Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has commended the Nigerian Army for remodelling Ezomo Primary and Secondary Schools in Benin City, describing the intervention as a boost to education and learning conditions in the state.

Okpebholo gave the commendation on Friday through his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, during the inauguration and handover of the renovated schools in Uzebu and Oliha quarters, Benin City.

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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, Lt-Gen Waidi Shaibu, under the Army’s Special Intervention Civil-Military Cooperation initiative.

The governor described the Nigerian Army as a valuable development partner, praising its contribution to community development beyond its traditional security responsibilities.

“The Nigerian Army is a worthy development partner and an institution whose commitment to community development deserved emulation,” he said.

Okpebholo added that the state government appreciated the Army for selecting the schools and their host communities for the intervention, saying the improved facilities would provide a more conducive learning environment for pupils and students.

He also urged individuals, corporate organisations and wealthy indigenes of Edo to support government efforts through investments in community development.

The governor said building a prosperous state required collective responsibility and called on stakeholders to contribute to the objectives of his administration’s SHINE Agenda.

Speaking at the event, Shaibu said the intervention was designed to improve educational facilities and strengthen relations between the military and civilian communities.

He urged the Edo State Government, host communities and school authorities to take ownership of the remodelled facilities and ensure their proper maintenance for the benefit of learners.

The state Commissioner for Education, Washington Osifo, also praised the Army’s contribution, describing the project as a significant intervention in the state’s education sector.

Osifo said the Okpebholo administration had constructed and renovated more than 100 schools since assuming office.

He added that the government had provided thousands of classrooms, procured more than 5,000 pupils’ and students’ chairs, and recruited over 5,000 teachers.

The commissioner further disclosed that the state planned to begin recruiting 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 improve practical science education.

According to him, plans are underway to procure two additional batches of 100 laboratories each to expand access to practical science learning across public schools.

The remodelling project was facilitated by Maj-Gen Thompson Ugiagbe under the Army’s Civil-Military Cooperation initiative, which supports community development through quick-impact projects.

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The programme also seeks to build public trust, encourage partnerships with other institutions and strengthen relations between the military and civilian populations.