A Lagos State school teacher, Busayo Victoria Adeyemo, has emerged as the grand prize winner of the 2026 Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition.
Adeyemo, who teaches at LanreAwolokun High School at Gbagada, was unveiled at the grand finale and awards night held on Friday at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
For her performance, she received a ?10 million cash prize, a brand-new Honda HR-V, and an all-expense-paid overseas capacity development training. Additionally, her school will receive a ?30 million infrastructure project built in her honour by the competition’s organiser, the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund.
Yusuf Cariyat of Wisdom International School of Excellence, Abuja, emerged as the first runner-up, taking home ?5 million. Ephraim Jacob Inyangudo from Comprehensive Secondary School, Akwa Ibom State, secured the second runner-up position, winning ?3 million.
Organised to identify and celebrate outstanding educators across Nigeria, the initiative is run by the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund in partnership with Union Bank, Air Peace, Eko Hotels and Suites, and Honda Manufacturing Nigeria Limited.
The event drew prominent figures from politics, academia, banking, diplomacy, and manufacturing. Notable attendees included President Bola Tinubu( represented by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro; Lagos State Governor BabajideSanwo-Olu; Minister of Education Tunji Alausa; Chairman of the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund, Thibaut Boidin; the First Lady of Lagos, Dr IbijokeSanwo-Olu; the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, Dr Muhammad Idris; the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, MrsBimbolaSalu-Hundeyin;
Lagos State Commissioner for Basic Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun; and the Chairman of the Lagos State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Hassan Akintoye.
In her acceptance speech, an ecstatic Adeyemo expressed deep gratitude for the recognition. ‘I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to teach, inspire, and make a tangible difference in the lives of my learners,’ she said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu commended Nigerian Breweries Plc for its sustained investment in the education sector and its commitment to honoring educators. He described the competition as a highly credible platform for celebrating teaching excellence.
In his address earlier, the Chairman of the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust and Managing Director of NB Plc, Mr Thibaut Boidin, said teachers planted seeds in the classrooms and that it took years for positive outcomes to grow.
He acknowledged that teachers’ impact on the education system travelled far beyond the classroom and society, adding, ‘It is an act of serving the nation. NB sees the service you render and will continue to reward outstanding teachers.’