By Alifa Daniel, Consulting Editor
It was like a mini-Judgement Day in Nigeria! The President’s representative was there in judgment. Others from public and private institutions sat watching. And she was considered worthy of honour to be crowned the queen of teachers in a land of 560 people groups, nearly one million square kilometres of land, and over 230 million people!
In an age when awards are dished out for the mundane and vain, a teacher in a Lagos State public school, Mrs Busayo Adeyemo, did not have to wait for heaven to receive her reward. She got it right here on earth, and in Nigeria!
There was no waiting for the hereafter, no promises of a distant paradise. Instead, there was a princely N10 million cheque, the keys to a brand-new Honda HR-V SUV, an international capacity-building programme and a whopping N30 million worth of facilities for her school. Not all. She also received an additional N1.5 million for emerging the best Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teacher, as well as a year’s supply of Maltina.
The Lagos State Governor promised a three-bedroom flat for doing the state proud.
Indeed, it was a reward package fit for a queen of the classroom!
Her reward is not merely the impressive collection of prizes, the gleaming SUV, the millions of naira or even the promise of a new home. It is also the recognition that the quiet, painstaking work of moulding young minds matters; that the lessons taught today can change the course of tomorrow; and that those who spend their lives building other people’s futures deserve to have their own dreams celebrated.
For years, the teaching profession has carried the burden of a familiar consolation: a teacher’s reward is in heaven. But Adeyemo’s remarkable harvest suggests that, with the right recognition, commitment and investment, some of that reward can begin right here on earth.
Adeyemo, a Biology teacher at Lanre Awolokun High School, Gbagada, Lagos, emerged the 12th Maltina Teacher of the Year champion, beating 10 other state champions to the coveted crown. She was selected from a pool of 2,510 entries received for the 2026 competition, representing a 30 per cent increase over the previous edition.
Her triumph was not merely a personal victory. Her school, too, is expected to benefit from facilities worth N30 million, ensuring that the fruits of her achievement will extend to colleagues and students who share her educational environment.
She is not alone. An Abuja teacher, Mr Yusuf Cariyat, who emerged first runner-up, went home with a cheque for N5 million, while the third position went to Ephraim Jacob Inyangudo, an Akwa Ibom teacher, who received N3 million.
More teachers went home grinning from ear to ear. The management of Nigerian Breweries Plc also awarded N1 million each to the state champions, giving recognition and financial encouragement to outstanding educators across the country.
The competition has grown into one of Nigeria’s most prominent platforms for recognising excellence in teaching since its introduction in 2015. Over the years, it has provided an opportunity to celebrate teachers whose dedication, creativity and professional commitment have made remarkable differences in their classrooms and communities.
Adeyemo’s victory also places her in the company of previous national champions, including Rose Nkemdilim Obi, Imoh Enoh Essien, Felix Ariguzo, Olasunkanmi Opeifa, Ezem Collins, Oluwabunmi Anani, Abanika Taiye, Alaku Ayiwulu, Adeola Adefemi, Esomnofu Ifechukwu and Serah Yusuf, who won the 2025 edition.
Interestingly, Lagos State has produced another national champion in recent years. Adeola Adefemi won the competition in 2023, making Adeyemo’s triumph another moment of pride for the state.
The 2026 edition was particularly symbolic for Nigerian Breweries, coinciding with the company’s 80th anniversary, Maltina’s 50th anniversary and the 32nd anniversary of the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund. Thus, the celebration was not only about rewarding outstanding teachers but also about reflecting on decades of corporate involvement in educational development.
The creme de la creme of Nigerian society were there to honour the teachers at the award ceremony. They included a 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; and a former chairman of Nigerian Breweries, Chief Kola Jamodu.
Also present was the Nigerian Breweries management team, led by its Managing Director, Mr 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 schoolchild 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 a teacher’s reward was in heaven.
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.
Indeed, the Trust Fund’s involvement in education goes beyond the annual award ceremony. Established in 1994, the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund has supported educational development through the construction and furnishing of classrooms, provision of libraries and sanitary facilities, scholarships and other interventions.
Its projects have included more than 430 classrooms and educational facilities in communities across the country. The Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative is therefore one aspect of a broader effort to improve the quality of education and recognise those at the heart of its delivery.
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 was 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.
It was a fitting additional reward for a teacher whose achievement had brought honour to her state. From her classroom in Gbagada to the national stage, Adeyemo’s success had become a source of inspiration for her colleagues and a moment of pride for Lagos.
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 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 into society.
He said: “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 society, and observed that the life of the winner would change and also rub off on her students.
Beyond the generous prizes, however, the organisers’ message was that the award should inspire a renewed appreciation of teaching as a profession and a calling. The ultimate beneficiaries, after all, are the children whose lives are shaped by the dedication and sacrifices of their teachers.
The importance of this wider impact was also demonstrated by the experience of the 2025 winner, Serah Yusuf. Her school in Abuja subsequently benefited from a digital learning centre, equipped to help students develop digital skills and prepare for computer-based examinations. It was another indication that recognising an outstanding teacher could translate into tangible benefits for an entire school community.
There was also a forward-looking dimension to the President’s message. Tinubu indicated his administration’s readiness to partner with the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund on a proposed long-term intervention for out-of-school children, expected to commence in 2027. If successfully implemented, such a partnership could extend the benefits of educational investment beyond existing classrooms to children who have yet to gain access to formal education.
And that, perhaps, is the most beautiful part of Adeyemo’s story.
Her reward is not merely the impressive collection of prizes, the gleaming SUV, the millions of naira or even the promise of a new home. It is also the recognition that the quiet, painstaking work of moulding young minds matters; that the lessons taught today can change the course of tomorrow; and that those who spend their lives building other people’s futures deserve to have their own dreams celebrated.
For years, the teaching profession has carried the burden of a familiar consolation: a teacher’s reward is in heaven. But Adeyemo’s remarkable harvest suggests that, with the right recognition, commitment and investment, some of that reward can begin right here on earth.
And what a mouth-watering harvest it has been!