Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has called for greater investment in teachers, saying educators must be provided with the tools, dignity and working environment required to effectively perform their duties.
Aiyedatiwa stated this on Monday in Abuja while delivering his acceptance speech after receiving a Special Recognition at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day Commemoration and President’s Teachers’ and Schools Excellence Awards held at Eagle Square.
The governor dedicated the recognition to teachers in Ondo State, saying their contribution to education and the development of society could not be measured solely by academic outcomes.
He said, “This honour is gratefully accepted, not as a personal award, but as a tribute to the teachers of Ondo State. Whatever strides we have recorded in education have been made possible by the men and women who enter our classrooms every day, carrying more than lesson plans and textbooks. They carry the hopes of families, the aspirations of communities and, in many respects, the future of our dear Sunshine State.”
Aiyedatiwa, who said he had previously worked as a teacher, recalled returning to the classroom in March 2025, describing the experience as important to his understanding of the challenges confronting educators.
“Having been a teacher before, I know the classroom. I know the responsibility it entails; standing before young minds and trying to make knowledge meaningful to them. That experience has remained an important part of my understanding of governance,” he said.
He said the state government had made education a major component of its seven-pillar development agenda, adding that the administration had focused on teacher recruitment, professional development, infrastructure and improved access to education.
According to him, more than 2,100 teachers were recruited into public primary and secondary schools in 2025, while the government continued to provide digital, pedagogical and other professional training for teachers.
He said the state also constructed 43 new classroom blocks in 2025 at a cost of about N3.1bn and completely renovated 75 schools.
The governor added that 8,500 learners’ furniture and 1,200 teachers’ furniture were procured, while learning resources worth more than N150m were distributed across the three senatorial districts.
He said the government had also provided computer textbooks to learners across the state’s 18 local government areas, with additional school construction and rehabilitation projects provided for in the 2026 budget.
Beyond infrastructure, Aiyedatiwa said his administration had continued to prioritise teachers’ welfare through regular payment of salaries and allowances, as well as the settlement of inherited gratuity arrears owed to retired public servants, including a significant number of retired teachers.
“This is not merely a fulfilment of an obligation; it is a message to those still in service that government remembers their sacrifice and that their future is secure,” he said.
The governor also highlighted measures aimed at reducing barriers to education, including free shuttle buses and boats for students, payment of WAEC registration fees for pupils in public secondary schools and sponsorship of NABTEB examinations.
He said N633.9m was paid in 2026 for the WAEC registration of 23,048 students, while N350m and N400m were committed to tertiary students’ support in 2025 and 2026 respectively.
On the changing demands of education, Aiyedatiwa said governments could not prepare students for the future using only traditional learning tools.
“The classroom of tomorrow cannot be built entirely with the tools of yesterday. That is why we are deliberately embracing digital education,” he said.
He said the state had introduced AI-powered learning tools, smartphones and literacy programmes through partnerships, while thousands of tablets had been deployed in public schools.
The governor added that laptops were being provided to digitally trained teachers as part of preparations for robotics, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
His comments came as Nigeria joined the global observance of World Teachers’ Day, which this year focuses on “Protecting and Advancing the Status of the Teaching Profession in a Rapidly Changing World.”
The theme highlights the need to strengthen the teaching profession as educators contend with rapid technological changes, evolving classroom needs and changing demands on education systems.
Aiyedatiwa said the theme was particularly relevant to Nigeria’s education system, stressing that improving the quality of education required attention to the conditions under which teachers worked.
“If we truly desire a knowledge-driven society, we must give teachers the tools to teach, the environment to work, the dignity they deserve and the opportunity to continually renew their knowledge,” he said.
He urged continued support for teachers working in urban and rural communities, particularly those serving in difficult circumstances.
“Your work is foundational. Your influence is often invisible, but its significance is enduring. When we educate a child, we do more than change one life. We strengthen a family, enlarge the possibilities of a community and increase the productive capacity of a State”, Aiyedatiwa said.
He thanked the Federal Ministry of Education, led by Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, for the recognition, pledging that his administration would continue to invest in teachers, learners and educational infrastructure in Ondo State.
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