A primary school teacher, Solanke Francis Taiwo, has emerged as the Overall Best Teacher in Nigeria for 2025, winning N50 million, a brand-new car, and a fully furnished two-bedroom house.
Eleven other outstanding teachers, selected from a pool of nominees drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, also received N25m each.
The federal government had introduced a reward scheme to honour teachers for their dedication, innovation and impact on learning outcomes.
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The awards, totalling N325m, were presented at the Nigerian Teachers' Summit held in Abuja on Tuesday.
Solanke is a teacher at Ansar-ud-Deen Main School 1, Kemta-Ilawo, in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The 11 other awardees are Mrs David Kachollom Joseph of GSS Nyango-Gyel, Plateau State; Malam Musa Abubakar Garba of GSS Tudun Wada, Kaduna State; Ifetike Hope Chekwube of Government Technical College, Onitsha, Anambra State; Obafemi Peter Lawal of Oriwa Senior Model College, Ikorodu, Lagos State; Johanna Gilando and Bashar Hantsi of Argungu Emirate Model Primary School, Kebbi State.
Others are Blessing Ikong, Chinwe Ituma, Gombo Lawan, Khadijat Galadima and Okide Ochike.
Speaking at the event, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, described teachers as the "quiet architects of great nations," stressing that national development begins with quality teaching and effective learning.
She reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's commitment to investing in teacher welfare, professional development and skills acquisition.
As part of the reforms unveiled at the summit, the federal government launched the EduRevamp Portal, a national platform designed to deliver structured, performance-driven, continuous professional development for teachers in public and private schools, shifting the focus to competence, accountability, and measurable classroom impact.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the summit highlighted a "simple but powerful truth" that no nation can rise above the quality of its teachers, adding that empowering educators remains central to Nigeria's education reform agenda.
The President of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Titus Amba, warned that education reforms would remain fragile unless chronic underfunding and poor teacher welfare are addressed. "Inadequate funding is the major weakness undermining professionalism in the teaching profession," he said.
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