Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has approved a fresh package of incentives and reforms for teachers, in the state.

The incentives include approval of N50,000 wardrobe allowance for each of the 20,000 teachers, in the state, recruitment of an additional 2,000 teachers and the completion of teachers’ House along IBB Way within six months.

Governor Eno also directed the constitution of an emergency education committee to undertake holistic reforms in the sector, ordering the retraining of teachers.

He mandated the Deputy Governor and Secretary to the State Government to work out measures aimed at raising the standard of education across the state.

He further directed an inter-ministerial committee to take over the construction of teachers’ House along IBB Avenue and ensure their completion within six months, while announcing a N500,000 intervention for each of the 1,776 registered private schools in the state to enable them to extend the gesture to their teachers.

The governor announced this on Monday, October 5, 2026, at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration organised by the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Akwa Ibom State Wing.

The theme of the celebration was “Standing with Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing its Status and Shaping Our Futures.”

Governor Eno said the measures were part of his administration’s commitment to rewarding teachers, improving their welfare and strengthening the education system, stressing that his administration believes that “teachers’ rewards begin here on earth.”

He said education remained a major pillar of his administration’s governance blueprint, represented by the letter “E” in the ARISE Agenda, adding that since May 29, 2023, his government had renewed attention to basic and post-basic pre-tertiary education.

According to him, his administration had constructed and furnished 38 model primary schools, at least one in each local government area, with facilities including solar power, ICT centres, sick bays, libraries, assembly halls and teachers’ residences.

The governor said the state had consistently met its counterpart funding obligations to the State Universal Basic Education Broad, SUBEB, noting that his administration had now committed N15 billion as counterpart funding, with SUBEB interventions reaching more than 100 schools in the state.

He added the government had sustained the free and compulsory education policy and consistently paid WAEC and NECO examination fees for Akwa Ibom indigenes, noting that 172,000 candidates had been registered for examinations.

Governor Eno also announced that the recently passed law transforming the Akwa Ibom State College of Education into the Akwa Ibom State University of Education would soon become operational, with Professor Philip Afaha appointed Vice-Chancellor to commence the accreditation processes, while other members of the governing board would be announced before the end of the week.

He assured teachers across the tertiary, secondary, primary, nursery and private-school sectors of continued government support, declaring that his administration would not play politics with education.

Addressing newly recruited teachers, Governor Eno said the government had earlier approved the recruitment of 1,000 teachers and had now approved another 2,000, with the recruitment portal open for applications.

He urged applicants to familiarise themselves with the civil service rules, stressing that performance at an oral interview alone would not guarantee employment, as dressing, conduct and other considerations would also be assessed.

The governor also thanked teachers for their support and endorsement of his administration, as well as their support for President Bola Tinubu and Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and called for continued partnership in building a knowledge-driven and excellent society.

Reflecting on the importance of teachers, Governor Eno recalled a billboard he once saw which read, “If you are able to read this, thank your teacher,” and aligned himself with Malala Yousafzai’s famous description of the transformative power of education, that one child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.

He described teachers as agents of change and asked, “Where will you be without a teacher?”, stressing that teachers represent knowledge and remain central to the development of society.

Earlier, the Chairman of the NUT, Akwa Ibom State Wing, Comrade Edet Emenyi described the celebration as an epoch-making event and commended Governor Eno for personally honouring teachers and sustaining policies that had improved their welfare.

The NUT chairman, on behalf of teachers in the state, endorsed Governor Eno for a second term, describing teachers as developers of the state and the nation.

In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of the National President of the NUT, Comrade Audu Titus Amba, represented at the event by the 12th Vice-President, Comrade Ofonime Ekanem, described the 2026 celebration as unique and called for improved welfare and a new minimum wage for teachers.

Delivering the keynote address, Professor Aniedi Usoro, Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Uyo, said standing with teachers and shaping the future required sustained investment in teachers’ welfare, training and professional development.

He commended the governor for providing staff quarters in the model schools urging government to do more on teachers’ welfare as an investment in the future of the state.

Representatives of the newly recruited teachers also expressed appreciation to Governor Eno for giving them the opportunity to serve.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Pastor David Ukpong said the beneficiaries were not merely receiving appointment letters but had already assumed duty, promising to support the governor and vote for him in 2027.

The State Commissioner for Education, Professor Ubong Umo, said Governor Eno was progressively strengthening the education sector to ensure continuity, noting that the administration had left a strong footprint at the basic education level and had made significant interventions at the secondary and tertiary levels.

Professor Umo said the governor was giving back to the education sector that had contributed to his own development, describing his administration as committed to improving the quality of education and creating a better future for Akwa Ibom children.

A major highlight of the celebration was the endorsement of Governor Umo Eno for a second term by a coalition of teachers and education stakeholders in Akwa Ibom State.

Speaking on behalf of their respective groups, including retired teachers, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Sunny James, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and private school operators, Akparawa David Nkanga, NUT Deputy Chairman Comrade Michael Udofia and Raymond Uko pledged their total support for the Governor.

They commended Governor Eno for his interventions in the education sector, payment of teachers’ allowances and efforts to clear inherited gratuity arrears owed to teachers, describing the measures as evidence of his commitment to their welfare and the development of education in the state. (This Day)

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