Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has declared a state of emergency in the education sector, directing the immediate constitution of an Education Emergency Committee to undertake a holistic review of the sector and recommend far-reaching reforms to improve learning outcomes across the state.
Governor Eno made the declaration in Uyo during the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration, where he also confirmed approval for the recruitment of an additional 2,000 teachers, following the earlier recruitment of 1,000 teachers by his administration.
The Governor said the new recruitment would help strengthen the teaching workforce, adding that the recruitment portal would soon open for applications, followed by computer-based tests and interviews.
He cautioned prospective applicants that success in the CBT would not automatically guarantee employment, stressing that the recruitment process would strictly follow civil service rules and merit.
Governor Eno said the Education Emergency Committee, to be coordinated by the Deputy Governor, a former teacher, in conjunction with the Commissioner for Education, would examine the sector comprehensively and develop a strategic action plan covering infrastructure, innovation, teaching standards and improved educational outcomes.
He said the administration would particularly focus on raising students’ performance in WASSCE and other examinations, insisting that education remained the next major legacy his administration intends to bequeath to the next generation after the health sector.
The Governor also announced a ₦50,000 wardrobe allowance for each of the 20,000 teachers employed by the state government, describing the gesture as part of concrete efforts to ensure that teachers’ rewards begin here on earth rather than being deferred to heaven.
Highlighting achievements of his administration in the education sector, the Governor said 38 model primary schools had been built and furnished, with at least one located in each local government area. He noted that the schools were solar-powered and ICT-enabled, with teachers’ residences, sick bays, libraries, games areas and assembly halls.
He said the state had also released ₦15 billion in matching grants for SUBEB interventions, while government had consistently paid teachers’ gratuities and cleared about ₦2.4 billion in inherited 7.5 per cent contributory pension obligations.
Governor Eno also reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to free and compulsory education, noting that the state had continued to pay WASSCE and NECO fees for indigenes, with about 172,000 students registered for the examinations to date.
He announced the appointment of Professor Philip Afaha as the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the newly established Akwa Ibom University of Education, following the conversion of the Akwa Ibom College of Education into a university by law, charging him to commence the process of securing the required accreditations.
The Governor pledged that his administration would not politicise education, but would equip teachers with the necessary tools, while promoting training and retraining and ensuring that teachers remain committed to their classrooms.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Education, Professor Ubong Umoh, commended Governor Eno for what he described as progressive reforms across the basic, secondary and tertiary levels of education, saying the Governor had given back to the sector that shaped him.
In his keynote address, Professor Aniedi Usoro of the University of Uyo called for a new generation of digital, adaptive, value-driven and collaborative teachers, urging government to sustain investment in teachers’ welfare and provide continuous digital training and staff quarters.
The Fourth Vice National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Ofonime Ekanem, representing the National President, Comrade Audu Amba, said the 2026 celebration marked 60 years of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, stressing the need for improved welfare and implementation of the National Teacher Policy Document 2025.
The State Chairman of NUT, Comrade Edet Emenyi, described Governor Eno as the first governor in recent years to personally honour the World Teachers’ Day celebration in the state, while commending his administration for its interventions in the teaching profession.
Also speaking, the NLC Chairman in the state, Comrade Sunny James, commended the Governor for resolving 21 of 25 demands contained in the labour movement’s 2023 charter of demands, particularly the payment of inherited contributory pension obligations and teachers’ gratuities.
Responding on behalf of the 1,000 newly recruited teachers, Mr David pledged their commitment to moulding the next generation and supporting the administration’s efforts to improve education in Akwa Ibom.
The 2026 World Teachers’ Day, themed “Standing with Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing its Status and Shaping our Future,” provided a platform for renewed commitments to teacher welfare, professionalism and the transformation of the state’s education system.
