Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has commended the Nigerian Army for renovating Ezomo Primary and Secondary Schools in Benin City, describing the intervention as a contribution to improving the state’s educational infrastructure.
Okpebholo gave the commendation on Friday through his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, during the inauguration and handover of the remodelled schools in Uzebu and Oliha quarters of Benin City.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Friday Aghedo, the project was commissioned by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Waidi Shaibu, under the Army’s Special Intervention Civil-Military Cooperation initiative.
The governor described the Nigerian Army as a development partner whose contribution to community development should be emulated by other institutions and organisations.
He said the state government appreciated the Army for selecting the schools and communities for the intervention, adding that the renovated facilities would provide a more conducive environment for teaching and learning.
Okpebholo also called on wealthy individuals, corporate organisations and Edo indigenes to support government efforts by investing in community development.
He said building a prosperous state required collective responsibility and urged stakeholders to complement his administration’s SHINE Agenda.
Speaking at the event, Shaibu said the intervention was designed to improve educational facilities while strengthening relations between the military and civilian communities.
The Army chief urged the Edo State Government, host communities and school authorities to take ownership of the facilities and ensure their proper maintenance.
He said sustained community involvement was necessary to protect the investment and ensure that pupils and students continued to benefit from the improved learning environment.
The Commissioner for Education, Washington Osifo, also commended the Army, describing the project as a significant contribution to the state’s education sector.
Osifo used the occasion to outline the Okpebholo administration’s reported investments in public education.
He said the government had constructed and renovated more than 100 schools since assuming office, provided thousands of classrooms, purchased more than 5,000 students’ chairs and recruited over 5,000 teachers.
The commissioner further disclosed that the state planned to recruit an additional 3,000 teachers in the coming weeks to strengthen staffing in public schools.
He also said the government had procured and distributed more than 100 mobile science laboratories, each equipped with at least 200 scientific apparatus, to encourage practical science education.
According to him, plans were underway to procure two additional batches of 100 laboratories to expand access to practical science learning across public schools.
The latest intervention was facilitated by Major-General Thompson Ugiagbe under the Army’s Special Intervention Civil-Military Cooperation initiative.
The programme promotes community development through quick-impact projects and seeks to strengthen public trust, encourage institutional partnerships and deepen relations between the military and civilian populations.
The remodelling of Ezomo Primary and Secondary Schools represents another example of military involvement in community-focused infrastructure projects beyond its traditional security responsibilities.
The handover also highlighted the importance of cooperation between government institutions, the military and local communities in addressing infrastructure needs, particularly in the education sector.
The Army urged the relevant authorities and communities to maintain the facilities to ensure that the intervention delivers lasting benefits to pupils and students.
