Rights group challenges Buhari’s Minister, Sadiya Farouq to public debate on school feeding programme

In his inaugural speech for his second term in office in May, 2019, President Buhari stated that the principal thrust of his new Administration is to consolidate on the achievements of the previous four years, correct the lapses inevitable in all human endeavours and tackle the new challenges the country is faced with and chart a bold plan for transforming Nigeria. Little wonder, then, that the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development was established in August 2019 by an Executive pronouncement by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria; His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) at the inauguration of Ministers for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The group said if the Buhari-led government gave the impression of running a ‘government with a human face then it should rise to the enormous task of having a proper and coordinated response to the humanitarian crises and providing relief.

“Given the current global crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent report that in Nigeria, five in 10 children under-five are malnourished (stunted, wasted or overweight); while three in 10 children aged six to 23 months live on poor diets; the SOCIAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMME of the Federal Government under the coordination of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management has left more to be desired of it. This fact was admitted when the minister reportedly met a joint meeting organized by the National Assembly in which both the Senate President Ahmed Lawan and the Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila expressed disappointment that the implementation of the SOCIAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMME has not met the targeted objectives and the minister accepted that she inherited some of the challenges bordering on questions of transparency and accountability. “