A primary school teacher from Ogun State has been named Nigeria’s Overall Best Teacher for 2025, receiving N50 million, a car and a fully furnished two-bedroom house at a national awards ceremony in Abuja.
A primary school teacher, Solanke Francis Taiwo, has emerged as the Overall Best Teacher in Nigeria for 2025, winning N50 million, a brand-new car, and a fully furnished two-bedroom house. Eleven other outstanding teachers, selected from nominees across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, also received N25 million each at the Nigerian Teachers’ Summit held in Abuja on Tuesday, where total awards of N325 million were presented as part of a federal government reward scheme recognising dedication, innovation and impact on learning outcomes.
Solanke teaches at Ansar-ud-Deen Main School 1, Kemta-Ilawo, in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State. The other awardees are Mrs David Kachollom Joseph of GSS Nyango-Gyel, Plateau State; Malam Musa Abubakar Garba of GSS Tudun Wada, Kaduna State; Ifetike Hope Chekwube of Government Technical College, Onitsha, Anambra State; Obafemi Peter Lawal of Oriwa Senior Model College, Ikorodu, Lagos State; Johanna Gilando and Bashar Hantsi of Argungu Emirate Model Primary School, Kebbi State, as well as Blessing Ikong, Chinwe Ituma, Gombo Lawan, Khadijat Galadima and Okide Ochike.
Speaking at the event, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, described teachers as the “quiet architects of great nations,” stressing that national development begins with quality teaching and effective learning, while reaffirming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to investing in teacher welfare, professional development and skills acquisition. As part of reforms unveiled at the summit, the federal government launched the EduRevamp Portal to deliver structured, performance-driven continuous professional development for teachers, while the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the summit underscored a “simple but powerful truth” that no nation can rise above the quality of its teachers.