The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, has commenced a three-day school feeding initiative targeting 90,000 primary school pupils across Lagos State, providing nutritious breakfast meals aimed at improving school attendance, enhancing classroom concentration and boosting academic performance.
The initiative, tagged Adopt-a-School: Snacks for Thought – PBAT FEEDS, is being implemented under the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in partnership with the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.
Designed as a public-private partnership, the programme also seeks the support of corporate organisations, development partners, faith-based institutions, philanthropists and Nigerians in the diaspora to sustain and expand the intervention.
The programme was officially flagged off on Tuesday at the Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Secretariat on Lagos Island, with simultaneous launches held across centres in the state’s three senatorial districts.
It is also designed to complement the Federal Government’s existing National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme by providing pupils with nutritious breakfast snacks before the start of classes, ensuring they are better prepared for learning.
As part of the exercise, beneficiaries received breakfast packs alongside educational materials, including school bags, tablets, notebooks, snack boxes, water bottles and flasks to support their learning.
Speaking at the launch, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the initiative as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future, stressing that well-nourished children are more likely to perform better academically and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said the state remains committed to initiatives that promote the welfare of children and expand access to quality education.
According to him, addressing hunger among schoolchildren is key to reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development, noting that government alone cannot achieve these goals.
“Lagos State will continue to partner with the Federal Government, private organisations, NGOs and every well-meaning individual willing to support our children. Nation-building is not the responsibility of government alone. We are doing our best, but we welcome every genuine partnership that will improve the lives of our children,” he said.
He added that beyond feeding, the programme also provides learning tools that support pupils’ academic development.
“This programme is not just about providing food. The children are also receiving school bags, tablets, snack boxes, water bottles, flasks, notebooks and other learning materials. Our doors remain open to organisations and individuals who want to contribute to child development under Governor Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES Plus Agenda,” he said.
Also speaking, the National Programme Manager of the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, said Lagos was selected for the official launch due to its leadership role and strong track record in implementing impactful public programmes, despite earlier pre-launch activities held in Kano and Abuja.
She explained that the initiative was designed to address classroom hunger by ensuring pupils receive nutritious breakfast meals before lessons begin, thereby improving concentration, participation and academic performance.
“Lagos leads and others follow. We conducted successful pre-launches in Kano and Abuja, but we chose Lagos for the official launch because of its leadership role. Children do not know political parties; they only know food. Our objective is to ensure that no child starts learning on an empty stomach,” she said.
Adebowale added that the programme would be managed through a digital dashboard that enables corporate organisations, development partners, faith-based groups, philanthropists and Nigerians in the diaspora to adopt schools and sponsor breakfast meals under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
She noted that the Adopt-a-School initiative is not intended to replace the Federal Government’s National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme but to strengthen it through additional private sector and community support.
“The Federal Government will continue with the regular school feeding programme, while this initiative mobilises the private sector and communities to provide breakfast before classes begin. We will never give children food that we cannot eat ourselves. The goal is to ensure children come to school early, stay in school, perform better academically and ultimately become future leaders,” she said.
The Chairman of Lagos Island East LCDA, Muibi Folawiyo, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for selecting the council to host the official launch, describing the initiative as a timely intervention that would improve pupils’ wellbeing and educational outcomes.
He said the programme would encourage punctuality, boost school attendance and create a more conducive learning environment for pupils.
Folawiyo also called on banks, insurance companies, religious organisations and other private sector stakeholders to adopt schools within their communities, stressing that government alone cannot shoulder the responsibility of quality education and child welfare.
“Government cannot do it alone. This is an opportunity for the private sector and other stakeholders to invest in the future of our children. The investment we make today will determine the Nigeria we build tomorrow,” he said.