The Delta State Government has approved N10 billion for the first phase of an intervention targeting infrastructure deficiencies in 92 public schools, alongside the provision of more than 4,500 desks and chairs for pupils and students.
The investment is expected to improve classroom conditions in selected primary and secondary schools across the state, where inadequate learning facilities remain a challenge to effective teaching and learning.
The Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, disclosed the approval on Monday while briefing journalists after a State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori at the Government House Annex, Warri.
Aniagwu said the council approved contracts for the construction and furnishing of classrooms in the selected schools, describing the intervention as part of efforts to close existing gaps in public school infrastructure.
He said the provision of more than 4,500 units of furniture would complement the classroom projects by addressing the shortage of desks and chairs in the affected institutions.
“The Executive Council has approved contracts for the infrastructural development of selected primary and secondary schools under Phase One of the programme.
“We are also looking at providing over 4,500 units of school furniture to ensure that pupils and students have comfortable places to sit and learn,” he said.
The commissioner said the government would involve community representatives and other stakeholders in identifying the specific needs of beneficiary schools to ensure that the projects reflected actual conditions in the communities.
He added that relevant ministries and agencies had been directed to sustain engagement with stakeholders across the state’s 25 local government areas and monitor the implementation of the projects.
Aniagwu linked the intervention to the administration’s MORE Agenda, which he said was designed to extend government development programmes beyond major urban centres to communities across Delta State.
He also explained the decision to hold the State Executive Council meeting in Warri rather than Asaba, saying it reflected the governor’s commitment to decentralising government activities and giving residents outside the state capital a greater sense of inclusion.
According to him, the Government House Annex in Warri had been upgraded to accommodate important government functions, including cabinet meetings.
However, the government is yet to publicly provide a breakdown of the N10 billion allocation, the individual project costs, the locations of the 92 beneficiary schools or the expected completion timelines.
