A Technical Drawing teacher with James Hope College, Agbor, Delta State, Taiye Abanika, has emerged winner of the 2021 Maltina Teacher of the Year.

With his emergence as winner of the seventh edition of the initiative, Abanika will receive a total cash prize of N6.5 million (N1.5million immediately and N1million yearly for the next five years) from Nigerian Breweries – Felix Ohiwerei Trust Fund.

Apart from the cash gift, he would also be rewarded with other incentives, including an all-expense paid capacity development training abroad, a fully equipped computer laboratory or six-classroom block worth N20 million to be built for his school in his honour.

A teacher with Government Day Secondary School, Yonko, Taraba State, Isaac Terver Pev, emerged first runner-up winning a total sum of N1.5 million, while Margaret Ngozi Ofordum, a teacher with Government Science and Technology College, Garki, Abuja, emerged second runner-up with a prize money of N1, 250.000.00 while other 30 teachers who emerged as state champions were also rewarded with a sum of N500, 000.00 each.

Speaking at the event, Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, lauded the company’s unwavering commitment to recognising and rewarding teachers through the initiative. He noted that their immense support has contributed greatly in motivating teachers not only in expanding beyond borders (as witnessed in the representation of Nigeria at the global stage) but also in reaching their full potentials.

In his welcome address, Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Hans Essaadi, explained that the initiative was designed to recognise, celebrate and reward amazing men and women, who through their daily work as teachers, have contributed tremendously to building solid foundation for the society we live in.

“A good teacher inspires hope, ignites the imagination and instills a love of learning – literally shaping and changing lives. As individuals, a great part of who we are today, and what we have achieved in life, can be traced back to the education we received from our teachers,” Essaadi added.

Commissioner for Education in Lagos State, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, who represented governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, expressed appreciation to Nigerian Breweries Plc for their effort and tenacity in celebrating exceptional teachers through the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative, stating that such contribution would go a long way to improve performance among students and motivate teachers generally to take pride in the profession.

Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mrs. Sade Morgan, who commended the invaluable contributions of teachers to shaping lives and grooming leaders, stated that this year’s edition recorded an impressive number of entries from 36 states of the federation, including Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the initiative received a total of 1085 entries.

While applauding the panel of judges for their transparency, professionalism, rigour and tenacity in determining winners, Morgan noted that the calibre of the top 10 finalists, including the eventual winner, truly attests to the creativity and practicality that were adopted in the evaluation process for this year’s edition.

Speaking shortly after he was announced as winner of the coveted prize, Abanika expressed gratitude to Nigerian Breweries Plc for restoring pride to the teaching profession by recognising and rewarding teachers through the initiative.

Since inception, the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative has produced seven grand winners, Rose Nkemdilim Obi, Anambra (2015), Imoh Essien, Akwa Ibom (2016), Felix Ariguzo, Delta State (2017), Olasunkanmi Opeifa (2018), Ezem Collins (2019) and Oluwabunmi Anani (2020).

The Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund was set up in 1994 with a start-up capital of N100m to enable sustained quality education through structured intervention in the sector.

In 2015, Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund introduced the Maltina Teacher of the Year, a national competition, to identify, honour and reward outstanding teachers in Nigeria.