Edo children won’t lack access to quality education, Okpebholo assures

.As state partners WHO, others on Measles-Rubella vaccination 

By Adesina Wahab 

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has reiterated his commitment to ensure that no child in the state lacks access to quality education.

According to the governor, the state government will ensure the provision of state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure, qualified and well-motivated teachers, as well as policies that will take the state into higher education pedestal.

He stated this in Benin during the inauguration of the reconstructed Oredo Girls Secondary School.

“We are totally committed to the development and progress of all Edo children and we are not going to stop doing that. And that is why we have focused on building new schools, reconstructing many that have been in poor state as well as providing the modern facilities to make teaching and learning easy. We came into office a little over a year ago and we met many schools in terrible conditions.

” Teachers, students and even parents know what this school looked like before we started reconstructing it. We are doing all this because we want our schools to become centres of learning and excellence that will produce great men and women to take Edo State and Nigeria to greater heights,” he said.

The Principal of the school, Mrs Adesuwa Uwaifo, expressed profound appreciation for the governor’s intervention.

“Everything was run down. The classrooms were in terrible condition. The furniture and laboratories were just deplorable. Many classrooms have their roofs blown off and whenever it rained, the work for that day would stop. In fact, the school premises was a hideout for criminal elements and you can see the joy on the faces of teachers and students. We thank His Excellency for the intervention. He has saved the teachers and students from hardship,” she noted.

The Commissioner for Education, Dr Paddy Iyamu, thanked the governor for the zeal and desire to improve the lives of the people of the state though his many impactful projects.

” Mr Governor has shown that leadership quality is in what you do to make life easier and better for the people you lead. One can see that in the numerous policies and projects he has executed in various sectors and I am particularly delighted that people and organizations both within and outside the country are taking note of this and that has led to many recognitions and awards given His Excellency and the state government in the education sphere for instance,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Edo State Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Edo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and its development partners,WHO, UNICEF, C-WINS, Corona Management Systems, JSI, IVAC) has convened a sensitization meeting for education stakeholders at the Ministry of Education Conference Hall, Benin City.

The meeting formed part of strategic efforts to ensure the smooth and successful implementation of the forthcoming Measles–Rubella (MR) mass vaccination campaign scheduled to take place from 27 January to 7 February 2026. The campaign targets children aged 9 months to 14 years across Edo State.

The meeting was chaired by Dr Iyamu, who emphasized the critical importance of the measles–rubella vaccine in protecting children against highly contagious and life-threatening diseases. 

He noted that measles and rubella could result in severe complications, including pneumonia, brain damage, deafness, blindness, and death. He further stressed that the measles–rubella vaccine is safe, effective, and lifesaving, and plays a vital role in strengthening children’s immune systems, reducing school absenteeism due to illness, improving learning outcomes, and promoting a healthier and more productive future generation.

According to him, the vaccination exercise constitutes a crucial public health intervention that would significantly reduce childhood mortality and illness in Edo State.

Resource persons from the Edo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency sensitized participants on the safety and benefits of the vaccine, as well as the roles of schools and other stakeholders in mobilizing parents and guardians and ensuring unhindered access for vaccinators during the campaign.

The Honourable Commissioner urged all stakeholders to give full support to the campaign to ensure that no eligible child is left unvaccinated.

The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of the Edo State Government to safeguarding the health of children and eradicating vaccine-preventable diseases across the state.

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