The Federal Government and the Lagos State Government on Tuesday launched the Adopt-a-School: Snacks for Thought, PBAT FEEDS initiative in Lagos, unveiling a new public-private partnership designed to combat classroom hunger and improve learning outcomes for primary school pupils across the state.
The programme, introduced under the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, was inaugurated at the Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area Secretariat on 30 June 2026, with simultaneous rollouts across Lagos’ three senatorial districts, 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas.
The initiative seeks to encourage corporate organisations, development partners, faith-based institutions, philanthropists and Nigerians in the diaspora to sponsor nutritious breakfast meals for pupils before classes begin, complementing the Federal Government’s existing school feeding programme.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, described the programme as a transformative investment in the nation’s future, stressing that addressing child hunger would improve educational outcomes and long-term national development.
“When hunger is addressed, poverty is reduced. Lagos State will continue to partner with the Federal Government, private organisations, NGOs and every well-meaning individual willing to support our children. Nation-building is not the responsibility of government alone,” Sanwo-Olu said through Salu-Hundeyin.
The governor noted that the programme extends beyond nutrition, with beneficiaries also receiving school bags, tablets, notebooks, snack boxes, water bottles, flasks and other educational materials to support their learning experience.
National Programme Manager of the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, Dr Aderemi Adebowale, said Lagos was chosen for the official launch because of its long-standing reputation for pioneering impactful public initiatives, although pilot activities had earlier been conducted in Kano and Abuja.
“Lagos leads and others follow. We conducted successful pre-launches in Kano and Abuja, but we chose Lagos for the official launch because of its leadership role,” Adebowale said.
“Children do not know political parties; they only know food. Our objective is to ensure that no child starts learning on an empty stomach.”
Adebowale explained that the programme would be administered through a digital dashboard that allows businesses, development partners, religious organisations and individuals to adopt schools and sponsor breakfast meals as part of their corporate social responsibility and charitable initiatives.
The breakfast scheme is expected to improve school enrolment, increase attendance, enhance concentration in classrooms and strengthen academic performance while contributing to efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
Chairman of Lagos Island East LCDA, Hon. Muibi Folawiyo, described the hosting of the launch in the council as a significant milestone and called on financial institutions, insurance companies, religious organisations and other private sector stakeholders to support schools within their host communities.
“Government cannot do it alone. This is an opportunity for the private sector and other stakeholders to invest in the future of our children. The investment we make today will determine the Nigeria we build tomorrow,” Folawiyo said.
The launch also featured the distribution of breakfast packs and educational materials to pupils, providing an immediate human touch to the programme’s rollout and reflecting its broader objective of creating a more supportive learning environment.
The initiative builds on the Federal Government’s National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, first introduced to improve child nutrition, boost school attendance and stimulate local agricultural production by sourcing food from local farmers.
Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, the government has sought to expand the programme through partnerships that strengthen its reach and long-term sustainability.
Education and nutrition experts have consistently argued that school feeding programmes play a critical role in improving cognitive development, reducing absenteeism and supporting better educational outcomes, particularly among children from low-income households.
The latest partnership reflects growing recognition that addressing classroom hunger requires sustained collaboration between government, the private sector and communities.
Mariam Balogun is a contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
