BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Osun State government has ordered full investigations into the reported cases of food poisoning at St James Primary School B, Owoope Osogbo.
About 18 pupils of the school were on Monday rushed to various hospitals by their parents after reacting to alleged contaminated food that they were served by O’Meal programme vendors.
The school children were said to have vomitted and defecated repeatedly after consuming cooked rice and egg.
According to their parents, the egg they were served was already rotten.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said in a statement on Tuesday that the state governor, Ademola Adeleke has directed immediate action when the matter was reported to him by the Special Adviser on O-Meal, Mrs Grace Oluwaseyi Ayodele.
“The Governor has subsequently directed 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 programme have also been summoned to a meeting by Tuesday morning.
“Additionally, the Governor has directed enforcement of food standard and control as well as the auditing of the O-Meal structure to forestall future occurrence.
“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 two hundred while one hundred and three are within the population receiving food from the O-Meal Programme.
“A government delegation is also visiting families of the affected students,” the statement read.