Maltina Teacher of the Year 2025: Entry Period Opens from June 24 to August 22

The Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund has declared the beginning of the 2025 edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year contest during a launch event held at the company’s Lagos headquarters on Tuesday, June 24.

At the flag-off ceremony, Hans Essaadi, managing director and CEO of Nigerian Breweries Plc, was represented by Uzodinma Odenigbo, corporate affairs director at Nigerian Breweries. He stated that since the project began over ten years ago, a total of 278 teachers have been acknowledged and honored in various categories, with 10 exceptional teachers being crowned as national winners.

He further noted that several past winners have gone on to achieve remarkable progress, not only in their professional paths but also within their communities and in the lives of their students.

“Through this platform, we have donated nine school infrastructure projects across the country and sponsored two cohorts of past winners from international capacity development programmes at the University of Manchester in the UK and, most recently, Tampere University in Finland.”

“Beyond this competition, our work in education continues. Through the Nigerian Brewery-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund, we have supported over 74 communities and more than 450 classrooms and libraries, career guidance for thousands of students, and funding for higher education across Nigeria,” he said.

Speaking further in his role as corporate affairs director, Odenigbo said that the competition, launched in 2015, has developed into a major and inspiring platform that celebrates the teaching profession and promotes educational growth in Nigeria.

He highlighted that the number of participants has risen steadily over time, and the influence of winners has reached their local areas, as he praised the broad impact of the contest.

“I am pleased to announce that the 2025 edition officially opens today and will run until Friday, August 22, 2025; interested and eligible secondary school teachers should please submit their entries right away at the dedicated website for Maltina Teacher of the Year, which is www.maltinateacheroftheyear.com,” he said.

He also added that physical submissions are acceptable and that applicants may submit hardcopy entries to any of the company’s corporate affairs offices located across Nigeria.

Sarah Agha, the marketing director at Nigerian Breweries, said that the Maltina brand focuses on enriching lives and spreading joy to Nigerians in a meaningful way.

“When we think about nourishment, it’s just not the internal aspect of nourishment and that of course is important, but if you think about outside of the home, the teachers play a fundamental role in nourishing the minds and hearts of our children and that’s why we will continue to support this programme for many years to come.”

“So my humble request is let’s make Maltina Teacher of the Year viral starting from today. Let’s share the news, let’s make it big, let’s make people excited because it’s something that is truly noble and can get this country excited,” she said.

Seyi Olokun, sustainability manager at Nigerian Breweries, said the project is primarily designed to honor, acknowledge, and reward outstanding teachers across Nigeria.

He shared that the competition has drawn over 9,000 applications nationwide, with more than 6,000 considered valid.

He pointed out some of the conditions required to apply, including that the teacher must be working in a public or private secondary school, must not be older than 35 years, must be officially registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, and must currently be practicing within Nigeria.

He mentioned that there are updates to the prize structure for this 11th edition, which will conclude with the grand finale on November 21. The winner will receive N10 million, the first runner-up will be awarded N5 million—an increase from the N3 million given in 2024—while the second runner-up will go home with N3 million, up from N2.5 million awarded in 2024.

Each state champion will be granted N1 million, in addition to other rewards.

Akintoye Hassan, chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers in Lagos State, praised Nigerian Breweries for the significant changes the initiative has made in the lives of teachers and in Nigeria’s education system.

However, Hassan made a plea for the inclusion of teachers in the primary school category.

“We must not encourage a system that affects primary school in Nigeria; primary school teachers should be allowed to participate in the competition,” he said.

Olusola Maseyi, the Lagos State president of ANCOPSS, said the confederation remains committed to backing the annual celebration of educators.

Adaobi Ekwuno, the Lagos State coordinator for TRCN, expressed that due to the Nigerian Breweries initiative, “teachers’ rewards are now on earth, even before they get to heaven.”

Ekwuno pointed out that the benefits of the programme extend well beyond the individual winners, reaching into their broader communities.

Sponsors of the competition include Union Bank, Air-Peace, and First City Monument Bank, among others.