MIRIAM NNOLI 
The Federal Government on Friday announced its plan to reach at least 20 million children through the Homegrown School Feeding Programme by 2026.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, made this announcement at the National Policy Forum on the Institutionalisation and Implementation of the Renewed Hope National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, held in Abuja.
New Telegraph had earlier reported that the forum was hosted by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion, in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria and other stakeholders.
Shettima, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Dr Kolade Fasua, said the expansion under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was the boldest yet in the history of the intervention.
He explained that the programme, relaunched earlier this year, is designed to improve school enrollment and learning outcomes while creating a guaranteed daily market for smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs, and local processors.
With the integration of the National Identity Management Commission system (NIMCS), Shettima added that transparency would be assured so that “real pupils receive real meals, and every naira spent works twice—once for the child, and once for the local economy.”
READ ALSO
- FAAC Shares N2.1trn As Revenue To FG, States, LGs
- FG, UNICEF, EU Assist Abia Update Social Intervention Data On Poor, Vulnerable
- MURIC Urges FG To Elevate Sharia Courts To Federal
While acknowledging that sustaining nationwide coverage could cost as much as one trillion naira, the Vice President argued that the initiative should not be seen as a drain on public finances but as a nation-building investment.
According to him, every hot meal served in a classroom also acts as a barrier against recruitment into violent groups, a reinforcement of the state’s presence, and a source of hope in conflict-prone communities.
He urged development partners, private investors, and state governments to align with the federal government’s vision, saying the success of the scheme would be measured not just in hunger-free classrooms but also in safer, more resilient communities.
“This year, the federal government relaunched the Renewed Hope National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, signalling a decisive return to scale and systemisation. The programme is designed to boost enrollment and attendance, improve academic performance, and raise smallholder incomes through stable local procurement.
“Alongside the core programme, the government has inaugurated the Alternative Education and Renewed Hope School Feeding Project, an expansion that targets out-of-school and highly vulnerable children, with the ambition of reaching up to 20 million by 2026.
“Ambition requires investment, and the federal government has acknowledged that sustaining national coverage may require around one trillion naira.
“But this is not a cost. It is a nation-building investment with high social, economic, and security returns. This is why the school feeding must be understood not just as a social intervention but as a national security investment.
“A child with knowledge is less vulnerable to exploitation. A farmer linked to a market is less vulnerable to despair. Communities where youth are engaged are less vulnerable to insecurity
“By bringing MSMEs, women, and vulnerable households into the financial system, we shrink the shadows in which insecurity grows. When local markets thrive, when farmers see guarantees in demand, when cooks receive fair and timely pay, and when women micro-entrepreneurs build assets, the drivers of conflict weaken,” Shettima said.
