The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening education in the state, declaring that sustained investment in the sector remains critical to preparing young people for future opportunities.
Fubara stated this on Friday while inaugurating the newly reconstructed Bonny National Grammar School in Bonny, Rivers State, where he also announced full scholarships for members of Team Rivers who emerged champions of the Presidential Inter-Schools Debate Championship.
The governor said his administration would continue to support programmes and initiatives capable of adding tangible value to the lives of residents, stressing that education was not merely a government expenditure but an investment in the future of the state.
According to him, government must go beyond funding education and ensure that interventions in the sector are sustained to produce meaningful outcomes for the people.
Fubara described the commissioning of the reconstructed school as a historic moment for Bonny, noting that it was, to his knowledge, the first time in more than two decades that a state government had visited the community to commission a completed project rather than make campaign promises.
“This is the first time in over twenty years that government is coming to Bonny to commission a project. We’ve been coming here to campaign. We’ve come here to make promises. But now we have gone a step further to ensure that we break that jinx,” he said.
The governor said the visit was intended to demonstrate the importance his administration attached to the institution and reassure the people of Bonny that they remained an integral part of Rivers State.
He said the reconstructed school was part of efforts to provide students with an environment conducive to learning while extending government development projects to communities across the state.
“So what we have come here to do today, is to demonstrate the significance of this wonderful institution and to tell the good people of Bonny that government still remembers you and that you’re part of Rivers State,” Fubara said.
The governor traced the history of Bonny National Grammar School to 1965, when it was established as a community initiative.
He recalled that the institution was initially known as Government Secondary School, Ogwugwumaka, Bonny, before it was subsequently renamed Bonny Grammar School as the community and institution developed.
Fubara said the school had played a significant role in the development of Bonny Kingdom, producing generations of educated men and women who had gone on to occupy important positions in different fields.
He said the rehabilitation of the institution was therefore intended not only to provide modern educational infrastructure but also to preserve and renew an important part of Bonny’s history.
The governor said the project demonstrated his administration’s preference for delivering tangible development rather than relying on promises.
“So the success we are sharing today, is to water the ground so that when we are coming here to campaign, we don’t need to make promises again because you have already seen action,” he said.
Fubara also linked the investment in education to the strategic economic position of Bonny, particularly its role in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
He noted that the presence of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and other multinational companies in Bonny had created opportunities for residents, but stressed that education remained essential for indigenes to take advantage of such opportunities.
“Today, we have the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) and other multinationals that are operating in Bonny. Some of our people are working with them and they are working with them because of education,” he said.
He added that his administration intended to improve the welfare and prospects of Bonny residents through education, given the kingdom’s strategic importance to Nigeria’s hydrocarbon and energy sector.
A major highlight of the event was the governor’s announcement of full scholarships for all students who represented Rivers State at the Presidential Inter-Schools Debate Championship.
The students, known as Team Rivers, emerged champions of the national competition after what the governor described as an outstanding performance under difficult circumstances.
Fubara said the achievement represented an important form of development that complemented the physical infrastructure being commissioned at the school.
“Today is not just about the hardware development because we just celebrated a software — our children who participated in the Presidential Debate and performed excellently even in the most difficult conditions,” he said.
The governor directed the Commissioner for Education and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education to immediately work out the modalities for implementing the scholarship programme.
“For everyone of them that participated, we must make sure that we take full responsibility for their education starting from this minute,” he declared.
The scholarship, according to the governor, is intended to ensure that the students’ academic development is not hindered by financial constraints and to encourage other young people in the state to pursue excellence in academics and extracurricular activities.
The Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom, King Edward William Asimini Dappa Pepple III, Perekule XI, who was the special guest of honour, described the occasion as more than the commissioning of a renovated school.
He said the project represented the restoration of an important legacy and a long-term investment in the future of the kingdom.
According to the monarch, Bonny National Grammar School has, over the years, served as a centre for learning, discipline and character formation, producing graduates who have distinguished themselves in various professions and areas of public service.
“Today, we are witnessing the renewal of an institution that has formed an important part of the educational history of our dear Kingdom,” he said.
The traditional ruler said the history of the school was inseparable from the advancement of education in Bonny Kingdom, adding that the significance of the project went beyond the renovation of classrooms and other physical facilities.
He expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara and his administration for undertaking the reconstruction and furnishing of the institution, describing the intervention as practical evidence of the government’s recognition of the importance of education to the development of Bonny and Rivers State.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr Peter Nwagor, outlined the scope of work carried out under the reconstruction project.
He disclosed that the intervention covered the renovation of classrooms and the provision of fully equipped laboratories for Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
According to him, the school also received a technical workshop building and a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre.
Other facilities include modern hostel accommodation, staff quarters, an assembly hall, a dedicated sick bay and a fully furnished library equipped with books, digital tools and research materials.
Nwagor said the project also included the construction of a new sports arena with volleyball and basketball courts to promote sporting activities and talent development among students.
He added that internal road networks and drainage systems were provided, alongside solar-powered street lighting and an upgraded low-voltage electrical power distribution network.
The school also received perimeter fencing with a security gatehouse, interlocking stone pavements and a car park.
Governor Fubara commended the Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom for his leadership and efforts to attract development to the kingdom.
He also acknowledged the contribution of the Federal Government to the development of Bonny, particularly the Bonny-Bodo road project, which he said had significantly improved access to Bonny Island.
Fubara said the completion and commissioning of the school marked the beginning of what he described as a new phase of development for Bonny.
Expressing satisfaction with the project, the governor said he was pleased that his administration had been able to deliver an intervention that had previously appeared difficult to achieve.
“I’m really happy. I’m happy because it’s happening in our own time. I’m a happy person today because we have done something that looked impossible,” he said.
He pledged that his administration would continue to pursue development projects in Bonny, promising more progress, improvement and commissioning of projects for residents of the kingdom.
