18 students of St. James Primary School B, Osogbo, Osun State, have been reported to have been hospitalized after taking a mid-day meal served to them under the free school feeding programme of the State Government.
The Osun State Government has begun investigations into this case of food poisoning while directing that further meal preparation at the affected school be put on hold pending the outcome of the investigations.
A statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, obtained in Osogbo on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, read that the Governor of the State, Senator Ademola Adeleke took immediate actions when the matter was reported to him.
According to the statement, the victims have been treated and 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 statement narrated that, “The affected cooks in the said schools alongside the planning officer for the O-Meal programme 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. (sic)
“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 statement explained further.
“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”, it concluded.
The incident which happened on Monday, December 11, 2023, caused panic, especially among parents of the affected students, who shared videos of them on hospital beds on social media.
In one of the videos, three of the affected students were recorded receiving IV drips.
Narrating their ordeal, one of the students said they were served rice with egg, after which they started running stools.
Also in the video, the mothers of the students said they observed the foul smell of the egg their children were served when they returned home from school on Monday, December 11, 2023.
They said their children started stooling not long after returning from school, raising concerns about the food the vendor served them.
They further demanded an investigation into the incident to prevent future occurrences.
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