The Lagos State Government, in partnership with the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, has launched “Adopt A School for Snacks for Thought – PBAT FEEDS!”, an initiative aimed at providing daily nutritious snacks and beverages to at least 30,000 pupils in public primary schools across the state.
The pilot phase will run from June 30 to July 2, with selected pupils receiving healthy meals during school hours. A digital dashboard was also unveiled to enhance transparency, enable real-time monitoring, and allow sponsors to track the programme’s implementation.
National Programme Manager, Aderemi Adebowale, said the initiative was introduced to tackle classroom hunger, noting that poor nutrition negatively affects pupils’ concentration, attendance, memory, cognitive development, and overall academic performance. She added that the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and seeks to ensure no child is denied quality education because of hunger.
The programme adopts a school sponsorship model, allowing individuals, corporate organisations, philanthropists, faith-based groups, alumni associations, development partners, and governments to sponsor classrooms, schools, local government areas, or entire states.
Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said the initiative would also support local farmers and strengthen the state’s agricultural value chain. Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Tolani Ali-Balogun, described it as a key step towards improving learning outcomes, while Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, called on stakeholders to support the programme to ensure its long-term sustainability.
According to the Lagos State Government, the initiative will complement ongoing efforts to improve education outcomes and boost human capital development through better nutrition for primary school pupils.