Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom has approved a N50,000 wardrobe allowance for each of the 20,000 teachers employed by the state government.
Eno announced the approval on Monday during the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Uyo, saying that teachers should maintain a neat, smart appearance to inspire confidence among pupils and students.
“I have approved another N50,000 per teacher as wardrobe allowance for all the 20,000 teachers employed by the Akwa Ibom Government,” he said.
The governor also announced a N500,000 grant for each of the 1,776 registered private schools in the state to support their teachers.
“I have been briefed that there are 1,776 registered private schools. For each of those schools, they will receive the sum of N500,000 so that they can also spread love to their teachers,” Eno said.
He commended teachers in the state for their contributions to education and development, saying their efforts were consistent with his administration’s ARISE agenda.
Eno described teachers as agents of change, noting that professionals across various sectors owed their knowledge and expertise to teachers.
“A governor who leads a state like my humble self is leading well because a teacher once instilled the discipline and knowledge which we are now applying in leading the people,” he said.
He appreciated teachers for endorsing his candidacy, as well as those of President Bola Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, for another term in the 2027 elections.
Eno said his administration would continue to strengthen education and improve the welfare of teachers.
“The trite saying has been that ‘teachers’ rewards are in heaven.’ No! Teachers’ rewards are here!
“Our belief and conviction is that your reward begins here on earth; and we have taken concrete steps to actualize those rewards,” he said.
The governor said his administration had constructed and furnished 38 model primary schools, with at least one located in each of the state’s 31 local government areas.
He added that the government had released N15 billion as a matching grant, while the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) had intervened in more than 100 schools.
Eno also said the government had sustained free and compulsory education and paid West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) fees for 172,000 students from the state.
He disclosed that the government had previously approved the recruitment of 1,000 teachers and had now approved an additional 2,000 vacancies.
The governor urged qualified applicants to apply, participate in the Computer-Based Test (CBT) and follow due process in line with civil service regulations.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Umoh, commended Eno for transforming the state’s education sector through the construction of model primary schools.
Umoh said the governor had made significant progress in improving the welfare of teachers and strengthening the education system.
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Similarly, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Akwa Ibom Wing, Edet Emenyi, thanked Eno for his commitment to teachers’ welfare.
Emenyi said Eno was the first governor in his seven years as NUT chairman to personally attend a World Teachers’ Day celebration to honour teachers in the state.
He endorsed Eno for a second term in the 2027 elections and appealed to the governor to do more for teachers if re-elected.
The NUT chairman also assured the governor of the continued support of teachers in the state.
