31-year-old Abuja tutor, Yusuf Serah wins N10m Maltina Best Teacher prize

 

Thirty-one-year-old Yusuf Serah of Wisdom International School of Excellence in Abuja has emerged as the Maltina Teacher of the Year 2025.

Yusuf was announced as the winner of the N10m grand prize at the grand finale of the 11th edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year competition, held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos, on Friday night.

The Prof. Pat Utomi-led panel of judges adjudged Yusuf, an English and Literature teacher, as the top performer among the 10 finalists.

Apart from the cash prize, Yusuf also won a trophy, infrastructure projects worth N30m for her school, and a capacity development training opportunity abroad.

The Nigerian Breweries–Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund had launched the call for entries for the 11th edition of the competition in July.

Yusuf attributed her emergence as winner as the result of a combination of “self-development, focus, diligence, resilience, dedication, mentorship, collaboration and the grace of God.”

“Initially, I was shocked and didn’t see it coming, even though a lot of people were encouraging me, telling me that I would be the winner. I would just smile. But I was only praying in my heart that God should bring it to pass.

“Even though I tried my best during the interview, I knew that it was pure grace for me to be announced yesterday. And I see this as when preparation meets opportunity; by God’s grace and good mentorship, success is at hand,” she said.

She disclosed that the N10m prize money would enable her to continue on the path of “empowering underprivileged children in underserved communities, giving a voice to children in the slums, supporting parents who cannot afford school fees and uniforms, distributing sanitary pads and enhancing menstrual hygiene for girls, and embarking on community-based and school-based projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Yusuf has now joined the roll call of past winners of the competition, including Mrs Rose Obi (Anambra, 2015); Mr Imoh Essien (Akwa Ibom, 2016); Mr Ariguzo Udochukwu (Delta, 2017); Mr Olasunkanmi Opeifa (Abuja, 2018); Mr Ezem (Abuja, 2019); Mrs Oluwabunmi Anani (Adamawa, 2020); Mr Abanike Taiye (Delta, 2021); Mr Ayiwulu Alaku (Plateau, 2022); Ms Adeola Adefemi (Lagos, 2023); and Mr Esomnofu Chidiebube (Nasarawa, 2024).

Other winners include: Akinselure Adeola of Omole Senior Grammar School, Lagos, who emerged the first runner-up and won N5million, while Amarikwa Chibuzor of Deeper Life High School, Yola Campus, Adamawa State, was the second runner-up, and won N3million.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, said at the event that the Federal Government remained committed to policies that would enhance the “welfare, capacity and professionalism” of teachers.

In his remarks, Prof. Pat Utomi, called for more programmes such as the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative, which celebrates teachers as heroes in classrooms.

In the keynote address, 11-year-old Ayomide Avoseh, a beneficiary of the Slum2School Learner Initiative from Makoko, Lagos, called for greater investment in teachers, condemning the persistent high number of out-of-school children.

“We need to invest in teachers. Teachers need to be supported. The future of Nigeria is in classrooms; the strength of Nigeria resides in teachers. We also need safe schools, as education should be seen as a right, not a privilege,” Avoseh emphasized.

Chairman of the Nigeria Breweries–Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund, Thibaut Boidin, also described teachers as the true wealth of the nation, urging them to keep “lighting the way for others.”

The Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries, Mr Uzodinma Odenigbo, while

giving details of this year’s entries, said the company received over 2,000 applications, an increase of more than 30 per cent from the previous year.

Odenigbo affirmed that this reflected the growing acceptance of the Maltina Teacher of the Year award, adding, “The future of Nigeria is not in boardrooms or oil wells, but in the classrooms.”

Personalities that were in attendance at the event included the Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Mrs Ronke Soyombo. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Investment, Mrs Kaosarat Ambrose-Medebem, and the Commissioner for Basic Education, Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun.

The Maltina Teacher of the Year award is an annual national initiative launched in 2015 by Nigerian Breweries through its Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund, to recognise and reward exceptional secondary school teachers in Nigeria. It aims to promote educational excellence and boost teacher morale by offering cash prizes, training abroad, and school infrastructure support.

The competition is supported by major educational stakeholders—including the Federal Ministry of Education, the Nigeria Union of Teachers, and the Teachers Registration Council—and has expanded over time to include both public and private schools.