Anambra Releases N730m To Mission Primary Schools

TheAnambra State Government,  has released N733.3 million  out of N1 billion promised, to mission primary schools in the state.
At the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia, Governor Peter Obi handed over a cheque valued at N433,333,333.30 to mission primary schools owned by the Catholic Church and N300 million to those owned by the Anglican church. The Catholic Church has about 430 primary schools while the Anglican Church has about 300.
Obi pledged to give N1billion to the churches to rehabilitate primary schools forcefully taken away from them in 1970 after the Civil War, an action he blamed for the poor education standard in the schools.
He urged the churches to put the money into use immediately so as to draw at least three more tranches towards rehabilitating their schools before the end of the year. Obi promised to partner with the churches in programmes aimed at reviving the moral of the pupils and students in their schools.
The Archbishop of the Niger and the Bishop of Aguata Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Christian Efobi, and the Bishop of Awka, Rev. Dr. Paulinus Ezeokafor, who represented the Archbishop of Onitsha, Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke, received the cheques for their churches.
Obi said the monies released to the churches serve as reparation for the wrong the government did to the churches when it took over their schools and ran them aground. “That is the much we can do to acknowledge our guilt”, Obi said.
The governor also said that those who are criticising him for giving the money directly to school owners and principals are wrong because that method has achieved better result as statistics shows that Anambra state is among the top three states in Nigeria in education development.
After receiving the cheques, Archbishop Efobi said the Anglican Church has benefited immensely from the state government especially in its efforts to assist the church to put its schools back to a sound footing.