Corruption concerns and knocks for Nigerian govt as it tries to push branded biscuits as achievement
In line with its plans to ensure that school children in Nigeria eat good diet, the government of Nigeria has unveiled the high nutrient biscuit that was developed and proposed for inclusion in the federal government’s School Feeding Programme.
The Ministry of Science and Technology Ogbonnaya Onu, made the unveiling at the end of yesterday’s federal executive council meeting presided over by President Buhari at the Presidential Villa.
Onu said the high nutrient density products will provide at least a third of the desired major macro and micro nutrients requirement stipulated by the World Health organization’s Food and Nutrition Board.
“Additionally, the products will be produced by NASCO Foods Limited, Jos that have state-of-the-art processing equipment with vast experience in Food processing,Food Safety and quality for production and supply chain nationwide,” he said.
“The developed nutritious products have been tested using Nasco Food processing facilities in Jos and have been found to be technically and economically viable.”
Citizens worried
“Jus say you paid NASCO to brand biscuits for you. NASCO is a biscuit maker we all know. Which kind of hopeless achievement is this for heavens sake? We all saw the state of d chicken being served kids in the name of feeding them as well,” a citizen said on Nairaland.
When the development made its way to social media platforms, several Nigerians expressed concerns that the biscuit supply maybe another corruption scam that would syphon money out of government’s coffers.
On Nairaland, online commenters described the action as a wrong one that would achieve minimal result apart from providing funds to those behind it. They also said supplying biscuits wasn’t what the Buhari Campaign Organization promised.
“Later we’ll hear of how billions were used to produce these biscuits. Meanwhile Nigerians were told of one meal per child so how did biscuits come in. Later this will be added as one of the achievement of the Buhari’s government,” an online commenter said.
Another added that the government may announce that billions of naira were spent on producing the biscuits, leading to another embarrassing scam for the country. Another called the attention of the government to the fact that biscuits are already being locally manufactured hence its stress on the local production is unnecessary.
“Homemade biscuit? Is that suppose to be an achievement? We have had biscuits made in Nigeria since Okin/speedy/fishy/coconut biscuit/okin digestive/cabin/spicy etc.”