We 'll feed 5.5m pupils, says Osinbajo

We 'll feed 5.5m pupils, says Osinbajo

The federal Government is to feed 5.5 million primary school children as part of efforts to ensure quality and accessible education to children, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said.

Speaking yesterday in Kaduna at the 28th convocation ceremony for the 64 and 65 regular courses of Army, Navy and Air Force and Short Service Course 44 of Army at the Nigerian Defense Academy, the Vice President said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has a mission to provide quality education to Nigerians to ease the burden of education on the common man.

The vice president, who was represented by the Minister of Defense, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, hailed the Commandant and staff of NDA for “discharging military and academic training and both roles are being performed creditably” to churn out “well trained officials for our armed forces in maintaining territorial integrity and national security”.

He added that the institution has done well in the area of research, teaching and community service.

“The Federal Government is aware of the significance of education. It is in this regard that we are giving priority to the development of education sector. Over N398 billion had been budgeted for education sector, which remains one of the highest so far.

“In the Federal Government’s school feeding programme, 5.5 million school children will be provided with meals in our schools to ease the burden on  our parents and to enable our children have access to quality education. It is gladdening that NDA had received National University Commission accreditation in arts and social science, engineering and science.

“I urge NDA to put together good infrastructure, curriculum and facilities required to sustain and maintain the accreditation. This convocation ceremony is slightly different from the NDA calendar as 64 and 65 regular courses will be graduated, 65 cadets have a year to go in their various services in the Navy and Air Force to complete their military training,” Osinbajo said.

The convocation ceremony saw 1,163 students graduated from the institution with 34 bagging doctorate degree, 165 students bagged academic masters, 356 students (post graduate diplomas), 608 (received professional masters), 573 cadets graduated with bachelor of science, including foreigners from Benin Republic and Togo. Three of students bagged first class.

Three eminent Nigerians: legal luminary Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), Emir of Kazaure, Alhaji Najib Hussein Adamu and former Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Ola Saad Ibrahim (rtd) were awarded honorary doctorate degrees of letter and management science.

The NDA Commandant, Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Tasiu Ibrahim hailed the Federal Government for supporting them in building a 3,000 capacity auditorium and fencing the 37 kilometers academy, a project previously put at N9.7 billion but was completed with N1 billion.

He said two regular course – 64 and 65 – were combined because the institution will henceforth run its cadet programme for four years instead of the previous five years.

“NUC visited nine undergraduate and three postgraduate programmes with cheering outcome as all NDA academic courses enjoy full accreditation. NDA has submitted applications for new courses in faculty of military science and interdisciplinary studies.”