme, enrolment and attendance in public primary and secondary schools in Ekiti State increased through the programme while poultry business also boomed because the government mandated the egg suppliers, that were supplying over one million eggs per day to have their own poultry farms.

"We are therefore going to re-introduce the programme so that our school pupils, who are unhappy now because the programme was stopped can be happy going to school again," Adeyeye said.

Also speaking during the meeting, Patron of the PDP National Youth Vanguard and leader of the party in Igede-Ekiti, Ambassador Gbenga Olofin said it was the collective resolve of the party leaders and members in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government that the Ekiti South Senatorial District must produce the next governor of the State.

He described Adeyeye as the suitable governorship candidate for the PDP in the 2014 election.

Adding her own voice to the agitation for the Southern Senatorial District to produce the next governor, former Chairman of Ado Local Government, Mrs Tosin Aluko it will be unfair for anybody from the Central and Northern Senatorial Districts to be aspiring to get the PDP ticket at this time.

She said since the Central had produced governors twice and the North had done same, it was after the South had spent its own eight years that the governorship can return to the Central.