faults ‘fabricated misinformation‘
The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of grossly misleading the public about his administration’s free school feeding programme.
It described his government’s recent claim that it spends ₦32 million daily on feeding pupils in public schools across the state as “deceitful and fictitious”.
The criticism was triggered by an announcement by the Information commissioner, Mr. Kolapo Alimi, that a high-level stakeholders’ conference was billed for Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja.
Themed “Sustainability of O’Meals for Improved Child Nutrition in Osun State,” the event is being convened to supposedly strengthen dialogue and secure the future of the school feeding programme in the state.
According to Alimi, Osun State remains the only state in Nigeria that has consistently operated a structured school feeding programme since 2006.
He noted that the current programme under Governor Adeleke is not only a nutrition-focused intervention but also a platform for economic empowerment, claiming it benefits over 200,000 people daily—including pupils, food vendors, and suppliers.
But the APC dismissed these assertions, calling them a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and cover up what it described as the failure of the Adeleke administration to continue or effectively manage the school feeding legacy initiated by previous administrations.
In a statement signed by the Osun APC Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the party categorically stated that there is currently no functioning school feeding programme in any public school in Osun State.
The party challenged the government to provide verifiable evidence of any school in the state where free meals are being served to pupils, warning that misrepresenting facts to the public and international development agencies would damage the state’s integrity.
It said, “Governor Adeleke’s administration is simply being economical with the truth. The claim of spending ₦32 million daily on school feeding is not only a falsehood but an insult to the sensibilities of Osun citizens.
“The reality is that there is no public school in Osun today where any structured or sustainable school feeding programme is ongoing. A genuine school feeding programme is a public initiative that cannot be hidden.
“It would be visible, traceable, and widely known across the state. What the people are seeing today is the exact opposite.”
The party further stated that even the short-lived attempt by the Adeleke government to resuscitate the school feeding programme shortly after assuming office ended in failure.
According to the APC, vendors who participated in the earlier phase of the programme allegedly pulled out due to poor funding, unfulfilled promises, and systemic disorganization.
Olabisi said, “For the government to claim that the programme is currently running and gulping ₦32 million daily is pure fabrication.
“Rather than confront its own incompetence and correct its failings, the Adeleke government has chosen to promote lies and stage-manage conferences aimed at deceiving local and international development partners.”
The APC also expressed concern over the decision to host the so-called sustainability conference in Abuja rather than in Osun, describing it as a strategy to escape scrutiny and evade accountability.
The party questioned the rationale behind inviting prestigious agencies like the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the Dangote Foundation, UN World Food Programme, Nutrition International, and others, when the feeding programme that is supposed to be showcased has long ceased to exist in practical terms.
The statement reads further: “It is unacceptable for a state government to misinform critical stakeholders such as FHI360, ActionAid Nigeria, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and other international development agencies about a non-existent programme.
“If there’s anything to show, let the administration take those partners to a few schools in Osun and let them see for themselves. That would be the real litmus test.”
The party called on Governor Adeleke to embrace transparency and come clean about the actual state of the programme. It also urged the media and civil society organizations to investigate the true condition of public primary schools in Osun and the status of any ongoing feeding initiative.
“Honesty should be the bedrock of governance. The people of Osun deserve to know the truth. The false narrative being pushed by the government is nothing but a political gimmick aimed at scoring cheap points on a failed policy,” the APC concluded.
The Osun APC reaffirmed its commitment to holding the Adeleke-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government accountable, insisting that propaganda and deceit should not be allowed to define the administration’s legacy.
