Edo State to Return Missionary Schools to Catholic Church

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo has approved the return of several mission-owned schools to the Catholic Church, decades after they were taken over by the civil government during the nationwide secularization policy of the 1970s.

The decision was announced on Monday following a meeting between the Governor and the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Most Rev. Gabriel G. Dunia, at the Government House in Benin City.

Governor Okpebholo said a committee would be established to identify the specific schools slated for handover. He added that any of the schools currently undergoing renovation or development by the state would remain under government supervision until those projects are completed.

Among the institutions expected to be affected are some of Edo State’s most well-known mission schools, including Our Lady of Fatima College, Auchi; St. Angela’s Grammar School, Uzairue; St. John Grammar School, Fugar; St. Peter’s Grammar School, Agenebode; St. James’s Grammar School, Afuze; St. Joseph College, Otuo; St. Mary Grammar School, Eme-Ora; and St. Aloysius Gonzaga Grammar School, Ososo.

Speaking after the announcement, Bishop Dunia welcomed the decision as a long-overdue recognition of the Church’s role in shaping Nigeria’s educational and moral landscape.

“For years, we appealed to successive administrations to return our schools, but our efforts were unsuccessful,” he said. Bishop Dunia stated that the schools are essential not only for intellectual development but also for instilling moral values, which form the foundation of a just and disciplined society.