By Idongesit Mishael
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, used the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration to announce a sweeping package of education reforms and teachers’ welfare measures, anchored by a declaration of a total state of emergency in education.
The governor’s announcements covered public and private schools, teacher recruitment and welfare, professional development, infrastructure, examination funding and the restructuring of tertiary teacher education, with several of the interventions carrying specific financial commitments.
Here are the major promises and plans Eno placed before Akwa Ibom teachers:
* Education emergency: Eno declared a total state of emergency in the state’s education sector, directing the Deputy Governor, Akon Eyakenyi, herself a teacher, and the Commissioner for Education to constitute an Education Emergency Committee.
* Comprehensive education review: The committee is to undertake a holistic review of the sector and produce a comprehensive document outlining what must be changed, added or strengthened to improve educational outcomes.
* Digital education: The governor promised to continue the digitalisation of the state’s educational system as part of the emergency intervention.
* More innovation schools: Eno said the government would examine the establishment of more schools focused on innovation, particularly at the secondary and tertiary levels.
* N1bn wardrobe allowance for public-school teachers: With 20,000 state-employed teachers covered, the governor approved N50,000 per teacher, amounting to N1 billion, as wardrobe allowance. He said the measure was intended to support teachers’ professional appearance and confidence before their students.
* N888m support for private schools: The governor disclosed that Akwa Ibom has 1,776 registered private schools and approved N500,000 for each school to support their teachers. The intervention amounts to N888 million if fully disbursed across all the registered schools.
* Another 2,000 teachers to be recruited: After earlier approvals for teacher recruitment, Eno announced approval for another 2,000 teachers, saying the recruitment portal would soon open and applicants would undergo CBT and interviews.
* CBT is not automatic employment: The governor warned prospective recruits that scoring highly in the CBT would not guarantee employment, stressing that candidates must also meet civil service requirements and perform satisfactorily at the interview stage.
* Teacher training and retraining: Eno demanded continuous professional development for teachers, saying the emergency in education must be accompanied by improved teaching standards and measurable results.
* Greater accountability in classrooms: The governor said teachers would be expected to remain in school, teach their students effectively and take responsibility for learning outcomes. “To whom much is given, much is expected,” he said.
* N15bn SUBEB matching grant: Eno disclosed that his administration had released N15 billion as matching grant to the State Universal Basic Education Board, with interventions already carried out in more than 100 schools.
* 38 model primary schools: The governor said the administration had built and furnished 38 model primary schools, with at least one in each of the state’s 31 local government areas. The schools have solar power, ICT facilities, teachers’ residences, sick bays, libraries, games areas and assembly halls.
* N2bn-plus inherited pension obligation cleared: Eno said the administration had paid more than N2 billion owed under the inherited 7.5 per cent contributory pension obligation for teachers.
* 172,000 WAEC/NECO registrations: The governor said the state had so far registered 172,000 students for WAEC and NECO examinations, while maintaining its policy of paying examination fees for Akwa Ibom students.
* Teachers House to be completed in six months: Responding to a request from the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Eno directed an Inter-Ministerial Committee to take over the Teachers House project and ensure its completion within six months.
* University of Education gets a Vice Chancellor: Following the conversion of the Akwa Ibom College of Education into the Akwa Ibom University of Education, Eno named Professor Philip Afaha as Vice Chancellor and directed him to begin the process of securing the required accreditations.
* Education as the next major legacy: Eno said that after healthcare, education was the next major area his administration intended to bequeath to the next generation, arguing that education remained central to enabling young people to find their way in life.
The governor summed up the thrust of the new approach with a warning and a promise: government would continue to invest heavily in teachers and education, but teachers would be expected to deliver corresponding value in the classroom.
“We do not intend to play politics with education,” Eno said, insisting that teachers must be properly equipped with the tools required to perform their responsibilities.
