The Federal Government has revealed it has spent $100 million in feeding 10 million school children under the National School Feeding Programme.
According to the government, the move was part of efforts to eliminate the scourge of child labour in the country.
The revelation was made on Friday by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, while receiving the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leornard and officials of the Department of State, in Abuja.
In a statement issued by the Head of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Olajide Oshundun, Ngige explained that the government introduced the school feeding programme to lure children engaged in child labour, back to school.
According to the statement, the Federal Government also introduced social protection programmes to fight poverty, a major contributory factor to the prevalence of child labour in Nigeria.
Ngige said;
“We have introduced the national school feeding programme under our social security, to lure children back to school.
“As of today, we are feeding 10 million children across the country. We have spent nearly $100 million on this.
“We have also taken more schools into the areas prone to child labour and made education free in the whole country through the Universal Basic Education and the Child Rights Acts.
“For the people with disability, we introduced Disability Peoples Commission, to give them full and comprehensive aid.
“This is so that they will not feel that they have any disability. If you don’t support someone with a disability, it is outright poverty.”
The minister also commended the US Government over its recent technical assistance of the Department of Labour to West Africa.
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