By Ibrahim Umar
Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti governor, says asking states to make 40 per cent counterpart funding to school feeding programme is alibi President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, are making for their failure.
Fayose reportedly said his state would not contribute to the scheme, which was one of the APC campaign promises during the last presidential election.
“The Federal Government is already looking for excuses for the impending failure of the programme by asking states to contribute 40 per cent to the scheme,” Fayose said in a statement.
He said the school feeding programme was purely a contract between the APC-led Federal Government and Nigerians.
“Were the states consulted before the APC made the promise during the presidential campaign?
“How can you make a promise and win election on the basis of that promise and now expect states to help you to fulfil the promise? That to me is fraud,” Fayose said.
The governor said the APC fa iled to do proper study on the practicability of the scheme before promising Nigerians.
“Apart from the fact that Ekiti State lacked the financial wherewithal to provide counterpart fund for such a programme, it is the duty of President Muhammed Buhari and his APC that won election on the basis of their promise to give free meal to school pupils to fulfil the promise without placing any burden on other tiers of government.
“Nigerians should come to terms with the reality that the Federal Government is already looking for a ready alibi for the impending failure of the school feeding programme.
“The Federal Government knows that 80 per cent of the states lack the financial will to be able to contribute the 40 per cent counterpart fund for the programme and the time the programme eventually fails, Nigerians will be told that it failed because states did not key in to it,” Fayose added.
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