The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has called on the state government to stop toying with the lives of pupils and students of public primary and secondary schools.
This is coming following the alleged food poisoning of some pupils of Saint James Primary School B, Owoope, Osogbo, on Monday.
The incident led to 18 pupils of the school being treated in hospitals on Monday.
Commenting on the incident, Osun APC chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, warned Governor Ademola Adeleke to stop the substandard food being served to the pupils by the vendors under the school feeding programme.
Lawal, in a statement, stated that the incident was a cumulative effect of the lackadaisical approach of the man at the helm of affairs in the state.
“The humanity in me became uncomfortable when one of the mothers of the victims gave an account of the state of his child that immediately his son came back from school, he started smelling an offensive odour of rotten eggs.
“Is it true that only miserable N64 was budgeted for each pupil per meal? Is it true the government of Adeleke pays N10,000 per month to each O’Meal vendor?
“If these allegations are true, then Governor Adeleke must have a clear conversation with his creator.
“How would the food vendors be dedicated when they are paid peanuts and are not supplied with the right food supplies, at a time he himself budgeted billions for his own food and refreshments?
“The children affected are the future leaders of this country. If Governor Adeleke had been fed with rotten eggs when he was a schoolboy as it happened to the innocent school children, would he have secured the opportunity to become the controversial governor that he is today?
“All the stakeholders should rise up to condemn the laissez-faire approach to governance by Governor Adeleke which has partly manifested with the suspected poisoning of the 18 school pupils with his ill-thought-out and substandard free school feeding programme.”
However, the Osun State Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, told journalists that over 100 pupils were served the food.
He wondered why only about 11 of them living within the same compound were the only ones affected.
He explained that after completing their examination, the pupils were told of the plan by the government to have them examined at a public hospital but their parents refused the offer.
“Over a hundred pupils ate the food. But about 11 out of them, who are living in the same compound were those that were said to be affected.
“On getting to the school on Tuesday, we met the affected pupils writing examination. After their exam, we told them that we were moving them to a hospital for further checks, but their parents refused the offer.
“We recorded that scene. When I was told what the parents of the affected pupils said, I mandated the officer in charge of the school to release the pupils to government officials and they were taken to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. After they were examined, the doctors told us that nothing was wrong with them.
“One of the pupils has malnutrition. After she was examined, we were told that the only food that particular pupil eat daily is the one the government serves them in school. The girl is malnourished.
“We told the hospital to admit and treat her for malnutrition. We however warned the hospital to ensure that they keep an eye on her so that the opposition party won’t kidnap her and blame it on the government.
“We interviewed some of the parents and they said one Boda Wasiu asked them to say all they said on camera yesterday (Monday). They said nothing affected their children.
“We don’t want the person who gave us that hint to be tagged. But we will want the said Wasiu to be apprehended and answer questions regarding what they claimed he did.
“We will not want to mention the source so that they will not attack her. Wasiu is a card-carrying member of APC. They just want to tarnish the name of this administration.”
The Special Adviser to the state governor on O-Meals, Ayodele Oluwaseyi also denied allegations of food positioning.
Ayodele, in a statement obtained by newsmen, alleged that the incident was a case of political mischief.
According to her, “a fresh test was carried out by the state government on the allegedly poisoned pupils, the negative results confirmed that there was no food poisoning.
“In view of this, the pupils who were allegedly said to have been poisoned have since returned to school to continue their examinations.
“The reported food poisoning should not be associated with the mid day meal given to the pupils by the O’Meals food vendors. It was discovered to be politically initiated by some miscreants who intended to score cheap political goals.”
Oluwaseyi added that women recruited into the O’Meal programme as food vendors were certified cooks who prepared their meals under the most hygienic environment.
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