Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has called for greater investment in teachers, saying educators must be provided with the tools, dignity and working environment required to effectively perform their duties, as he received a Special Recognition at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day Commemoration and President’s Teachers’ and Schools Excellence Awards held at Eagle Square in Abuja on Monday.
Aiyedatiwa dedicated the recognition to teachers in Ondo State, saying their contribution to education and the development of society could not be measured solely by academic outcomes. “This honour is gratefully accepted, not as a personal award, but as a tribute to the teachers of Ondo State,” he said. “Whatever strides we have recorded in education have been made possible by the men and women who enter our classrooms every day, carrying more than lesson plans and textbooks. They carry the hopes of families, the aspirations of communities and, in many respects, the future of our dear Sunshine State.” The governor, who disclosed that he had previously worked as a teacher and returned to the classroom in March 2025, said the experience remained an important part of his understanding of governance. “Having been a teacher before, I know the classroom. I know the responsibility it entails; standing before young minds and trying to make knowledge meaningful to them,” he said.
The governor used the occasion to present a detailed account of his administration’s investments in education, framing them as evidence of his commitment to the sector. He disclosed that more than 2,100 teachers were recruited into public primary and secondary schools in 2025, while the government continued to provide digital, pedagogical and other professional training for teachers. He said the state constructed 43 new classroom blocks in 2025 at a cost of about N3.1 billion and completely renovated 75 schools. A further 8,500 learners’ furniture and 1,200 teachers’ furniture were procured, while learning resources worth more than N150 million were distributed across the three senatorial districts. Computer textbooks were also provided to learners across the state’s 18 local government areas, with additional school construction and rehabilitation projects provided for in the 2026 budget.
Beyond infrastructure, Aiyedatiwa said his administration had prioritised teachers’ welfare through the regular payment of salaries and allowances, as well as the settlement of inherited gratuity arrears owed to retired public servants, including a significant number of retired teachers. “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. He highlighted measures aimed at reducing barriers to education, including free shuttle buses and boats for students, payment of WAEC registration fees for pupils in public secondary schools and sponsorship of NABTEB examinations. He disclosed that N633.9 million was paid in 2026 for the WAEC registration of 23,048 students, while N350 million and N400 million were committed to tertiary students’ support in 2025 and 2026 respectively.
On the changing demands of education, Aiyedatiwa said governments could not prepare students for the future using only traditional learning tools. “The classroom of tomorrow cannot be built entirely with the tools of yesterday. 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. The governor’s emphasis on digital transformation aligns with the state’s broader education reforms. In November 2025, the Ondo State Government and the Federal Government jointly pushed for digital, data-driven education reforms, with Aiyedatiwa lamenting the decline in the value of the teaching profession and calling for improved welfare, merit-based recognition and continuous professional growth to restore dignity to teachers. “We must restore dignity to the teaching profession. Teachers are the bedrock of national progress and when they are empowered, the nation prospers,” he said at the time. In August 2026, his administration raised tertiary subventions by 60 per cent and approved a staff welfare agreement to strengthen institutions’ financial capacity and improve working conditions.
The governor’s commitment to teacher welfare has been acknowledged by education stakeholders in the state. The All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, Ondo State branch, commended the administration’s interventions in the education sector, particularly the recruitment of teachers, rehabilitation of schools and regular payment of teachers’ salaries and emoluments. In September 2026, the association’s president, Mr Olugbenga Aminu, noted that the recruitment of teachers had provided significant relief to public schools after years of manpower shortages caused by retirements, and he commended the state government for paying WAEC registration fees for students. The Nigeria Union of Teachers in Ondo State, through its chairman, Comrade Leke Ayodele, has also said the welfare of teachers remained a priority of the present administration. However, the ANCOPSS president noted that more teachers were still needed in many schools across the state, disclosing that some schools had resorted to engaging Parent-Teacher Association teachers to prevent disruption of academic activities.
The Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, has said the state government adopted Artificial Intelligence to assist teachers in the discharge of their duties, and that the ministry would continue to clamp down on unregistered schools, particularly those operating as miracle centres to facilitate examination malpractice. The commissioner emphasised that teachers, parents, communities, philanthropists and other stakeholders all had important roles to play in developing the education sector. The state’s approach to education also includes the absorption of teachers affected by irregularities in a previous recruitment exercise, following Governor Aiyedatiwa’s directive during the 2026 Workers’ Day celebration that all genuinely qualified applicants adversely affected by the irregularities be considered for absorption into the state’s public primary school teaching service.
The political context of the governor’s recognition is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, and Aiyedatiwa, who assumed office in December 2023 following the death of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, is expected to seek a fresh mandate. Education has emerged as a central plank of his administration’s seven-pillar development agenda, and the governor has consistently used public engagements to highlight his record in the sector. His emphasis on teacher welfare, infrastructure and access to education is designed to appeal to voters, particularly the large population of public sector workers and parents of school-age children in the state. The recognition from the Federal Government at the World Teachers’ Day commemoration also provides external validation of his administration’s education policies, reinforcing the narrative that Ondo State is making progress under his leadership.
For the teachers of Ondo State, the governor’s message offers both recognition and a promise of continued investment. For the students and families who depend on the state’s public education system, the investments in infrastructure, learning materials and examination fees represent tangible improvements in the conditions under which learning takes place. For the state government, the challenge lies in sustaining the momentum, ensuring that the teachers it has recruited are deployed to where they are needed most, and addressing the remaining gaps in manpower, infrastructure and teaching quality. As Aiyedatiwa put it, the classroom of tomorrow cannot be built entirely with the tools of yesterday, and if Nigerians truly desire a knowledge-driven society, they must give teachers the tools to teach, the environment to work, the dignity they deserve and the opportunity to continually renew their knowledge.
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