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Education emergency declared to drive a comprehensive turnaround of Akwa Ibom’s education sector.
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₦2.1bn-plus welfare package approved for teachers and registered private schools. 21,167 public school teachers to receive ₦50,000 wardrobe and ₦10,000 transport allowances.
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1,776 registered private schools to receive ₦500,000 each to support their teachers. 2,000 additional teachers approved for recruitment.
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Prof. Philip Afaha appointed pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the Akwa Ibom State University of Education.
October 6, (THEWILL) – Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has declared a state of emergency in the education sector, unveiling a package estimated at over ₦2.1 billion for the welfare of public school teachers and registered private schools across the state.
The governor announced the measures on Monday at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration at the Uyo Township Stadium, where he approved a ₦50,000 wardrobe allowance and ₦10,000 transport allowance for each of the 21,167 public school teachers in the state.
The package, which amounts to more than ₦1.27 billion for public school teachers alone, also includes a ₦500,000 support grant for each of the 1,776 registered private schools, translating to another ₦888 million intervention for the private education sector.
Eno said the interventions were designed to improve teachers’ welfare while strengthening the education system, declaring that teachers should benefit from the rewards of their service while still alive.
“Teachers’ reward is in heaven, but I say no. Teachers’ reward is here. My belief is that your reward begins here”, he assured.
The governor also approved the recruitment of an additional 2,000 teachers, following the earlier approval for 1,000 teachers. He said the recruitment portal would soon be opened for qualified Akwa Ibom indigenes to apply.
The declaration of an education emergency will be coordinated by an Education Emergency Committee headed by Deputy Governor Senator Akon Eyakenyi, with the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Umoh, and other relevant stakeholders as members.
The committee is expected to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the sector and recommend measures to address identified gaps, improve standards and reposition education in line with the administration’s ARISE Agenda.
The governor said improved welfare would also come with greater accountability, stressing the need for teachers to remain committed to their duties, undergo continuous training and retraining and ensure regular attendance in schools.
He further disclosed that his administration had constructed and furnished 38 model primary schools across the 31 local government areas, while the government had continued to pay WAEC and other examination fees for students.
Eno said the government had also cleared about ₦2.4 billion in outstanding teachers’ gratuities, describing teachers’ welfare as a critical component of his administration’s investment in education.
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The governor announced the formal transformation of the Akwa Ibom State College of Education into the Akwa Ibom State University of Education, following the passage of the enabling law by the State House of Assembly.
He subsequently named Professor Philip Afaha as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the new university, charging the institution to pursue excellence and contribute to the development of human capital in the state.
Responding to the governor’s interventions, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Akwa Ibom State Wing, Comrade Edet Emenyi, commended the administration for what he described as sustained attention to teachers’ welfare and educational development.
Emenyi told THEWILL that the latest welfare package represented a significant intervention for teachers, particularly the wardrobe and transport allowances, while the approval for additional teachers would help address manpower gaps in public schools.
He said the union would continue to engage government constructively to ensure that the new measures translated into improved working conditions, stronger teacher motivation and better learning outcomes for pupils and students across the state.
The NUT chairman also welcomed the declaration of an education emergency, stressing that the success of the initiative would depend on effective implementation, continuous consultation with education stakeholders and sustained investment in both human and physical infrastructure.
The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Umoh, also commended the governor for the interventions, particularly the measures aimed at improving teachers’ welfare and creating a more conducive environment for teaching and learning.
The celebration also witnessed an endorsement by teachers for Governor Eno, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio ahead of the 2027 elections.
Governor Eno, however, maintained that education should be treated as a long-term investment in the future of Akwa Ibom rather than an avenue for political competition.
