The Catholic Church in Edo State has listed a total of 36 primary and secondary schools to be returned to it by the state government.
TheHintsNews reports that the Edo State government recently announced that it would return missionary schools in the state back to the Churches that originally owned them.
The included Catholic secondary and primary schools are in Edo South and Edo Central Senatorial Districts.
The Chief Press Secretary to the state Governor, Fred Itua in a statement issued Tuesday revealed that schools to be handed over in Edo North have been named.
He explained that the expanded list of schools to be returned to the Catholic Church followed a landmark decision announced after the governor’s meeting with Bishop Gabriel Dunia of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi on Monday, June 16, 2025.
Dunia emphasised that the Catholic mission’s view of these educational institutions as crucial not only for intellectual development but also for cultivating “ideal moral character, which constitute the bedrock of good society.”
Beyond the previously identified institutions, the following schools, all formerly under the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, are now also slated for return to missionary control: Catholic Modern School, Oghada (now Oghada Grammar School); St. Kizito College, Eguaholor (now Eguaholor Grammar School); Christ the King College, Urhonigbe; St. Thomas Secondary School, Benin City (now Ogbe Secondary School); St. Mary Catholic School, Odiguetue (now Ehi Primary School) and St. Maria Goretti Girls’ Grammar School, Benin City, among others.
Itua noted that Okpebholo has assured of his commitment to forming a committee to precisely identify all schools for handover.
He added that the governor also clarified that any affected schools currently undergoing renovation by the State Government would remain under its supervision until completion.
Itua said: “This policy shift, decades after the forceful takeover of Catholic schools by the civil government in the 1970s, aims to address long-standing grievances.
“This comprehensive decision marks a significant step towards potentially enhancing educational standards through faith-based initiatives across Edo State.”
Other prominent institutions across the state expected to be affected by this policy, as earlier announced, include several schools from the Catholic Diocese of Auchi: Our Lady of Fatima College, Auchi; St. Angela Grammar School, Uzairue; St. John Grammar School, Fugar; St. Peter Grammar School, Agenebode; St. James Grammar School, Afuze; St. Joseph College, Otuo; St. Mary Grammar School, Eme-Ora and St. Aloysius Gonzaga Grammar School, Ososo