NTB Governor Warns 'Naughty' Nutrition Programme Operators to Repent
West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal has issued a stern reprimand to several operators of the Nutritional Service Units (SPPG) caught taking excessive profits while running the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme in NTB. Iqbal made this statement while meeting thousands of demonstrators supporting the MBG programme in front of the NTB Governor’s Office on Monday (22/6/2026), where he even climbed onto the orator’s stage.
In his speech, Iqbal revealed he had detected rogue programme partners who were brazenly cutting the quality of the MBG meals to reap personal profits. The former Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey demanded that the unscrupulous SPPG managers immediately cease their actions. ‘I know, and I have gone down to several locations for spot checks. There are still SPPGs that are seeking additional margins or profits from raw materials. As a result, the quality of the food declines,’ Iqbal declared before the crowd of demonstrators.
Iqbal disclosed that the certainty of this fraud was obtained after he personally conducted unannounced inspections at several SPPGs in NTB. The results showed strong indications of corrupt practices aimed at making money outside of government regulations. He reminded them that the MBG programme is purely intended to improve children’s nutrition, not to serve as a field for personal enrichment. According to him, every rupiah allocated by the state must return to the children in the form of high-quality nutritional intake. ‘For those who have never taken additional margins from raw materials, alhamdulillah. But for those who are still doing it, stop today. Repent, seek forgiveness, and straighten your intentions,’ he stressed.
The NTB Provincial Government, Iqbal asserted, gives no room for tolerance to anyone who cheats in the child nutrition programme. He admitted to already holding a record of commitments from SPPG managers and is ready to take extreme measures if violations recur. Without bluffing, Iqbal threatened to immediately coordinate with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and the MBG task force to forcibly shut down stubborn SPPGs. ‘If this MBG programme continues and there are still those taking margins beyond the raw material budget, I will be the first person to ask the task force and BGN to catch and close the SPPGs that do this,’ Iqbal threatened.
Beyond the issue of profit margins, Iqbal also highlighted the supply of MBG raw materials. He expressed regret that some SPPGs were still sourcing raw materials from outside the NTB region. Following this finding, Iqbal urged all SPPGs to change this pattern by mandatorily absorbing raw materials from local micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM) in their operational areas. This step is considered crucial so that the MBG programme brings a domino effect to the local economy. ‘So we hope this can drive the grassroots economy. This means all aspirations will be conveyed to the central government. Because there is a child’s right to receive proper nutrition there,’ he stressed. He also confirmed that all demands from the demonstrators present in front of the Governor’s office would be forwarded and coordinated directly with the central government for future regulatory improvements. ‘We will convey both the pros and the cons. Because all of it is the aspiration of our community,’ Iqbal concluded.