Osun State Government has initiated an investigation into an alarming incident involving 18 pupils from James Primary School B, Osogbo.
The students fell ill after consuming a mid-day meal provided through the state’s free school feeding program.
The government has instructed the stoppage of further food preparation at the affected school until the investigations are concluded
A statement from the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, obtained in Osogbo on Tuesday, shows that Governor Ademola Adeleke promptly took action upon receiving the report.
According to the statement, the victims have received medical treatment and have been discharged from hospitals.
The statement read, “Osun State Government has ordered full investigations into the reported cases of food poisoning at St James primary School B, Owoope Osogbo
“The State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, directed immediate action when the matter was reported to him by the Special Adviser on O-Meal, Mrs Grace Ayodele. The Governor has subsequently directed the stoppage of further food cooking at the affected school pending the outcome of the investigations.
“The affected cooks in the said schools alongside the planning officer for the O-Meal program have also been summoned to a meeting by Tuesday morning. Additionally, the governor has directed enforcement of food standards and control as well as the auditing of the O-Meal structure to forestall future occurrences.
“Meanwhile, the government is settling the medical bills of the affected students as narrated by the Chairman of the Local Government Education Authority, Mr Nathaniel Ojetola. The LGEA Chairman who was at the forefront of the intervention efforts disclosed that a total number of 18 students were treated and discharged
“The total student population of the school is 200 while 103 are within the population receiving food from the O-Meal Programme. A government delegation is also visiting families of the affected students.”
The incident on Monday caused panic, particularly among the parents of the affected students.
They shared videos of their children in hospital beds on various social media platforms.
One of the videos, obtained by The PUNCH on Tuesday, showed three victims receiving medical drips.
Describing how they fell ill, one of the affected students mentioned they were served rice with egg, which led to them experiencing digestive issues
In the video, the mothers of the victims mentioned noticing a foul smell coming from the eggs their children received upon returning home from school on Monday.
They said their children started stooling not long after returning from school, feeling bothered about the food the vendor served them.
They insisted on investigating the situation to prevent it from happening again in the future.
Kanyi Daily recalls that following the suspension of the Rector of the Osun State Polytechnic, Dr Tajudeen Odetayo by Ademola Adeleke, the Iree chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic protested the action.
