In a bid to foster civil-military relationships, the Nigerian Navy has commissioned the renovated Major IE Muazu Memorial Primary School in the Adunu community in Paikoro Local Council of Niger State.
The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, commissioned the primary school project in the Adunu community.
Ogalla, who was represented by the Acting Chief of Naval Transformation, Rear Admiral Julius Nwagu, noted that the school project is a civil-military engagement aimed at fostering harmonious relations between the Navy and local communities.
He said the project was executed under the Chief of Naval Staff’s Special Intervention Quick Impact Project Scheme in honour of Rear Admiral Istitanus Istifanus Mua’zu Albara, Flag Officer Commanding Naval Training Command, Nigerian Navy.
“We decided to encourage every Rear Admiral in Nigeria to initiate projects benefiting their communities; we have over 15 CNS-sponsored projects nationwide.
“The Rear Admirals are to identify critical quick-impact projects that will have maximum impact on the socio-economic well-being of grassroots communities,” he said.
He stated that providing infrastructure for early educational training is key to combating illiteracy and poverty, adding that through the project, children would have access to quality education.
Ogalla added that the renovated school, which will benefit over 118 children, symbolises hope and opportunity for youth in Paikoro Local Government Area.
In his welcome address, Flag Officer Commanding Naval Training Command, Nigerian Navy, Istifanus Mua’zu Albara, revealed that Major IE Muazu Memorial Primary School started as a missionary school in the early 1950s.
He disclosed that the renovated school project includes two new classroom blocks consisting of five classrooms, two offices, as well as three renovated blocks of classrooms.
He noted that, additionally, the project includes the construction of a perimeter fence for the school, a security post in line with the Safe School Initiative, modern toilet facilities, furniture for the classrooms and offices, and solar-powered lighting units within the school premises.
Mua’zu-Albara said the project will address infrastructure deficits in the Adunu community, elevate its educational standards, and foster a deeper connection between the community and Nigeria’s armed forces.
In his remarks, Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, emphasised the need for collective support to revamp the educational sector in the state.
Bago, who was represented by the Commissioner of Basic and Secondary Education, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed, called on local government chairmen to take ownership of school properties due to their deteriorated conditions across the state.
He expressed concern, as a product of public schools himself, that public schools have fallen short of expectations and urged well-to-do individuals and stakeholders to collaborate and take charge of the schools.
The District Head of Adunu, Alhaji Kabiru Bawa, thanked the governor for addressing security challenges in the area, saying that due to relative peace, residents now go to sleep with their eyes closed.
He commended the Chief of Naval Staff for the newly renovated school and called on the state government to intervene regarding the deplorable Kafin-Koro-Adunu Road and to restore electricity in Adunu community.
Also speaking, the Headmaster of Major IE Muazu Memorial Primary School in Adunu, Mainasara Maichibi, said the school, established in 1962, had been in a dilapidated state with collapsing structures and no chairs for students and teachers before it was reconstructed by Rear Admiral Istifanus Mua’zu Albara.
“We now have a conducive environment for learning, and we thank the Nigerian Navy for this gesture. We promise to maintain the facilities in the school,” he said.
