Uchechukwu Nnaike
Busayo Adeyemo of Lanre Awolokun High School, Gbagada, Lagos, has emerged as the winner of the twelfth Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition.
Adeyemo, who was declared the winner at the competitors’s grand finale in Lagos, acquired a ₦10 million money prize, a Honda HR-V, an all-expenses-paid abroad capability growth coaching, and a yr’s provide of Maltina. The Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund may also construct a ₦30 million college infrastructure challenge in her honour.
In addition, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu rewarded her with a 3-bedroom condominium. She additionally received the Maltina Prize for Best STEM Teacher, value ₦1.5 million.
The first runner-up, Yusuf Cariyat of Wisdom International School of Excellence (WISE), Sauka, Lugbe, Abuja, acquired ₦5 million, whereas the second runner-up, Ephraim Jacob Inyangudo of Comprehensive Secondary School, Ediene Abak LGA, Akwa Ibom State, acquired ₦3 million.
Also, 17 different lecturers who emerged as state champions acquired ₦1 million every for his or her excellent efficiency and dedication to excellence in instructing.
The host, Sanwo-Olu, recommended Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund (NB-FOETF) for its dedication to honouring lecturers by deploying company sources to raise them.
He described the belief fund’s intervention as the finest option to deepen partnership between the firm and the public sector whereas additionally delivering its company social obligations.
President Bola Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, said that the belief fund, via the competitors, not solely gave lecturers their due recognition, visibility, dignity and reward via its funding in school rooms, libraries and studying amenities but additionally improved the studying atmosphere.
Tinubu expressed readiness to associate with NB-FOETF for its deliberate long-term assist for out-of-school youngsters, via its new initiative, to start in 2027. According to him, the initiative will construct on the belief fund’s long-standing concentrate on lecturers and studying environments whereas increasing entry for extra Nigerian youngsters.
The Chairman, NB-FOETF, and Managing Director, NB Plc, Thibaut Boidin, defined that the competitors, since its inception, has celebrated excellent educators throughout Nigeria whereas recognising their contribution to society’s progress.
He stated this yr’s version is symbolic, as it coincides with the firm’s eightieth anniversary, Maltina’s fiftieth, and the belief fund’s 32 years of investing in schooling. While commending lecturers for his or her labour and sacrifices for future generations, he famous that instructing shouldn’t be seen as a occupation, however an act of service to the nation.
“Tonight, we see your commitment, the sacrifices, surprises that may never appear on a report card. We see the extra time you give to a struggling student, the patience, the courage and the optimism required to keep believing in the next generation. We honour you, and we thank you,” Boidin stated.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, applauded the NB-FOETF for sustaining a platform that honours educators {and professional} excellence in instructing by investing in the basis of Nigeria’s future. He stated NB-FOETF’s recognition of excellent lecturers and assist for varsity infrastructure clearly exhibit how company funding can meaningfully contribute to the schooling system.
“I am particularly pleased that the Trust Fund is extending its intervention to address the challenges of out-of-school children, which aligns perfectly with the pressing national priority,” he added.
The Public Relations Officer, NB-FOETF/Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Uzodinma Odenigbo, disclosed that the competitors has thus far honoured 305 excellent lecturers, supported faculties with instructional infrastructure, and delivered 11 college infrastructure initiatives.
According to him, this yr’s version recorded a 30 per cent enhance in entries, with an unprecedented 2,510 entries from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, of which 2,243 had been legitimate. He thanked the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) for its partnership, which contributed to the sturdy participation, as effectively as different instructional stakeholders for his or her assist.
The companions, Union Bank Plc and Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited, recommended the belief fund and different stakeholders for his or her dedication in making the initiative successful and for recognising the individuals who form Nigeria’s future, one learner at a time.
A Slum2School Africa scholar, Mariam Alade, who delivered the keynote, spoke on the must assist and empower lecturers, given their function in moulding the lives of youngsters who maintain Nigeria’s future.
The winner thanked NB-FOETF, the Lagos State authorities, and the companions for the reward, which she described as an enormous motivation to do extra.
“It’s a reminder that I have a responsibility not to relent but to keep giving my best, committing myself to teachers’ development in Lagos and Nigeria, keep advancing STEM education in Nigeria, and believing in the Nigerian children that tomorrow shall be great,” she stated.
Previous winners of the competitors are: Rose Nkemdilim Obi (2015); Imoh Essien (2016); Felix Ariguzo (2017); Olasunkanmi Opeifa (2018); Ezem Collins (2019); Oluwabunmi Anani (2020); Abanika Taiye (2021); Alaku Ayiwulu (2022); Adeola Adefemi (2023); Esomnofu Ifechukwu (2024); and Serah Yusuf (2025).
