Obi releases N1.5bn to mission schools

[Mirror]

Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday gave a new impetus to the state's education sector when he released N1.5 billion to the Catholic Church and the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion for the rehabilitation of primary schools returned to them by the government.

The money, already in the respective bank accounts of the two churches, were symbolically presented to the two principal church heads, the Anglican Bishop of Aguata Diocese, Bishop Christian Efobi, and the Catholic Bishop of Onitsha, Bishop Valerie Okeke, at the Women Development Centre, Awka, yesterday.

The Anglican Church got N600 million to be used in the rehabilitation of primary schools returned to them as owners, while the Catholic Church received N860 million for the comprehensive overhaul of the schools that were returned to them some time ago by the state government.

Speaking during the ceremony, Obi said what he did was part of the final push of government towards the realisation of all the key objectives of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, of the United Nations. Obi said; "All we are doing is the final push towards the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.

"We are asking the church to pray for us, we are trying to do something good for the future, I can tell you our schools are better today and we would continue to work with the church as far as we have Anambra State."

He announced that in a few days, every secondary school in the state shall be given a brand new bus, even as he promised that schools that already have a bus would collect another one, making it two buses for such lucky schools.

He urged the people to vote wisely and ensure that someone with a high pedigree that could sustain the current tempo of development is elected as the next governor of Anambra State in the election fixed for November 16, 2013.

"You have to support us and help us do all these things and drive this programme and that is why you have to be cautious about who would succeed Peter Obi. "Things have changed here a lot positively and we need to sustain it, don't look at somebody who would come and share money to you, don't allow what we have done and these sacrifices to go in vain," Obi admonished.

Thanking Obi on his gesture, both Bishops Efobi and Okeke said they would continue to be grateful to God for giving the state a committed leader that has the people's mandate, adding that what Obi is doing is very exceptional.

National Mirror