Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to education, declaring the sector the most critical investment in the future of the state.
The Governor stated this on Friday August 28, 2026, while inaugurating the newly reconstructed Bonny National Grammar School in Bonny and announcing full scholarships for members of Team Rivers, who emerged champions of the Presidential Inter-Schools Debate Championship.
Fubara said government must go beyond funding education by sustaining programmes that add value to the lives of citizens. He described the commissioning of the school as historic, noting that it was the first time in more than 20 years that a state government had visited Bonny to commission a completed project rather than make campaign promises.
“I need to say this, maybe I stand to be corrected but – this is the first time in over twenty years that government is coming to Bonny to commission a project. We’ve been coming here to campaign. We’ve come here to make promises. But now we have gone a step further to ensure that we break that jinx,” the Governor stated.
According to him, the visit was intended to demonstrate the importance his administration attaches to the institution and reassure the people of Bonny of their place in the state.
“So, what we have come here to do today, is to demonstrate the significance of this wonderful institution and to tell the good people of Bonny that government still remembers you and that you’re part of Rivers State,” he said.
Tracing the history of the school, Fubara recalled that it was established in 1965 through a community initiative and had produced many prominent citizens of Bonny Kingdom.
“The story of this school, for those of you who are indigenes of Bonny dates back to many years ago. It was a community initiative in 1965 that gave birth to the present Grammar School. When this school started, it was named Government Secondary School, Ogwugwumaka, Bonny. But later on, with improvements and developments and with the growth of the Bonny Kingdom, it was changed to Bonny Grammar School. I believe that the Who is Who in Bonny, a greater number of them, passed through this Grammar School,” he said.
The Governor said the project was deliberately located in Bonny to demonstrate his administration’s preference for delivering tangible projects rather than making promises.
“So, the success we are sharing today, is to water the ground so that when we are coming here to campaign, we don’t need to make promises again because you have already seen action. When I’m coming with our party to campaign, you’ll be confident that your brother did something,” Fubara said.
He linked the importance of the educational intervention to Bonny’s strategic role in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, stressing that education would enable indigenes to take advantage of opportunities created by multinational companies operating in the area.
“Today, we have the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) and other multinationals that are operating in Bonny. Some of our people are working with them and they are working with them because of education. We intend to better the lot of Bonny through education, knowing the importance of Bonny in the hydrocarbon and energy development of Nigeria,” the Governor stated.
Fubara also commended the Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom for his leadership and efforts in attracting development to the kingdom.
“Let me thank everyone, most especially the Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom who has stood with the people of Bonny and who has continued to uplift the people of Bonny by attracting meaningful projects to Bonny. What the Amanyanabo has done today has placed Bonny on the map of Africa and the world,” he said.
The Governor also acknowledged the Federal Government’s contribution to the Bonny-Bodo Road project, which he said had made movement to Bonny Island more seamless.
A major highlight of the event was the announcement of full scholarships for all members of Team Rivers following their outstanding performance at the Presidential Inter-Schools Debate Championship.
“Today is not just about the hardware development because we just celebrated a software – our children who participated in the Presidential Debate and performed excellently even in the most difficult conditions. They came out first in the championship. For this particular outstanding performance, we are giving those students scholarships.
The Commissioner for Education and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, take note and work out the modalities. For every one of them that participated, we must make sure that we take full responsibility for their education starting from this minute,” he declared.
Fubara thanked the people of Bonny for their support, promising that his administration would continue to execute more development projects in the area.
“I’m really happy. I’m happy because it’s happening in our own time. I’m a happy person today because we have done something that looked impossible. I believe that going forward, it will be progress, development, improvement and commissioning of more projects for the Bonny people,” he said.
The Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom, King Edward William Asimini Dappa Pepple III, Perekule XI, who was the special guest of honour, described the commissioning as more than the renovation of a school, saying it represented 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 monarch noted that the history of Bonny National Grammar School was inseparable from the educational advancement of the kingdom. He said the significance of the event went beyond the reopening of renovated classrooms, laboratories and libraries, describing it as the restoration of new life to an important legacy.
The royal father expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara and his administration for undertaking the rehabilitation project, describing the reconstruction and furnishing of the school as a practical demonstration of the administration’s recognition of the importance of education to the development of Bonny Kingdom and Rivers State.
Also speaking, the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Peter Nwagor, outlined the scope of the rehabilitation project. He disclosed that the school now has fully equipped Chemistry, Biology and Physics laboratories, a technical workshop building and a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre.
The project also includes modern hostel facilities, staff quarters, an assembly hall, a dedicated sick bay and a fully furnished library stocked with books, digital tools and research materials.
Other facilities provided include a new sports arena with volleyball and basketball courts, internal road networks and drainage systems, solar-powered street lighting, an upgraded low-voltage electrical distribution network, perimeter fencing with a security gatehouse, interlocking stone pavements and a car park.
The Governor’s intervention, according to the state government, underscores its renewed focus on improving educational infrastructure while recognising and rewarding academic excellence among Rivers State students.
