By Gabriel Dike
The Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc yesterday flagged off the 11th edition of the 2025 Maltina Teachers Award with a promise to surpass previous editions in terms of nationwide entries.
It announced an upgrade of prizes, noting that first runner-up would receive N6 million as against N3 million while second runner-up would get N3 million instead N2.5 million. The national winner and state champions prizes remains N10 million.
The organisers ruled out the inclusion of primary school teachers in the current edition of the competition as canvassed by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
Flagging off the competition, the Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Hans Essaadi, disclosed that stakeholders acknowledged the competition had made a positive impact on teachers since its inception in 2015.
Essaadi, who was represented by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Uzodinma Odenigbo, said the competition under the Felix Oheweri Education Trust Fund would kick off on June 24 and while entries would close on August 22.
According to him, since the inception of the award in 2015, the Nigerian Breweries Plc had celebrated 287 teachers, with 10 of them emerging as national champions.
He commended the NUT, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) and corporate organisations for supporting the initiative, which has made the award popular.
In her speech, the Marketing Director of NB Plc, Mrs. Sarah Agha, acknowledged that teachers play the role of shaping the future of Nigerian children and would continue to sponsor the Maltina Teachers Award.
She explained that the 2025 edition would surpass last year’s award with the highest entries.
In a keynote address, Mr. Odenigbo said the award had made an impact on the education sector, pledging that NB Plc would continue to raise the bar in subsequent award.
He said since 2015, the initiative had grown and impacted on Nigerian teachers. He appreciated stakeholders for supporting the award.
The Sustainability Manager of NB Plc, Mr. Seyi Olokun, revealed that Felix Oheweri Education Trust Fund took-off with a grant of N100 million and in 2015, it intervened in the teachers award.
Olokun noted that since the inception of the award, over 9,700 teachers had submitted entries, while 6,000 had qualified for the competition. He added that last year, Lagos State recorded the highest with 163 entries followed by Kaduna State with 152.
Chairman of NUT Lagos State Council, Mr. Akintoye Hassan, President of Lagos State ANCOPSS, Mr. Olusola Masheyi and TRCN Lagos State Coordinator, Princess Adaobi Ekwuno, commended the NB Plc for the initiative and pledged their support for the teachers award, as well as mobilisation of teachers in the state to participate in the 2025 edition.