Following the consumption of a midday meal supplied by the state’s free school feeding programme, around eighteen students from James Primary School B in Osogbo, Osun State, were hospitalised, News About Nigeria reports.
This prompted the Osun State Government to launch an investigation into the matter.
In response, the government has also mandated that food preparation at the impacted school cease immediately until the investigations have concluded.
Governor Ademola Adeleke gave the command as soon as he learned of the event.
In a statement by the state commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, it was revealed that the victims have already been treated and discharged from hospitals.
“The affected cooks in the said schools, along with 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,” the statement read.
In addition, the government is paying the medical expenses of the impacted pupils; of the 200 kids enrolled in the school, 103 are fed through the O-Meal Programme, and 18 of them were treated and released.
The event happened on Monday, and videos of the affected students in hospital beds went viral on social media.
The victims of the incident said that they were offered rice with eggs and then had gastrointestinal problems.
Mothers of the victims reported a foul smell from the eggs when their children returned home, linking the symptoms to the food served by the vendor.
