Convinced that the level of indiscipline, loss of treasured social values, and immoral acts in the society are caused by the takeover of missionary schools by government, Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has not only returned 1,040 primary schools to the various missions that owned them, he has also doled out N6 billion to enable such missions run and operate them.

It was an act that electrified all stakeholders in the state. Many of them who spoke at the event not only commended the governor for the courage to return the schools to their owners, they also expressed hope that the missions would be able to restore the values and discipline for which such schools were known in those days.

The N6 billion will, however, be distributed to the affected churches over the next 15 months based on the number of schools owned by each church group.

Addressing a large crowd of education stakeholders, elders of the state and the general public on the occasion which held at the Women’s Development Centre in Awka, the state capital, Obi said the handover was necessitated by the level of moral decadence in society owing to what he described as the forceful takeover of mission schools by the government in 1970.

“The collapse of education in Anambra State is directly connected with the takeover of schools owned by the missionaries, churches and voluntary organisations in 1970. That singular exercise signalled the disappearance of morality and the building of character from our school system. This can no longer be allowed,” Obi stated.

He said that after consulting with stakeholders, he had decided to return all primary and secondary schools taken from the missionaries back to them and expressed the hope that government’s gesture would be reciprocated by the churches so that the school system would be returned to its glorious days.

The N6 billion will be shared among the Catholic, Anglican and remaining government schools in four instalments. In the first instalment, the Catholic Church, which owns a lion’s share of 453 schools, will receive over N762 million, while its Anglican counterpart will receive over N498 million. The remaining public schools not taken from the churches will share about N489 million out of a total of N1.75 billion.

The second and third instalments will gulp N1.25 billion each, while the fourth and last instalment will cost the government N1.75 billion.

According to the governor, who assured them that the money was already available and in the bank, the money would be released to the churches after they must have submitted their work plans within 30 days.

The work plans are expected to contain curriculum that should embrace steps and strategies that will gradually recover the social sanity among pupils. Such vices like cultism, sexual immorality, kidnapping, armed robbery, brazen roguery and such other malaises plaguing today’s societies, especially in Anambra State, are some of the vices that the returned schools will have to battle on how to exterminate them.

But the worry, however, remains on not only how the schools will achieve the feat, but also what will happen to the moral value of schools not under the control of the missions. But Obi believes that the moral re-armament can be triggered off by the mission schools in the state.

“Let us all resolve today to be positive change agents especially now that we have a government that is ready and willing to work with individuals that can complement the efforts of government for the good of society. What we have done today may not be popular but it is the right decision and we will continue to take the right decisions,” Obi maintained.

In his speech, the Minister of State for Education, Nyeso Wike, praised the action of Obi, describing it as capable of turning around education in the state and bringing back lost moral values, just as he urged other states to emulate the Anambra example.
The secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Ahmed Modibo Mohammed, who said he was a product of mission schools, also praised Obi’s action and assured him of UBEC’s continued support and pointed out that states were free to use UBEC’s money any way they wanted and that the commission was bound to give support.

“The handover of schools by the Anambra State government is a step in the right direction and one that will boost education in the state,” Mohamed said.

Responding on behalf of Catholic bishops, the Archbishop of Onitsha metropolitan province, Valerian Okeke, in an emotion-laden voice, assured Obi that his action of handing back schools to their owners was one of the most popular decisions ever taken in the state.

In his words, “You have written your name in gold and you have wiped the tears of our people. You have rectified the anomalies of the civil war and rectified the fault of past leaders. With this action, the church has forgiven them for forcefully taking our schools.”

In his speech on behalf of the Anglican Bishops, the Archbishop of the Niger province and Bishop of Aguata Diocese, Most Reverend Christian Efobi, said the governor’s action showed that when the righteous mounted the throne, the people rejoiced and assured him that they would continually pray for the governor.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Umeh, also hailed the handover of the schools to their previous owners and thanked the state legislature for supporting it. He noted that it had been possible because APGA was the dominant party in the house, thus giving the executive arm the needed cooperation.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State government has set up a committee to look into the disputed schools whose handover has been delayed. The committee will be chaired by a retired chief judge of the state, Godwin Ononiba.


THIS-DAY

Good decision

Hopefully it will arrest the decadence in Anambra state education's system.

Great move!
You see how APGA is able to do the will of the people of the state.
PDP would be more interested in pleasing Abuja, throwing our people's interest under the bus of Nigerian chaos.
Up APGA!

really shed some tears of joy when i read this. kudos to mr peter obi and may God bless you

Wise decision.

Onlytruth:

Great move!
You see how APGA is able to do the will of the people of the state.
PDP would be more interested in pleasing Abuja, throwing our people's interest under the bus of Nigerian chaos.
Up APGA!

APGA all the way; the people's party.
This is why APGA is the only first generation party that's still growing and still surviving alongside PDP, though the party is small.
The other first generations parties, AD, ANPP etc are either dead or just hanging on.

This is one of the reasons why I tell our people to vote APGA always. The idiotic decision to steal the schools from the churches was implemented in 1970! WHY? To force stoopid national ethos on the rest of us.

I say that any Igbo state governor that has not overturned post civil war impositions on Ndiigbo, has failed totally.

I have to also add that Anambra state should continue to fund/subsidize the schools, else the missions may be forced to impose school fees. We still need state government involvement in funding the schools (I hope they are not hoping to escape that through the back door).
They should hands off the rest!

^^^

I think funding still comes from the government but the missions can obtain fund from Universal Basic Education Commission as well.

This is a good development.

Posted by: Obiagu1

I think funding still comes from the government but the missions can obtain fund from Universal Basic Education Commission as well.

oh, ok thanks!

These were the same schools that produced all the great men in our land. I hope the churches remember how they did it. I believe they had a lot of "missionary" (foreign) help in those days; Anglican (help from England), Roman Catholic (help from Rome/Vatican). Some of their teachers were expatriate missionaries. So the education standards were quite high.
One school in my town (Okongwu Memorial Grammar School) produced almost all the professors and skilled professionals of highest repute from my town that I know of today. I was told it died a natural death after the government took over in 1970.

Great move!

At list  Missionaries schools are well look after as far as i can remember,churches can help in upgrading some schools example D.M.G.S onicha is a British school, was memorial of ARCH BISHOP. T. J. DENNIS in 1925, he is the one that translate English bible to igbo BIBLE, he won an award from queen Victoria,on his way to England to pick up his award, his ship capsized in the sea, some sailors that was passing by, saw a box floating in the sea,picked it up and took it to the queen.

He was then awarded, why am saying this cos am a "Dengramite" so i knew the history of the school you can check it out.

The hostels got their names from their past principals all English names,those days a lot of English people settle in onicha,since the government took over the schools they ran it down, its a shame.

here is the video of Anamabra Educational Dev.:Exercise aims at improving standard of education





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhifnceb3vg

Good job!

Mr. Obi. Gud move dia

Ahhhhhh! So THIS was where it all began? Where Anambra's academic winning streak took off.
Today, the state appears unstoppable while the sophisticated dunces continue to hang on to their lies about "special centers", convinced that if they sang that tune long enough, it would change this state's wonderful fortunes.

If we are to be honest, all governors should study Peter Obi's model on how to lay SOLID FOUNDATIONS instead of useless propaganda like Opon Imo and other pathetic trash, and that includes that vagabond in Imo state who still gets worshipped by gullible animals like Abagworo and Beremx while he destroys the state beyond repair.

The region of brown envelope journalists gotta learn something here.

MCMLXXVI:
Ahhhhhh! So THIS was where it all began? Where Anambra's academic winning streak took off.
Today, the state appears unstoppable while the sophisticated dunces continue to hang on to their lies about "special centers", convinced that if they sang that tune long enough, it would change this state's wonderful fortunes.

If we are to be honest, all governors should study Peter Obi's model on how to lay SOLID FOUNDATIONS instead of useless propaganda like Opon Imo and other pathetic trash, and that includes that vagabond in Imo state who still gets worshipped by gullible animals like Abagworo and Beremx while he destroys the state beyond repair.

The region of brown envelope journalists gotta learn something here.

the sophisticated propagandist are only good at media noise, it will surprise them how far igbos have overtaken them in all fields of human endevor, they can only die in jelousy and hope on another war to take advantage of.

.

otokx:
Hopefully it will arrest the decadence in Anambra state education's system.

It did. You should be proud of your governor.

basilo101:

the sophisticated propagandist are only good at media noise, it will surprise them how far igbos have overtaken them in all fields of human endevor, they can only die in jelousy and hope on another war to take advantage of.

cadmanspize:
Nigeria just missed & should keep-on missing

Exactly, PO should have remodeled this country but is well

Time shall tell

Chai! We really miss o.