Alleged food poisoning: Pupils not poisoned under O’Meal programme says Osun govt
Osun State Government has said that pupils of St. James Primary School, Owo-Ope, Osogbo were not poisoned under the Osun Home Grown School Feeding Programme, O’Meals.
The government made this known on Wednesday, in a statement issued by Special Adviser to the Governor on O-Meal, Hon. Ayodele Oluwaseyi, while announcing the results of its investigation into the alleged food poisoning.
She maintained that the pupils were not poisoned from a meal served by a vendor of the programme.
According to the government, the videos and fake news stories were the handiwork of political opponents who were out to tarnish the image of the State Government.
Oluwaseyi said that findings of government investigation also showed the inconsistency in the testimonies of some of the parents as well as the shady circumstances between the morning feeding and the alleged food poisoning late at night.
The statement reads: “The report highlighted also the involvement of an opposition operative who stayed around the school and who videoed and distributed the arranged video with many in the video denying stories of food poisoning.
“The government has subsequently invited the security agencies to investigate the matter with a view to bring those behind the fake drama and video to book.”
Oluwaseyi, while casting doubt on the circumstances surrounding the alleged poisoning, as it appears peculiar that affected pupils originate from the same street and were transported to the same hospital by their parents simultaneously and were video-recorded concurrently, narrated the outcome of the on the spot investigation conducted for several hours today by top officials, parents and school officials.
She stated that the State Government has carried out fresh tests on the alleged pupils and the results were returned as negative to food poisoning.
“The clinical tests conducted at the teaching hospital confirmed no traces of food poisoning and the affected vendors have been discharged accordingly,” the governor’s aide declared.
The Special Adviser stressed that the pupils who were allegedly 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.
“The whole allegation was discovered to be politically initiated by some miscreants who intended to score cheap political goal.
“It will interest the public to know that the students who were said to have been poisoned have since returned to school to continue their examinations. They were fed in the morning and they showed no sign of illness throughout the day,” she said.
She added that women recruited into the O’Meal programme as food vendors are certified cooks who prepare their meals under the most hygienic environment.
