The Nigerian Navy has inaugurated eight rehabilitated classrooms, a library, headmaster’s office, teachers’ quarters, toilets, drainage system, school electrification and a solar-powered industrial borehole at Group School 1, Igbainwari community, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The projects were commissioned on Monday under the Chief of the Naval Staff’s Special Intervention Quick Impact Project Scheme.
The facilitator of the project, Rear Admiral Ebiobowei Zipele, who is an indigene of the community, said the scheme is part of the Navy’s Corporate Social Responsibility to its host communities.
Zipele commended the Chief of the Naval Staff for his commitment to impacting lives, noting that the initiative was conceptualised to strengthen civil-military relations.
“The idea behind the project is simple yet profound. By giving back to communities that have supported the Nigerian Navy over the years, we strengthen the bond between security agents and the people they protect,” he said.
He explained that the renovation of the primary school would improve the standard of education and provide a conducive environment for learning, while the solar-powered borehole would provide potable water and the drainage system would address perennial flooding in the school during the rainy season.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, who was represented by the Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command, Yenagoa, Rear Admiral Suleiman Ibrahim, said civil-military cooperation initiatives contribute to national development.
Abbas stated that the intervention aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and reflects the Navy’s commitment to supporting local communities beyond its core security mandate.
He added that improving schools in rural areas is vital to educational development and would improve the lives of the people of Opokuma clan.
Also speaking, the Special Guest of Honour and Commander, Operation Delta Safe, South-South, Rear Admiral Olugbenga Oladipo, commended the Chief of the Naval Staff for the intervention, saying it would benefit both students and the wider community.
He urged the community to continue to provide timely information to the Navy and other security agencies in their area of responsibility.
In her remarks, the Headmistress of the school, Mrs. Roseline Odogwu, expressed gratitude to the facilitator and the Chief of the Naval Staff for the intervention in the school.
