Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday, announced the award of scholarship to members of Team Rivers who emerged overall best in the recently concluded National Inter -School Debate Championship.
Governor Fubara made the announcement while inaugurating the newly reconstructed Bonny National Grammar School project in Bonny Island
The governor said government must not just fund education but sustain programmes that add value to the people, describing education as the most critical investment for the future of Rivers State.
He described the inauguration as historic, noting that it is the first time in over 20 years that a state government is visiting Bonny to deliver a project instead of making campaign promises.
Governor Fubara said the visit is to demonstrate the importance his administration attaches to the Bonny National Grammar School and to reassure the people of Bonny that they remain an integral part of Rivers State.
Tracing the history of the school, the governor recalled that the institution began in 1965 as a community initiative and has produced many leaders of Bonny Kingdom.
The governor said the project was deliberately sited in Bonny to show that his administration prefers action to promises.
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He linked the importance of the intervention to the economic role of Bonny, noting that education remains the pathway for indigenes to benefit from opportunities in the oil and gas industry.
Governor Fubara commended the Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom, for his leadership in attracting development to the kingdom.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the federal government for delivery of the Bonny-Bodo Road project which has made trips to Bonny Island seamless.
In a major highlight, the governor the award of announced full scholarships for all members of Team Rivers who emerged champions at the Presidential Inter-Schools Debate Championship.
Governor Fubara thanked the people of Bonny for their support and pledged that his administration would continue to deliver more projects in the area.
The Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom, King Edward Pepple III, Perekule XI, described the event as more than the commissioning of a school, but the restoration of a legacy and an investment in the future.
“Today, we are witnessing the renewal of an institution that has formed an important part of the educational history of our dear kingdom.
“For generations, Bonny National Grammar School has served as a centre of learning, discipline, and character formation.
“It has led to the intellectual development of Bonny young men and women who have gone on to distinguish themselves in different professions and areas of public service,” he said.
The royal father noted that the story of the Bonny National Grammar School is inseparable from the story of educational advancement of Bonny Kingdom.
According to him, the event carries so much significance because it is not just about opening renovated classrooms, laboratories and libraries, but giving new life to a legacy.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Peter Nwagor, who made a presentation on the scope of work done on the school disclosed that apart from the renovation of the classrooms, the school now has fully equipped laboratories for chemistry, biology, and physics, alongside a technical workshop building and a new ICT center.
There are also modern hostel facilities, staff quarters, an assembly hall, a dedicated sick bay, a fully furnished library stocked with books, digital tools, and research materials.
The renovation project also comes with a new sports arena featuring volleyball, basketball courts for talent development, internal road networks with drainage systems, solar-powered street lighting, an upgraded low-voltage electrical power distribution network, a perimeter fencing with a security gatehouse, interlocking stone pavements, and a car park.
