By Michael Effiong
Every great Akwa Ibom child carries a teacher’s handwriting in their life. Long before the doctor holds a stethoscope or the engineer holds a plan, a teacher held their hand to write the alphabet. It is this simple, powerful truth that Governor Pastor Umo Eno, Ph.D., has never lost sight of.
For Governor Eno, honouring teachers has never been an annual ritual of speeches. It has been a deliberate policy of investment, welfare and dignity. And this year, that honour took its most symbolic form yet.
Today, Monday, October 5, 2026, as the world marks World Teachers’ Day under the global theme “Standing with Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing its Status and Shaping our Futures,” Akwa Ibom State will stand still for its teachers. In collaboration with the Nigerian Union of Teachers, the state government has declared the day a Teaching-Free Day.
All public primary and secondary schools across the 31 Local Government Areas will be closed to allow teachers converge on the Uyo Township Stadium by 11 a.m. for a statewide celebration, with Governor Eno as Special Guest of Honour.
The declaration is not just a holiday. It is a full stop, a pause in the academic calendar to say, without distraction, thank you.
And it is consistent with who Governor Umo Eno is.
From his first day in office, the Governor has framed education as the bedrock of his ARISE Agenda, arguing that no society can rise above the quality of its teachers and its schools.
“Education remains the greatest legacy any government can bequeath to its people,” he has often said.
In his goodwill message to teachers in 2023, he was even more direct:
“We salute you for your sacrifice, passion and patience in moulding our future leaders. That’s the reason we have taken your welfare and wellbeing very seriously… Education is a critical pillar in the ARISE Agenda and we remain committed to ensuring that we raise great and knowledgeable leaders of tomorrow, who would compete with their peers anywhere in the world. As teachers, you are the catalysts in ensuring the realization of this laudable vision.”
That message has been backed by money, bricks and deliberate welfare reforms.
The Legacy in Numbers
The most immediate relief for families came when Governor Eno approved over N3.2 billion for direct educational support. Of that, N1.968 billion was for examination fees for students in public schools — N1.368 billion for WASSCE and related expenses, N50 million for NABTEB, and N550 million for Common Entrance, BECE, promotion and specialized school entrance examinations — andN1.3 billion for the 2025/2026 bursary scheme. The figures will be more this new education cycle.
The Governor’s rationale was clear:
“I have approved N1.968 billion for the payment of examination fees for Akwa Ibom students at the basic and secondary education levels. This reflects our commitment to free and compulsory education and ensuring that no Akwa Ibom child is denied an opportunity to learn because of financial difficulty.”
For students in tertiary institutions, the state increased bursary from N20,000 to N50,000 per beneficiary and has disbursed over N1.69 billion in total bursaries, alongside over N2 billion in special allowances to Akwa Ibom corps members.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, described it as a historic lift. Its State Chairman, Hon. Blessing Umo, said: “By committing over N3.2 billion to examination fees and bursaries, he has lifted a huge financial burden from thousands of families while giving hope to students to pursue their academic aspirations without interruption.”
Rebuilding the Classroom to Restore Dignity
Honouring a teacher without honouring his classroom is empty. Governor Eno understood this and approved *N5.9 billion* for 2025 and 2026 intervention projects through the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB.
According to SUBEB Chairman, Rt. Hon. Anietie Etuk, Ph.D., the intervention model changed:
“Intervention will no longer be piecemeal. When we go to a school, we will handle it holistically: classrooms, water, toilets, electricity, and everything required to make the environment suitable for learning.”
This is complemented by an N14.6 billion matching grant for basic education and over N6.58 billion for examination activities from 2023 to 2026.
The flagship of this drive is the construction of 31 model primary schools, one in each LGA, with five additional schools through special interventions. Eighteen have already been inaugurated. Each school is built with furnished teachers’ quarters, libraries, water, solar lighting and digital learning resources — a conscious return to the era when teachers lived with dignity inside the school compound.
Representing the Governor at the commissioning of Lutheran Model School, Afaha Offiong, Deputy Governor Senator Akon Eyakenyi captured it: “The establishment of model primary schools in all local government areas is a strategic step to secure the future of our children.”
Investing Directly in the Teacher
Beyond infrastructure, Governor Eno has paid direct attention to the teacher’s personal welfare. His administration has released over N100 billion to clear gratuity arrears, including for retired primary school teachers — closing a painful chapter of neglect.
On recruitment, the state has employed 3,000 teachers in the last two years and recently approved an additional 2,000 teachers, doubled from an initial 1,000, with priority for ICT and computer science graduates to strengthen digital education. This is in addition to 4,000 civil service jobs approved with effect from October 1, 2026.
He is also transforming the College of Education, Afaha Nsit, into a University of Education and rolling out a new primary school curriculum for the first time in many years to enhance teaching quality.
In his broadcast marking Akwa Ibom at 39, the Governor summarized his scorecard:
“We have sustained free and compulsory education at the primary and secondary levels, disbursed N1.69bn in bursaries, recruited 3,000 teachers and are transforming the College of Education into a university of education.”
When the drums roll at Uyo Township Stadium on Monday, teachers will therefore not just be celebrating 60 years of the teaching profession globally. They will be celebrating a governor who paused the system they serve, not to inspect them, but to honour them.
In Akwa Ibom today, the teacher’s reward would no longer be in heaven. They will be enjoying here on earth courtesy of Governor Eno. Not only with words but with better welfare, better working environment and a holiday.
.Effiong is Governor Umo Eno’s Senior Special Assistant (Lagos Liaison)
