…dedicates award to Ondo teachers
…says teachers foundational to state’s development
* Teachers most important people in society — Alausa
* Digital Nigeria needs digitally equipped teachers — NUT
Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, on Monday, was honoured as the Best Governor in Education in Nigeria.
Aiyedatiwa received the Special Recognition Award from the Federal Ministry of Education at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day Commemoration held at Eagle Square, Abuja.
In his acceptance speech, the governor expressed appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Education, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, and other stakeholders for making the celebration a worthy one.
He dedicated the honour to teachers across Ondo State, describing their daily sacrifices as foundational to the development of the state.
Aiyedatiwa, who disclosed that he had previously been a teacher, said the experience remained an important part of his understanding of governance and the responsibility of standing before young minds to make knowledge meaningful to them.
He said he deliberately returned to the classroom in March 2025 to teach, not for ceremony, but to remind himself and demonstrate that teaching remained at the flagship of the educational enterprise.
According to him, education remained a long-term investment in the character, capacity and productive strength of the people of Ondo State, adding that the conviction was firmly embedded in his administration’s seven-pillar OUR EASE development agenda.
The governor said his administration had focused on expanding access, improving quality, strengthening the teaching profession, modernising learning environments and preparing young people for a rapidly changing future.
He disclosed that more than 2,100 teachers were recruited into primary and secondary schools in 2025, while the government continued to invest in professional development, including digital and pedagogical training, climate-smart instructional programmes and quality-assurance capacity.
Aiyedatiwa said 43 new classroom blocks were constructed in 2025 at a cost of about N3.1 billion, while 75 schools underwent complete renovation.
He added that 8,500 learners’ furniture and 1,200 teachers’ furniture were procured, alongside sports equipment, textbooks and other learning materials.
According to him, learning resources worth more than N150 million were distributed across the three senatorial districts, while computer textbooks were provided to learners in all 18 local government areas.
He said the 2026 budget also provided for further construction and rehabilitation of basic schools, stressing that rebuilding education was a continuous process.
Beyond basic and secondary education, Aiyedatiwa said his administration had approved the establishment of a College of Nursing at Igbokoda and a College of Education at Aboto, expanding opportunities for professional and teacher education.
The governor also said teachers’ salaries and allowances had been paid regularly, while the government continued to defray inherited gratuity arrears owed to retired public servants, with retired teachers constituting a significant proportion of the beneficiaries.
“This is not merely a fulfilment of an obligation; it is a message to those still in service that government remembers their sacrifice and that their future is secure,” he said.
On access to education, Aiyedatiwa said the government had established and taken over community secondary schools, expanded opportunities for young people and provided free shuttle buses and boats to ease transportation challenges for students.
He disclosed that N633.9 million was paid in 2026 for WAEC registration of 23,048 students in public schools, while NABTEB examinations were also fully sponsored.
The governor said N350 million and N400 million were committed to bursary and scholarship support for tertiary students in 2025 and 2026 respectively, while OSOPADEC provided N286.7 million in bursaries to 4,837 students.
He said the government had also recognised outstanding academic performance, including students who excelled in the 2026 UTME and those who distinguished themselves in national and international competitions.
Aiyedatiwa said his administration was embracing digital education through partnerships, including its collaboration with EIDU, which had introduced AI-powered learning tools, smartphones and structured literacy programmes.
He added that digital literacy initiatives had placed thousands of tablets in public schools, while computer laptops were being provided to digitally trained teachers as part of preparations for Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies.
He further said the One Youth, One Skill initiative and the O’datiwa Skills Development Enterprise Centres were opening pathways for young people interested in technical skills, entrepreneurship and enterprise alongside conventional academic routes.
The governor said the theme of the celebration, “Protecting and Advancing the Status of the Teaching Profession in a Rapidly Changing World”, spoke directly to the state’s experience.
“If we truly desire a knowledge-driven society, we must give teachers the tools to teach, the environment to work, the dignity they deserve and the opportunity to continually renew their knowledge,” he said.
Aiyedatiwa dedicated the recognition to every teacher in Ondo State, including those in urban centres, communities and difficult circumstances and those whose quiet sacrifices might never make the headlines.
He described their work as foundational, saying their influence might often be invisible but its significance was enduring.
“When we educate a child, we do more than change one life. We strengthen a family, enlarge the possibilities of a community and increase the productive capacity of a State,” he said.
The governor, on behalf of the government and people of Ondo State, thanked the Federal Ministry of Education for the recognition, describing it as an encouragement to do more, reach further and remain steadfast in the commitment to “Education with Ease”.
“For our children, for our teachers and for the future of Ondo State, the work continues,” he said.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, in his address, described teachers as the most important people in society, saying their contribution to educating Nigerian children and youths was crucial to the country’s future.
Alausa said teachers in both public and private schools performed one of the most consequential responsibilities in society and deserved opportunities for professional development and recognition.
He said technology and artificial intelligence were changing the learning environment and could help teachers improve their work and better support children.
The minister stressed the need for teachers to use the tools responsibly in the interest of the Nigerian child.
He identified stronger institutions, skills for a changing economy, reliable data contributions, improved teacher welfare and continuous professional development as important areas requiring attention.
Alausa also urged teachers to pursue excellence and authenticity in their profession.
In her welcome address, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, said the welfare and retention of teachers remained a priority of the Federal Government.
She said teachers were now expected to build foundational skills, respond to different learning needs, use new technologies and prepare young people for a constantly changing world.
“Those expectations are reasonable. So is a teacher’s expectation of good preparation, useful material, fair treatment, safety, timely career progression and respect,” she said.
Ahmad said the government’s goal should go beyond getting teachers and children into classrooms to ensuring that children learnt while they were there.
She said the Acceleration Teacher Professionalisation Project offered teachers who needed more professional qualifications a route towards transition while they continued to teach.
The minister added that attention was also being given to teachers’ welfare and retention through partnership with the American National Teacher Partnership.
“Your welfare and retention is a priority for this administration,” she said.
On his part, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, urged teachers to uphold the highest standards of professional development, integrity, accountability and dedication to humanity.
Enitan said character and values were required to build a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable nation, adding that every profession and institution depended directly or indirectly on the quality of education provided by teachers.
He said strengthening the teaching profession was not merely an educational sector responsibility but a national development responsibility.
The Head of Service identified the accelerated teacher professionalisation pathway as important to producing qualified, certified and licensed teachers.
He also cited technology-enabled initiatives, including the Federal Ministry of Education E-Learn platform, as providing curriculum and learning resources to support teachers in lessons, learning and classroom instruction.
“As we celebrate this important day, let us be aware that investing in teachers is investing in Nigeria’s future,” he said.
Also speaking, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Titus Amba, represented by the Deputy National President, Comrade Kizito Kalu, said the status of teachers reflected the value a nation placed on its future.
Amba said if Nigeria wanted better schools, it must invest in better conditions for teachers, while innovative learners required the empowerment of innovative teachers.
He said a digitally transformed Nigeria required teachers equipped with the digital skills and tools needed for the new age.
The NUT president called for a move “from celebration to action, from promises to implementation and from recognition to sustained investment”.
He said teachers were not only teaching subjects but were “building lives, shaping minds, developing citizens” and building Nigeria.
He called on teachers to work together to promote a bright and prosperous future for the country and its citizens.
In attendance were the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Taiwo Fasoranti; Chief of Staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa; Head of Service, Chief Segun Odusanya; Commissioner for Education, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun; Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr Seun Osamaye; Commissioner for Culture, Adesoji Afolabi; Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kayode Ajulo, SAN; Special Adviser to the Governor on Public and Intergovernmental Relations, Hon Princess Kikelomo Ikuomola; and members of the Ondo State House of Assembly, among others.
