No fewer than 30,000 primary and secondary school pupils across selected schools in Lagos State are expected to benefit daily from a free meal programme under the "Adopt a School Snacks for Thought" initiative.
The programme is sponsored by the Federal Government, Lagos State Government and the state's 57 local government and local council development areas.
The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme Manager, Dr. Aderemi Adebowale, disclosed this on Wednesday during an inter-ministerial news conference on the "Adopt a School Snacks for Thought" (PBAT FEEDS) initiative held at Alausa, Ikeja.
Present at the event were the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya; Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun; and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, among other government officials.
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Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is expected to inaugurate the programme on June 30 in Lagos, which has been designated as the flagship state for the initiative.
Speaking on the programme, Adebowale said hunger remains a major barrier to learning and academic performance among school children.
"Research has consistently shown that hunger negatively impacts concentration, memory, cognitive development, school attendance, classroom participation and overall academic performance. A hungry child struggles to learn, and a child who struggles to learn is less likely to reach his or her full potential," she said.
According to her, the initiative was conceived as an innovative public-private-community partnership designed to provide school children with nutritious morning snacks and beverages before the commencement of academic activities.
She explained that the programme aligns with the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) and broader human capital development goals.
"The initiative complements existing efforts by ensuring that children receive nutritional support that enhances learning outcomes while creating opportunities for community participation and corporate social responsibility," she said.
Adebowale added that individuals, corporate organisations, philanthropists, faith-based groups, alumni associations, community organisations, development partners and governments can participate through the PBAT FEEDS dashboard.
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She said the vision of the programme is to build a Nigeria where no child is denied quality education because of hunger, while its mission is to mobilise stakeholders to collectively support the nutritional needs of school children through a transparent, accountable and scalable adoption model.
According to her, adequate nutrition is essential for children's cognitive development and academic success.
"When children receive healthy snacks before learning, concentration improves, memory retention increases, classroom participation rises, attendance improves, learning outcomes become stronger, emotional and behavioural regulation improves, and long-term educational achievement is enhanced," she said.
She stressed that nutrition should not be viewed merely as a welfare intervention but as a strategic investment in human capital development and national productivity.
