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 12 months’s provide of Maltina. The Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund may also construct a ₦30 million faculty infrastructure undertaking in her honour.
In addition, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu rewarded her with a 3-bedroom residence. She additionally received the Maltina Prize for Best STEM Teacher, price ₦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 academics 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, counseled Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund (NB-FOETF) for its dedication to honouring academics 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 duties.
President Bola Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, acknowledged that the belief fund, by means of the competitors, not solely gave academics their due recognition, visibility, dignity and reward by means of its funding in school rooms, libraries and studying amenities but additionally improved the studying surroundings.
Tinubu expressed readiness to accomplice with NB-FOETF for its deliberate long-term help for out-of-school kids, by means of its new initiative, to begin in 2027. According to him, the initiative will construct on the belief fund’s long-standing deal with academics and studying environments whereas increasing entry for extra Nigerian kids.
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 development.
He mentioned this 12 months’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 training. While commending academics 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 mentioned.
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 mentioned NB-FOETF’s recognition of excellent academics and help for college infrastructure clearly exhibit how company funding can meaningfully contribute to the training 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 academics, supported faculties with instructional infrastructure, and delivered 11 faculty infrastructure tasks.
According to him, this 12 months’s version recorded a 30 per cent improve in entries, with an unprecedented 2,510 entries from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, of which 2,243 have been legitimate. He thanked the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) for its partnership, which contributed to the robust participation, as effectively as different instructional stakeholders for his or her help.
The companions, Union Bank Plc and Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited, counseled the belief fund and different stakeholders for his or her dedication in making the initiative a hit 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 have to help and empower academics, given their position in moulding the lives of kids 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 mentioned.
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).
