The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, yesterday presented car gifts to 12 teachers in the public sector for their ‘outstanding’ contributions to learning in the state.

The award was in fulfillment of the governor’s promise to reward excellence and hard work in the teaching profession.

Speaking at the grand finale of the Year 2020 Teachers Merit Awards held at the Sports Pavilion of the Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu emphasised that the initiative is in line with the state government commitment to using education as a weapon to change the narrative about education in the country, adding that through education, which represents the third pillar of his administration’s T-H-E-M-E-S agenda, a template was developed towards rewarding selflessness, dedication and diligence in teachers in the state.

The governor appreciated the feats achieved by the teachers in the state, especially in national competitions, adding:

Our teachers keep placing Lagos on the national pedestal.

He stressed that if teachers have such exceptional qualities, pupils would not only excel in academics but would also exhibit innate sterling abilities in cognitive, psychomotor, affective and co-curricular areas of learning.

Sanwo-Olu urged

our teachers to continue to uphold the ethics of the teaching profession and display an uncommon sense of responsibility and greater commitment to duty.

The governor affirmed that the group of awardees would serve as Lagos State Ambassadors of Excellence in education for the next one year, advising the teachers not to see the initiative as a contest but a way to motivate them to continue to put in their best with the belief that such commitment will one day be rewarded.

We will continue the massive investment in the education sector by improving the capacity and welfare of our school personnel, making the sector more ICT-compliant, exposing our teachers to international best practices as well as ensuring that our schools become a destination for work and learning,

he concluded.

Delivering her welcome address, the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, stressed that the event is indeed a testament to a promise made and fulfilled. She highlighted that the committee received over 3,200 applications, and through stringent evaluation criteria, they were able to present the finalists.

The winners of this year’s award are Adesola Akindele, Temitope Gbadamosi, Temitope Ibiwunmi, Rasheed Odenike, Rebecca Oyinloye, Oluwaseun Balogun, Joshua Olasehinde, Abosede Padonu-Daniel, Ekundayo Ajiborisade, Tolulope Odusanya, Tawakalitu Akinleye, and Ovinuyon Buhari, and were presented with a car, tablets, plaques, among other gifts.

Responding and appreciating the governor on behalf of the awardees, Mrs. Ovinuyon Buhari said the gesture by the governor was a dream come true, adding that:

We’ve been hearing about it, and finally it is real.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.