Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has presented awards worth ₦119.5 million to outstanding teachers, school administrators, academics and schools across the state as part of activities marking the 2026 World Teachers’ Day.

The governor also announced plans by his administration to purchase shares in the ongoing Dangote Petroleum Refinery initial public offering for selected female teachers, as part of an initiative he said was intended to encourage investment and asset ownership among women.

AbdulRazaq announced the initiatives in Ilorin on Monday during the state’s World Teachers’ Day celebration.

Under the awards, 29 principals and head teachers received a combined ₦29 million, while 119 outstanding teachers received ₦59.5 million.

Eleven serving and retired university academics received ₦22 million under a pioneer professorship recognition award, while three schools shared ₦9 million after emerging winners of the Best Kept School Award.

The four categories bring the total value of the awards to ₦119.5 million.

AbdulRazaq said recognising outstanding teachers was intended to reward their contribution to education and encourage higher standards across schools in the state.

“We will continue to do our part, including improving your welfare and working conditions on a sustainable basis. We are confident that you and other stakeholders will always do your part,” he said.

“Our objective remains clear: to build an education system that gives every child in Kwara a fair opportunity to learn, develop useful skills and compete anywhere in the world. The quality of education we provide today will determine the quality of Kwara we have tomorrow.”

The governor said his administration’s education reforms had included recruitment of teachers through a merit-based process, continuous professional development, improvements to school infrastructure and the deployment of technology and data through KwaraLEARN.

He also cited the implementation of the 27.5 per cent Teachers’ Specific Allowance and regular promotions as part of efforts to improve teachers’ welfare.

According to him, teachers remain central to the state’s education strategy.

“When we came into office, we knew that improving the education sector was a top priority,” AbdulRazaq said.

“We also knew that this required more than building classrooms or increasing the number of teachers. We needed to improve the quality of teaching and learning itself as well as sustainably restore the dignity of our teachers.”

AbdulRazaq also disclosed that the government was discussing an arrangement with the Aliko Dangote Foundation aimed at introducing selected female teachers to share ownership.

He said the state planned to purchase shares in the ongoing initial public offering of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals for female teachers in outstanding public schools.

The governor said he had directed the Head of Service, Dr Olufunke Mercy Shittu, to develop modalities that could also accommodate outstanding retired female teachers.

“Before I conclude, we have been in discussion with Dangote Foundation and this discussion is about promoting investment culture among women, financial inclusion, investment, assets and shareholding,” he said.

According to AbdulRazaq, the proposed arrangement would involve the state purchasing shares for beneficiaries, with additional shares to be funded under an arrangement with the foundation.

“Our hardworking women teachers in TESCOM and SUBEB will get 10 shares each. We will also extend it to the retired female teachers so that peace and prosperity will go round them,” he said.

Details of the proposed arrangement, including the final number of teacher beneficiaries and eligibility requirements, were not immediately provided.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals IPO is currently open to investors, with the company offering shares to the public ahead of its planned listing.

Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, congratulated the award recipients and urged teachers to continue improving their professional skills.

He said the ministry would continue engaging stakeholders on teachers’ welfare, professional development and working conditions.

Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof Sheu Raheem Adaramaja, also announced that the government had approved the 2026 promotion exercise for teachers.

He said the promotion examination had been scheduled for Saturday.

Adaramaja said Kwara was expected to become the first state to conduct its 2026 promotion exercise for eligible teachers nationwide.

Former Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Kwara State and keynote speaker, Umar Farooq, urged the government and other stakeholders to continue creating conditions that would enable teachers to perform effectively.

He said support for teachers should be regarded as an investment in children and communities rather than simply assistance to a profession.

Kwara State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Yusuf Wahab Agboola, commended the government for investments in education infrastructure and teachers’ welfare.

Agboola, however, called on the state government to adopt the national harmonised retirement age for teachers, among other requests.

The event was attended by government officials, education administrators, labour leaders and representatives of the Nigeria Union of Teachers.

AbdulRazaq said his administration would continue to prioritise teachers’ welfare while pursuing improvements in teaching quality and educational outcomes across the state.