- Delta State teacher, Taiye Abanika wins N6.5million
Experts have classified the year 2020 and 2021 as the most difficult business years in this decade yet the brewery giant, Nigerian Breweries has continued to fulfill on its corporate social responsibility initiatives.
One of such initiatives is Maltina Teacher of the Year, which recently held its 7th edition in Lagos where Taiye Abanika, a Technical Drawing teacher with James Hope College, Agbor, Delta State has emerged the winner of the 2021 Maltina Teacher of the Year.
Abanika was declared the winner at the Grand Finale held on Friday, October 15, 2021, at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
With his emergence as the winner of the 7th edition of the initiative, Abanika will receive a total cash prize of N6.5 million (N1.5million immediately andN1million annually for the next five years) from the 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 by the Fund.
Isaac Terver Pev, a teacher with Government Day Secondary School, Yonko Taraba State emerged the first runner-up winning a total sum of N1.5 Million. Margaret Ngozi Ofordum, a teacher with Government Science & Technology College, Garki, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, emerged as the second runner-up with a prize money of N1, 250.000.00 while other30teachers who emerged as state champions were also rewarded with a sum of N500, 000.00 each.
Speaking at the event, the Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof.Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Honourable Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba lauded the company’s unwavering commitment to recognizing and rewarding teachers through the initiative. He noted that their immense support has contributed a great deal in motivating the 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, the Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Hans Essaadi explained that the initiative was designed to recognize, celebrate and reward amazing men and women who through their daily work as teachers have contributed tremendously in 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.
Also speaking at the event, the Honourable Commissioner of Education, Lagos State, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo who represented the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu expressed appreciation to Nigerian Breweries Plc for their relentless effort and tenacity in celebrating exceptional teachersthrough the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative stating that such contribution would go a long way to improve performance among the students and motivate teachers generally to take pride in the profession.
In herremarks, the Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mrs. Sade Morgan whocommended 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 the Federal Capital Territory as the initiative received a total of 1085 entries.
While applauding the panel of judges for their transparency, professionalism, the rigour and the tenacity in determining the winners, Morgan noted that the calibre of the top 10 finalists including the eventual winner truly attests to the creativity and practicality that were adoptedin the evaluation process for this year’s edition.
Speaking shortly after he was announced as the winner of the coveted prize, Taiye Abanika expressed gratitude to Nigerian Breweries Plc for restoring pride to the teaching profession by recognizing 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), ImohEssien, Akwa Ibom (2016), Felix Ariguzo, Delta State (2017), Olasunkanmi Opeifa, FCT (2018), Ezem Collins(2019), Oluwabunmi Anani(2020) and now Abanika Taiye(2021).
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.
Maltina Teacher of the Year is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education other stakeholders in education including the Nigeria Union of Teachers(NUT), All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPPS) and Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN).
