Rivers State Government has handed over two model secondary schools built by the administration of Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, to the Nigerian Navy.
The schools are Nne Kurubo Model Secondary School located at Ejamah, Ebubu in Eleme Local Government Area and the model school at Egberu, Ndoki in Oyigbo Local Government Area.
The commissioner for Education, Prof. Chinedu Mmom, told journalists after a meeting of the State Executive Council in Port Harcourt that the release of the schools and their facilities to the Nigerian Navy was made after the Chief of Naval Staff applied to be availed the schools for use as Naval Training Schools.
Prof. Mmom said the Navy would following the approval, move its training school at Onne in Eleme Local Government Area to Nne Kurubo School at Ebubu.
He said the Government Model Secondary School, Egberu, Ndoki in Oyigbo will now be used as the Naval Headquarters Training Command.
The two schools were among 24 of such schools built by the government of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi between 2007 and 2013 at huge cost. They had state of the art boarding, sporting, social and extracurricular facilities of international standard.
While Nne Kurubo School kicked off and was handed over to consultants from India to manage, the school at Egberu was about taking off before the Amaechi administration wound up in 2015. Abandoned, the installed facilities were subsequently looted and vandalized. While squatters moved into the facility at Ebubu, the school at Egberu was overgrown and was home to dangerous animals and criminals before the Navy applied to use them.
The commissioner for Education however denied that it was the present administration that abandoned the schools. He said, “The school was abandoned by the previous administration and that has become a breeding ground for criminals and other miscreants. So, the request presented by the Chief of Naval Staff as being granted today will reduce criminal activities in this area.”
The handover of the schools has however received commendation from people who felt it was the ideal thing to do instead of letting the schools built with huge public funds go down the drain.
Samuel Onungwe, an engineer and publisher said the use of the school would be of benefit to the host communities who might have job opportunities and admission placements in the schools. He urged the local governments to work with the naval authorities to see how they can have mutually beneficial relationships from the schools.
