A science teacher from Gbagada, Lagos, has been named Nigeria’s best teacher of 2026, winning ₦10 million and a three-bedroom apartment from the Lagos State Government.
Busayo Victoria Adeyemo of Lanre Awolokun High School emerged winner of the 12th Maltina Teacher of the Year competition at the grand finale in Lagos on Friday, October 30. She also took the Best STEM Teacher prize.
The competition is run by the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund (NB-FOETF).
What she won
- ₦10 million cash
- A three-bedroom apartment, given by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
- A Honda HR-V car
- A fully paid overseas training programme
- A ₦30 million infrastructure project at her school
- An extra ₦1.5 million for the Best STEM Teacher award
- A year’s supply of Maltina
Premium Times reported that she said she was grateful and would keep giving her best to her students, support other teachers and push STEM education forward.
Runners-up
- First runner-up: Yusuf Cariyat, Wisdom International School of Excellence, Sauka, Lugbe, Abuja (₦5 million)
- Second runner-up: Ephraim Jacob Inyangudo, Comprehensive Secondary School, Ediene, Abak LGA, Akwa Ibom (₦3 million)
Seventeen other state champions received ₦1 million each.
Bigger than ever
Organisers said 2,510 teachers from all 36 states and the FCT entered this year, up about 30% from the previous edition, with 2,243 valid entries. Ten finalists from Abia, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, the FCT, Lagos, Ogun and Oyo made it to the final stage.
Since it began, the award has honoured 305 teachers. This year’s edition also marked 80 years of Nigerian Breweries, 50 years of the Maltina brand and 32 years of the education trust fund.
Government voices
Sanwo-Olu, who hosted the event, praised companies that invest in education and said such partnerships help improve learning in Lagos and across Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by Minister Bernard Doro, commended the trust fund and said the federal government would work with it on support for out-of-school children from 2027. Education Minister Tunji Alausa also praised the strong turnout of teachers.
Why it matters
Nigerian teachers, especially in public schools, often work with low pay, crowded classrooms and few resources. Awards like this one put a spotlight on teachers who make a difference despite those challenges, and the school projects that come with the prize can benefit hundreds of students.
Adeyemo’s win also highlights the growing push for science, technology, engineering and mathematics in Nigerian classrooms, as the country tries to prepare young people for a digital economy.
She follows FCT teacher Serah Yusuf, who won the 2025 edition.
Sources: Premium Times, ThisDay, BusinessDay.
