By Samuel Ayara
Concerns about the quality of education and the sector's future have remained among the most topical conversations in Nigeria. From the good old days, people have spared no energy berating what has long been considered a steep, multi-layered decline in educational fortunes.
For government, institutions, and communities, efforts to address the rot in this sector can only be as adequate and far-reaching as the search for sustainability. This is where Akwa Ibom State Governor Pastor Umo Eno stands out, with a breastplate that holds everything together.
Declaring a state of emergency in education for a state already ranked as “educationally advantaged” must have been Governor Eno’s befitting and well-thought-out gift to teachers and stakeholders in the sector, as the global community, on October 5, 2026, marked World Teachers' Day.
As with every journey, the first step to seeing education through to better days must begin with the will to squarely confront the hydra-headed monster of policy dearth, poor funding, inadequate infrastructure, under-motivated teachers, and under-utilised learning modules.
Beyond the history of physically joining teachers in the state for the commemoration, since the return of democracy, the Governor, whose leadership blueprint makes education a major pillar, arrived at Uyo Township Stadium with a long list of achievements his administration has recorded in the sector.
From the construction of Model Primary Schools, to investing almost 15 billion Naira in Universal Basic Education Matching Grants, over 1 billion Naira in school consumables, sustenance of the free and compulsory education policy, payment of over 7 billion Naira as WASSCE and NABTEB exam fees, construction of a model secondary school in each of the 3 senatorial districts, the event summarily explained the priority education has enjoyed since 2023.
Walking on all fours, education as a critical pillar of the ARISE Agenda has really been given a definitive touch. This is evident in the sporadic rise in school enrollment at basic and post-basic levels, as well as improved welfare for teachers through regular remuneration and other novel gestures like the wardrobe allowance.
As with primary and post-primary education, the fortunes of tertiary education have been greatly enhanced through notable achievements by tertiary institutions in the State, and educational support through scholarships, awards, and grants running into several billion Naira.
For instance, the Akwa Ibom State University has not only secured accreditation for 84 programmes, up from an initial 43, but has also since 2023, taken its number of convocations from 5 to 12, marking an impressive rise in student population, and academic ratings that currently place it as the best State University in the South-South region and 26th in Nigeria.
The upgrade of the State College of Education, Afaha Nsit, to University of Education, and subsequent readiness for full take-off with the appointment of Prof. Phillip Afaha, as pioneer Vice Chancellor, clearly signals an administration’s unpretentious commitment to reinventing the wheels.
Numbers alone may not fully capture the impact of Governor Eno’s investment in education, nor would testimonials. But beyond statistics, Akwa Ibom teachers have witnessed a change in the age-long refrain that condemned a teacher’s reward to when they get to heaven, through the magnitude of positive turnarounds they have envisaged.
Dreaming of ascension to level 17 in the state civil service was until the advent of the Eno administration, a very tall dream. At the turn of the 2026 World Teachers Day commemoration, not only have they attained heights they previously were never humoured, but are among the few to do so in the country.
A certain teacher would recount how she is expecting another promotion by November, 2026, in addition to the two she has gotten since 2023, having before then waited for 10 excruciating years without any. Others alternated between gratitude for the 13th month pay and other incentives, including refund of the 7.5% contributory pensions fund, long after all hopes were lost.
These imprints justify the affirmation of confidence thundered by over 30,000 teachers from both public and private schools, when the State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Comrade Edet Emenyi declared their resolve to support Governor Eno in 2027.
Teachers are no isolated beneficiaries of good and responsive governance in Akwa Ibom State. The State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Sunny James went beyond speaking glowingly of the Governor’s labour-friendly dispositions, when he noted that 21 out of the 25 charter of demand labour presented the Governor in the build-up to his 2023 elections have been resolved.
Emphasizing measurable increase in productivity recorded in the sector, the Commissioner for Education, Prof Ubong Umoh, who crisscrossed numbers and impact in highlighting strategic breakthroughs the state has since 2023 headlined, submitted that it is truly a golden era in every ramification.
If, in Prof Umoh’s estimation, things would continue to look up for the sector if the current tempo is maintained, one is then enthused to inquire what lies ahead with the “State of Emergency” declared by the Governor. A reflection of how rapidly the state's health sector has been repositioned offers a sneak peek into where education is headed.
For starters, the emergency proclaimed would, among other considerations, see the employment of another 2000 teachers, in addition to the 1000 recently engaged by the state government, as a long-term approach to sustaining the administration’s transformative strides in the sector.
Not just jobs, infrastructure and policy reforms, but an investment whose dividend would span generations. The emergency in education is already engaging the gas pedals that would prioritise funding for teacher deployment; provide ring-fenced funding for specific disciplines and baseline teaching materials, including libraries and laboratories; and build inclusion for vulnerable demographics.
Transitioning education from conventional learning to modules that go far beyond the classroom, Governor Umo Eno is switching things up for an already robust sector to deliver smart, solution-driven schools the government, industry stakeholders, and communities will be proud to own.
Samuel Ayara writes from Ibong Otoro in Abak LGA.
