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| Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori. File photograph. Comrade Bature / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. |
Delta State has approved approximately ₦10 billion to rebuild and renovate 92 public primary and secondary schools, with furniture and information and communication technology facilities included in the programme, Commissioner Charles Aniagwu has said.
Aniagwu described the work as the first phase of an emergency intervention covering schools across the state’s 25 local government areas.
He announced the approval while briefing journalists after a State Executive Council meeting at the Government House Annex in Edjeba, Warri South Local Government Area. The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Festus Ahon, attended the briefing.
The commissioner, whose portfolio covers Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, said Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had directed the Ministries of Primary and Secondary Education to identify schools needing urgent repairs or reconstruction.
He explained that the programme would address both buildings and the facilities pupils, students and teachers need within them.
“The essence of this massive intervention is to make sure that none of our schools is going to be in a shape that is not conducive for both learning and teaching,” he said.
According to Aniagwu, the government intended the work to produce lasting improvements in school facilities. He said the 92-school intervention would supplement projects undertaken through the State Universal Basic Education Board.
The commissioner also said Delta had continued to meet its counterpart funding obligations to the Universal Basic Education Commission, allowing it to access federal support for basic education.
Oborevwori had previously ordered an assessment of deteriorating public schools during the inauguration of the Model Technical College, Oghareki, in October. At that event, he directed the education ministries to identify facilities requiring immediate rehabilitation.
Alongside the school programme, the Executive Council endorsed a proposed 2027 budget of slightly more than ₦1.2 trillion. Aniagwu presented the draft spending plan as part of the administration’s preparations to continue its infrastructure programmes.
The council also approved road construction, rehabilitation and urban renewal works across the state.
Aniagwu said officials had identified roads requiring attention, including sections along federal routes. He said the proposed interventions would support travel between communities and connections with neighbouring states.
Among the routes he identified was the Asaba–Benin expressway corridor, where he said motorists had faced difficulties for some time. The government planned to rehabilitate affected sections in both directions to improve access.
Responding to questions about electricity, Aniagwu said Delta had entered into a partnership with Sapele Power to put previously underused turbines to work.
He explained that earlier administrations had brought some of the equipment into the state, but the turbines had not been fully deployed.
Aniagwu commended President Bola Tinubu over federal electricity reforms, saying the changes had expanded opportunities for states to work with private investors on power projects.
He stressed, however, that generating electricity would not, on its own, ensure dependable supply. Transmission and distribution infrastructure would also have to function effectively for the power to reach consumers.
The commissioner separately announced approval for five additional homes for judges through the Ministry of Housing.
He said the government wanted to provide accommodation needed to support further judicial appointments. Courtrooms and official vehicles were also among the facilities he identified as necessary for incoming judicial officers.
“For you to appoint any new judge, the first condition is that you must be able to have accommodation for that judge. You should also be able to have a courtroom where that judge sits,” he said.
Aniagwu said the housing approval would allow the ministry to begin providing the additional residences ahead of the appointments.
He said: “At today’s Exco, approval has been given for the Ministry of Housing to proceed to build some additional quarters for judges so that when the judges are appointed, they will also have where they are going to live.”