Primary school pupils across Lagos are getting a new reason to show up hungry no longer: the Adopt a School: Snacks for Thought PBAT Feeds initiative, launched jointly by the federal government, the Lagos State government and fifty seven local government and council development areas, aims to put a nutritious breakfast in front of every pupil before class begins.
Introduced under the Renewed Hope National Home Grown School Feeding Programme and formally launched at the Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area secretariat, the initiative reached all three of the state’s senatorial districts, twenty local governments and thirty seven council development areas at once. Pupils at the launch received more than just food, breakfast packs, school bags, tablets, snack boxes, water bottles, flasks and notebooks were all part of the rollout.
National Programme Manager of the Renewed Hope feeding scheme, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, explained why Lagos got the official launch after quieter pre launch activities in Kano and Abuja: its leadership role in the country. Children, she said, do not know political parties, only food, and no child should start learning on an empty stomach. The programme runs on a digital dashboard that lets individuals, diaspora Nigerians, corporations and faith based groups adopt specific schools and sponsor meals as a form of corporate social responsibility, and Adebowale was clear that it complements rather than replaces the existing national feeding programme, government continues its regular scheme while this initiative mobilizes private and community support specifically for breakfast.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by Secretary to the State Government Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, called the programme an investment in the state’s future, arguing that addressing hunger helps reduce poverty and that nation building requires cooperation between government and the private sector. He said Lagos remains open to further partnerships under the state’s THEMES Plus agenda. Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area Chairman Muibi Folawiyo, who hosted the launch, said the initiative would encourage punctuality and better attendance, and appealed to banks, insurers and religious organizations to adopt schools in their own communities, arguing government cannot do this work alone. Pupils at the event, for their part, were simply excited.
