No fewer than one hundred and eleven (111) cooks have been sacked for allegedly engaging in fraudulent activities in the federal government’s school feeding programme in Kogi state.
The Kogi State Focal Person of National Social Investment Program (NSIP), Abdulkareem Suleiman, disclosed this in Lokoja at a public hearing held at the Kogi State House of Assembly.
The National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) was introduced during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, with the aim of improving the health, enrollment and educational outcomes of public primary school pupils.
Onyekehi, said the Kogi State government had engage 3000 cooks for the programme, adding that some cooks kept on engaging in sharp practices after receiving payment from federal government to prepare meals for the pupil.
“We recommended them for removal from the scheme and we have reported them to the appropriate authority for discipline and punishment. We found out that they received money and they will not prepare meals for our school pupils.
“Some of them are also not doing it in line with the guidelines. All these things, we have our report and we have given appropriate punishment. We have also made arrest of some people who commit fraud in the various local governments concerning other interventions from government to cushion the hardship in our Country.
“We are not taking it likely from anybody. Immediately the agency gets its report, we always swing into action and sanction whoever violates the program or defraud the people of Kogi State.”