A Lagos-based teacher, Busayo Adeyemo of Lanre Awolokun High School, Gbagada, has emerged winner of the 2026 Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition, receiving a ₦10 million cash prize, a Honda HR-V and a three-bedroom apartment, among other rewards.
Adeyemo was announced winner of the 12th edition of the competition at the grand finale held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
In addition to the cash prize and vehicle, she received an all-expenses-paid overseas capacity development training, a year’s supply of Maltina and a ₦30 million school infrastructure project to be executed in her honour by the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund.
She also won the Maltina Prize for Best STEM Teacher, attracting an additional ₦1.5 million, while Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced a three-bedroom apartment as a special reward for her achievement.
The first runner-up, Yusuf Cariyat of Wisdom International School of Excellence, Abuja, received ₦5 million, while Ephraim Jacob Inyangudo of Comprehensive Secondary School, Akwa Ibom State, emerged second runner-up with a ₦3 million prize.
Seventeen other teachers who emerged as state champions received ₦1 million each in recognition of their contributions to education.
Speaking at the event, President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, commended the Trust Fund for promoting teachers’ welfare, dignity and professional recognition through investments in classrooms, libraries and other learning facilities.
Tinubu also expressed the Federal Government’s readiness to partner with the Trust Fund on a proposed long-term intervention for out-of-school children scheduled to commence in 2027.
Similarly, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, praised the Trust Fund for using corporate resources to improve teachers’ welfare and strengthen public-private partnerships in the education sector.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, also commended the initiative, describing its recognition of outstanding educators and investment in school infrastructure as evidence of how corporate organisations could contribute to improving Nigeria’s education system.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund and Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Thibaut Boidin, said the competition remained dedicated to celebrating outstanding teachers and recognising their contributions to national development.
He noted that the 2026 edition was particularly significant as it coincided with Nigerian Breweries’ 80th anniversary, Maltina’s 50th anniversary and the Trust Fund’s 32 years of investment in education.
Also speaking, the Corporate Affairs Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc and Public Relations Officer of the Trust Fund, Uzodinma Odenigbo, disclosed that the competition recorded 2,510 entries from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, representing a 30 per cent increase from previous participation.
He added that 2,243 of the submissions were valid entries, noting that the initiative had recognised 305 outstanding teachers and supported schools through educational infrastructure projects, including 11 completed projects in its history.
In her acceptance remarks, Adeyemo expressed appreciation to the Trust Fund, the Lagos State Government and the competition’s partners, describing the awards as motivation to contribute further to teachers’ development and the advancement of STEM education in Nigeria.
The Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition was established in 2015 by the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund to identify, recognise and reward outstanding teachers across the country.
