TheCable

Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, says the federal government has spent $100 million on feeding 10 million pupils under the national school feeding programme.

According to NAN, Olajide Oshundun, head of press and public relations in the ministry, said this in a statement on Friday.

Ngige, while receiving Mary Leornard, US ambassador to Nigeria, said the school feeding programme was part of the government efforts to tackle child labour and return children to school.

He said the social protection programmes launched by the federal government were aimed at curbing poverty.

“We have introduced the national school feeding programme under our social security, to lure children back to school,” he said.

“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 disability, it is outright poverty.

“Nigeria and Liberia are listed there and the fund is $5 million, estimated to be spent on the project. We think that it is a step in the right direction.

“Just last week, we got information of another $4 million for anti-child labour activities in Nigeria.

“Ondo state was chosen as the pilot state for the fight against child labour in the area of cocoa farming. We think this is a good step in the right direction.

“Because over the years, from the time we visited for African Growth and Opportunities (AGOA) conference under the department of labour and trade in Washington in 2017, we had made it clear that the US government has to take practical steps for us to follow.”

The minister expressed concern over the use of underage children by vulnerable families to hawk on the streets, work on cocoa farms, mining sites, and other petty trades.

“We can’t be mouthing child labour and we leave it unattended to when we know that most of those engaged in it are those trying to make up for family needs,” he said.

“This is because the family income is not enough, owing to underemployment or unemployment.”

He also called on the US government to assist Nigeria in the fight against child labour by supporting with capacity building and logistics.