Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers on
Saturday approved special financial intervention for development of
schools handed over to churches by the state government.
Wike announced this at an interactive session with religious leaders in Port Harcourt.
He said the state government took the
decision after it discovered that most of the schools returned to
missionary owners were in various stages of disrepair.
The governor also announced the establishment of an economic development fund for church members in the state.
He said, “This economic development fund
will assist church members with health and business challenges to get
back to their feet.
“This is like a social scheme that will
assist indigent church members in these trying times, and not a fund
meant to build churches, but an empowerment for less privileged members.
“I have also directed the Commissioner
for Education and the Special Adviser on Religious Matters to liaise
with owners of missionary schools to work out modalities for the
intervention scheme.”
Wike charged the church leaders to
present a united front as they work toward creating the right
environment for upgrade of the schools.
He attributed the current peace in the state to prayers of clergymen who supported the work by security agencies.
The governor urged church leaders to pray for free and fair conduct of both national and state legislative elections.
Wike said the state Ministry of Finance
had credited salaries and pensions to bank accounts of workers captured
late in the bio-metric exercise.
Earlier, Archbishop of Niger Delta Province, Most Rev. Ignatius Kattey, lauded Wike for development of the state.
“We also commend the interactive session
and for setting up a vibrant state executive council that has worked
hard to develop the state,” Kattey said.
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