The federal government and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State have given Mr. Solanke Francis Taiwo, a primary school teacher at Ansa-Ur-Deen Main School I in Kemta Lawa, Abeokuta, a car and a two-bedroom home, respectively.
The Nation said that the governor gave Solanke the keys to a brand-new car that the federal government gave him for being the Overall Best Primary School Teacher in Nigeria for 2025/2026.
The federal government gave Solanke ₦50 million in cash at the National Teachers’ Summit in Abuja earlier this year to honor his hard work and dedication to education.
Abiodun gave the award-winning teacher the keys to the automobile at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. The Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbagbu, and the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Oloko, were there to see it happen.
Under the State Housing Scheme, the governor indicated that Solanke would get the two-bedroom cottage in any area he wanted.
The governor said again that his administration is committed to provide teachers ongoing training and retraining through workshops, seminars, digitization projects, and AI-powered teaching platforms.
In an interview, Arigbagbu said that the accomplishment showed that the governor was still investing in education and that reforms in the sector were having an effect.
“When you do things the same way every time and do them well, you will always receive results. We have won the Best Teacher Award two years in a row. He remarked, “This same teacher won in October and is now the best teacher in Nigeria overall.”
He said that the Ogun State Education Revitalisation Agenda, which is based on six pillars, was responsible for the success. The last pillar is about the well-being of students and teachers.
“This government has done so much in all areas. He went on to say that the designation of an emergency in the education sector led to major changes in many areas, including curriculum creation, school management, technology and innovation, infrastructure, funding, and the well-being of students and instructors.
Prof. Arigbagbu talked about how well the state did in outside contests. He remembered how well Ogun did in the JETS competitions, where students from the state won 18 out of 24 awards in one year, with one student winning nine of those honors.
He said that the achievement was due to the fact that the industry has been getting a lot of attention for the past six years.
He said that five states are interested in learning from Ogun’s model in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sub-sector, especially in TVET and the digitalization of education.
He also said that the federal government and the National Board for Technical Education have praised what the state has done.
Solanke thanked the governor for making the state a good place for teachers and students to work and learn. He said that the state’s large investments and changes in education are obviously paying off.
“I’m happy and excited. I want to thank our education-friendly governor for this fantastic honor and for recognizing teachers around the state who are doing outstanding work, coming up with new ideas, and making a difference.
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