The Nigerian Navy has commissioned a renovated primary school in Okpoma, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, as part of its efforts to strengthen civil-military cooperation and support community development.
The project was commissioned in Group School 1, Igbainwari, under the Chief of Naval Staff’s Special Intervention Quick Impact Project Scheme.
Some of the facilities include eight classrooms, a library, a headmaster’s office, a solar-powered industrial borehole, teachers’ quarters, a drainage system, construction of toilets, and electrification of the school, amongst others.
The project facilitator, Rear Admiral Ebiobowei Zipele, and an indigene of the community, described the initiative as part of the Nigerian Navy’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to its host communities.
He commended the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Idi Abbas, for the quick Impact Project Scheme for impacting lives and uplifting communities.
Zipele said that the idea behind the project is simple yet profound, giving back to the communities that have supported the Nigerian Navy over the years.
According to him. “We strengthen the bond between security agents and the people they protect. In this cycle of intervention, the renovated primary schools in the community improve the standard of education of the public primary schools in the community but also provide a conducive environment for learning to take place”.
“The installation of solar-powered boreholes and the construction of a drainage system at the school were executed tode access to good piped water as well as the combat of perennial flooding experienced in the school during raining season,” he said.
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Also speaking at the event, Vice Admiral Idii Abbas, represented by Rear Admiral Suleiman Ibrahim, Flag Officer Commanding the Central Naval Command, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital, Southern Nigeria, emphasised that civil-military cooperation initiatives like the project contributed to national.
He further stated that such efforts aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and reflected the Navy’s commitment to supporting local communities beyond its core security mandate.
The Vice Admiral stressed that with the renovation of the school, it will improve the lives of the people and also protect the facility in their community. Saying through the initiative, life will be easier for the people of Opokuma clan and the community.
Abbas assured them that the Nigerian Navy is committed to the socio-economicdevelopment of the people and the country at large.
For his part, the Special Guest of Honour, Rear Admiral Olugbenga Oladipo, Commander, Operation Delta State, Southern Nigeria, commended the Chief of Naval Staff for the quick intervention project, saying it will help the students and the community at large.
He urged the community to always avail the Navy and other security agencies of information in their area of responsibili ty. In her part, the Headmistress of the School, Mrs Roseline Odoguw, commended the facilitator of the project and the Chief of Naval Staff for their intervention in the Group School Igbainwari.
