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Tinubu, Alausa, Sanwo-Olu seek better deal for teachers
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By Gabriel Dike
A teacher with a Lagos State public school, Mrs Busayo Adeyemo, on Friday emerged the 12th Maltina Teacher of the Year champion.
Adeyemo, a Biology teacher at Lanre Awologun High School, Gbagada, beat 10 state champions out of 2,510 teachers who entered for the 2026 competition.
She was presented with a N10 million cheque and a brand-new Honda SUV, and will go on an international capacity-training programme, while her school will receive facilities worth N30 million.
The second position went to an Abuja teacher, Yusuf Cariyat, who was presented with a cheque for N5 million. The third position went to Ephraim Iyancudo, an Akwa Ibom teacher, who received N3 million.
Earlier, the management of Nigerian Breweries Plc awarded N1 million each to the 10 state champions.
The award ceremony attracted the representative of President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro; the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the First Lady of Lagos, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, Dr Muhammad Idris; the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin; a former chairman of Nigerian Breweries (NB), Chief Kola Jamodu; and the NB management team, led by the Managing Director, Thibaut Boidin.
In their speeches, President Tinubu, Alausa, Sanwo-Olu and Boidin acknowledged the contributions of teachers to the education system and the need to accord top priority to their welfare.
Tinubu described teachers as the first line of hope and said his administration would continue to give top priority to issues affecting them.
He stressed that teachers were critical to his vision of ensuring that every school child in the country received quality education.
“Nigerians are grateful to our teachers for the service they render to our children and the education system,” Tinubu stated.
The president also described education as a social investment that drove his administration’s commitment to ensuring that no child was left out of the classroom.
President Tinubu commended Nigerian Breweries for recognising teachers, saying the Maltina Teacher of the Year award had changed the narrative that teachers’ reward was in heaven.
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The Minister of Education, Dr Alausa, said every profession began with a teacher, stating, “We recognise excellence in teaching, we are investing in the foundation of Nigeria’s future.”
Alausa also acknowledged the hardworking men and women in the teaching profession who had shaped the prospects of children and the future of the nation.
His words: “In classrooms across Nigeria, teachers help young people acquire knowledge, discover their abilities and develop the confidence to pursue their aspirations. Their contribution deserves both public recognition and sustained support.”
He called for a renewed shared commitment to supporting teachers and ensuring that every Nigerian child had access to quality education.
The education minister commended Nigerian Breweries Plc, the Trust Fund and other partners for their continued contribution to the teaching profession.
In his remarks, Governor Sanwo-Olu said, because of the role teachers played in the education system, his administration would resuscitate the Lagos Teachers’ Merit Award with improved prizes for outstanding Lagos teachers.
Sanwo-Olu recalled that, at the last merit award, the state government presented 13 new cars to outstanding teachers in recognition of their contributions.
According to him, there is still a lot to be done for Nigerian teachers, and he informed the education minister that Nigerians were looking forward to him doing more for the sector.
An elated Sanwo-Olu, who recalled that the last time a teacher from the state won the Maltina Teacher of the Year award was in 2023, announced that the state government would present a three-bedroom flat to Mrs Adeyemo for making the state proud.
In his address, the Chairman of the Nigerian Breweries–Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust and Managing Director of NB Plc, Mr Thibaut Boidin, said teachers planted seeds in the classrooms and that it took years for positive outcomes to grow.
He acknowledged that teachers’ impact on the education system travelled far beyond the classroom and society, adding, “It is an act of serving the nation. NB sees the service you render and will continue to reward outstanding teachers.”
Boidin said the finalists carried the hope of a classroom and the society, and observed that the life of the winner would change and also rub off on her students.
