‘Don’t expect money from me to feed students,’ Governor tells Buhari

Fayose added that the programme is a fulfilment of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) campaign promises hence the FG should sponsor it fully.

Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose has said that he has no intention of contributing to the Federal Government’s School Feeding Programme.

Fayose added that the programme is a fulfilment of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) campaign promises hence the FG should sponsor it fully.

He made the comments via a statement released by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka on Sunday, June 12, 2016.

The statement reads:

The Federal Government is already looking for excuse for the impending failure of the programme by asking States to contribute 40 per cent to the scheme. 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 fulfill the promise? That to me is fraud!

Apart from the fact that Ekiti State lacks the financial wherewithal to provide counterpart fund for such a programme, it is the duty of President Muhammadu Buhari and his APC that won election on the basis of their promise to give free meal to school pupils to fulfill the promise without placing any burden on other tiers of government.

Nigerians should come to term 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.

As for us in Ekiti, we are interested in the programme because Nigeria belongs to all of us. But we won’t contribute any counterpart fund because the programme is solely an electoral promise of the APC and we were never consulted before the promise was made.

We don’t even have the capability to make any financial contribution even if it is 10 per cent because our financial condition is such that we can’t even pay workers salary.