August 22, 2025 – The Federal Government has announced a plan to reach 20 million children through the Homegrown School Feeding Programme by 2026, describing the initiative as both an educational investment and a national security strategy.
Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this on Friday at the National Policy Forum on the Institutionalisation and Implementation of the Renewed Hope National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, held in Abuja.
The forum was hosted by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion, in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria and other stakeholders.
Shettima, represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Office of the Vice President, Dr. Kolade Fasua, said the expansion under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is the boldest step yet in the history of the intervention.
He explained that the programme, relaunched earlier this year, is designed to improve school enrollment and learning outcomes while creating a guaranteed daily market for smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs, and local food processors.
“This year, the federal government relaunched the Renewed Hope National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, signalling a decisive return to scale and systemisation. The programme is designed to boost enrollment and attendance, improve academic performance, and raise smallholder incomes through stable local procurement,” he said.
The Vice President added that, alongside the core programme, the government has also inaugurated the Alternate Education and Renewed Hope School Feeding Project.
According to him, this expansion targets out-of-school and highly vulnerable children with the ambition of reaching up to 20 million beneficiaries by 2026.
With the integration of the National Identity Management Commission system, Shettima noted that transparency would be ensured. “Real pupils receive real meals, and every naira spent works twice, once for the child, and once for the local economy,” he said.
Acknowledging the financial implications, Shettima explained that sustaining nationwide coverage could cost as much as one trillion naira. However, he stressed that the initiative should not be seen as a drain on public finances.
“Ambition requires investment, and the federal government has acknowledged that sustaining national coverage may require around one trillion naira. But this is not a cost. It is a nation-building investment with high social, economic, and security return. This is why the school feeding must be understood not just as a social intervention but as a national security investment,” he stated.
He further argued that every hot meal served in a classroom strengthens the social fabric of the country. “Every meal acts as a barrier against recruitment into violent groups, a reinforcement of the state’s presence, and a source of hope in conflict-prone communities. A child with knowledge is less vulnerable to exploitation. A farmer linked to a market is less vulnerable to despair. Communities where youth are engaged are less vulnerable to insecurity,” Shettima said.
According to him, the programme also integrates financial inclusion strategies to strengthen economic resilience. “By bringing MSMEs, women, and vulnerable households into the financial system, we shrink the shadows in which insecurity grows. When local markets thrive, when farmers see guarantees in demand, when cooks receive fair and timely pay, and when women micro-entrepreneurs build assets, the drivers of conflict weaken,” he added.
Shettima called on development partners, private investors, and state governments to align with the federal government’s vision. He noted that the measure of success would not only be in hunger-free classrooms but also in safer and more resilient communities across the country.
In his keynote address, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Tanko Sununu, represented by the Director of Social Development, Mr. Valentine Ezulu, called for stronger legal and policy frameworks to safeguard the programme. He urged stakeholders to support the establishment of a National Home Grown School Feeding Act that would provide legal backing for the initiative.
“We must work towards enacting a National Home Grown School Feeding Act that guarantees continuity across political cycles, while clearly defining federal, state, and local roles within a cost-sharing framework,” Ezulu said.
He also recommended the development of nutrition guidelines to ensure that meals provided meet international health standards. “A National Nutrition Guideline for Home Grown School Meals, aligned with international best practices, must be developed and enforced to guarantee safe, balanced, and quality meals for every child,” he explained.