Maltina Teacher of the Year Awards: Honouring the Heart of Nigerian Education (2015–2025)
It has been over a decade since Maltina took up the baton to celebrate the unsung heroes of Nigeria’s education sector. Over the years, the Maltina Teacher of the Year Awards has grown into one of the country’s most inspiring platforms for recognising educators whose passion, innovation and leadership shape young lives and strengthen communities.
What began as a thoughtful idea has evolved into a respected national institution. Today, the awards honour teaching excellence, build professional pride, and invest directly in educational progress across Nigeria.
A Vision Rooted in Long-Term Educational Commitment
The Maltina Teacher of the Year Awards was launched in 2015 by Nigerian Breweries Plc through its Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund, a long-standing foundation committed to improving the quality of education in Nigeria. The Trust Fund itself was established in 1994 with a seed capital of ₦100 million to support impactful educational initiatives, including school infrastructure, scholarships and teacher development programmes.
At its core, the initiative was designed to recognise and celebrate exceptional teachers across Nigeria. Since its first edition, the programme has grown steadily and is now widely regarded as a national benchmark for excellence in teaching, drawing participation from every region of the country.
The Mission: Raising the Status of Teaching
At the heart of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Awards is a clear mission to restore dignity, visibility and pride to the teaching profession. The programme exists to:
- Celebrate excellence in secondary school teaching across Nigeria.
- Elevate public perception of the teaching profession.
- Reward creativity, dedication and student-focused practice.
- Support long-term educational growth through training and school investment.
Supported by key stakeholders such as the Federal Ministry of Education, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) and the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), the awards reflect a shared national belief that teachers are central to sustainable development.
How the Awards Work: From Classroom Impact to National Honour
Each year, teachers from public and private secondary schools across Nigeria are invited to submit entries that highlight their classroom achievements, teaching innovations, leadership qualities and community impact. Applications are first assessed at the state level, where State Champions emerge from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
From this pool, a national panel of judges selects the final winners through a rigorous and transparent evaluation process. Participation has continued to grow steadily. In the 2025 edition, the programme received over 2,000 entries, the highest number in its history, reflecting increased trust, credibility and enthusiasm among teachers nationwide.
What Winners Receive: Recognition with Real Impact
The Maltina Teacher of the Year Awards goes far beyond applause and certificates. It provides tangible support that enables teachers to deepen their impact.
- National Winner: ₦10 million cash prize, an all-expense-paid overseas professional development trip, and a ₦30 million school infrastructure project built in the winner’s honour.
- Runners-Up: Significant cash prizes for first and second runners-up.
- State Champions: Cash awards recognising excellence within their states.
These rewards allow winners to reinvest in their schools, improve learning resources and extend their influence into their communities, turning recognition into sustainable educational progress.
A Decade of Excellence: National Winners (2015–2025)
Since its inception, the awards have celebrated a growing list of educators whose influence extends far beyond the classroom:
- 2015 – Mrs. Rose Nkemdilim Obi
- 2016 – Mr. Imoh Essien
- 2017 – Mr. Felix Ariguzo
- 2018 – Mr. Olasunkanmi Opeifa
- 2019 – Mr. Ezem Collins
- 2020 – Mrs. Oluwabunmi Anani
- 2021 – Mr. Abanika Taiye
- 2022 – Mr. Alaku Ayiwulu
- 2023 – Ms. Adeola Adefemi
- 2024 – Mr. Esomnofu Ifechukwu
- 2025 – Ms. Serah Yusuf
The 2025 national winner, Serah Yusuf, an English and Literature teacher from Wisdom International School of Excellence in the FCT, Abuja, received the grand prize of ₦10 million, international training and infrastructure support for her school. She was recognised for her innovative classroom practices and deep commitment to empowering students.
Impact Beyond Prizes
Over the years, the Maltina Teacher of the Year Awards has recognised 278 teachers nationwide and supported infrastructure improvements in dozens of communities. Its influence has encouraged peer-to-peer learning, boosted teacher morale and sparked national conversations about teaching quality, professionalism and impact.
For many recipients, the award becomes a springboard for wider contributions, including mentoring other teachers, launching educational initiatives, supporting underserved learners and advocating for systemic reform.
How Does Celebrating Teachers Align with the Core Principle of the TeacherFIRE® Revolution?
At the heart of our commitment is a simple conviction: the number one responsibility of education is Child Safeguarding and Protection, and the professionals at the epicentre of that mandate are teachers. In this sense, we hold that teachers’ rights are children’s rights, and children’s rights are teachers’ rights, because, largely (though not always), how a society treats teachers is reflected in how teachers are able to treat children.
Only a few people are intrinsically motivated. For most people, sustained motivation without expectation of reward does not happen by accident, it is formed through initiation into a culture, and culture takes time. Even then, not everyone will fully internalise it. Likewise, external motivation alone does not reliably change behaviour unless the culture has been established and entrenched.
This is why two tracks must run together:
- External motivation, through dignifying remuneration, recognition, and credible awards (such as Maltina’s and others).
- Culture-building, the deliberate entrenchment of Child Safeguarding and Protection as a shared mission, especially in Nigeria and across Africa, where teaching has been relegated for so long that many teachers understandably measure their worth by how national systems have treated them over the years.
It is in this light that we celebrate the Maltina Teacher of the Year Award as it marks a decade of outstanding consistency in appreciating the Nigerian teacher, and, by doing so, strengthening teachers’ commitment to the child: the child’s best interests, rights, protection, and the preservation of childhood.
This is how culture is built: beyond the basic minimum of compliance, which is only a surface away from non-compliance. Non-compliance is often driven by negligence and ignorance. Compliance is often driven by fear of consequences. But culture is driven by purpose and a sense of mission, and safeguarding that endures must ultimately be cultural, not merely legalistic.
Why This Matters Today
With one of the largest youth populations in Africa, Nigeria’s future depends heavily on the quality of its teachers. The Maltina Teacher of the Year Awards does more than celebrate excellence. It reshapes how society sees teachers, restores honour to the profession and inspires educators across the country to teach with purpose, integrity and heart.
In doing so, it stands as a practical expression of the TeacherFIRE®️ Revolution 2025 philosophy, which believes that, when teachers are valued, empowered, and mission-driven, children thrive, and nations move forward.
