TEACHERS’ DAY: Full Speech Text of Gov Otti’s

THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN OF EXCELLENCE

Being the Text of an Address by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at the 2026 Teachers Day Celebration in Umuahia on Monday, October 5, 2026

Protocol

1. Teaching is an act of faith, a demonstration of patriotism and in the truest sense of it, a labour of love. A teacher invests in the future, confident that the seed and sacrifice of today shall form the roots of tomorrow’s mighty oak. The great teacher, ultimately, is not the one who has the perfect answer to every question, rather, he is the humble adult who opens the mental and cognitive faculties of their pupils to think, ask questions and seek answers. Teachers are also invested in the development of the natural aptitude of their pupils, leading them through the path of self-discovery, awareness and value creation. It evidently follows that teachers are effectively the ones who shape and define what becomes the dominant character of every society.
2. Today we have gathered as a community of grateful people to honour the one profession that played the most-defining role in our ascent through the ladder of life. On the 60th anniversary of the recommendation by the International Labour Organisation/United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation on the status of teachers, we join the growing family of teachers in Abia in gratitude, acknowledging their significant contributions in charting the trajectory of our lives. On this historic day of recollection and reflection, we pay homage to those who held the candle for us. I make bold to say that we are here today because you did your job with dedication and passion, convinced that each of us carry a great seed that requires deliberate and patient nurturing.
3. Beyond what you taught directly in the classrooms, we learnt much more about life through your sense of contentment, the force of personal example and unwavering commitment to the good of the community. By refusing the entrapment of greed, you demonstrated that one does not need to have it all to live with purpose and honour. You treasured the purity of your name much more than riches because you were conscious of what truly matters. It is instructive that years after we left the conventional classrooms, we continue to remember many of you with great sentiments of affection and admiration. You remain the heroes and sages whose will and wisdom offered us the compass to navigate the complex sea of life. Our debt of gratitude to you shall remain inexhaustible; at any rate, in honour of your mindful investment in us, we shall continue to carry forward the torch of diligence and excellence in our different endeavours and calling.
4. May I specially appreciate the present generation of teachers in Abia for their resilience and passion for planting seed of knowledge in the hearts and minds of our pupils. Like the noble men and women who came before you, thousands of you continue to do your job with great measure of devotion, not minding the economic and social challenges that you face. We are particularly grateful to you for spreading the new Abia gospel to the nooks and crannies of the State through renewed commitment to your duties. The efforts, I can assure, have not been in vain and the results are there for all to see. The consistent records of distinction by our pupils and students sitting for national exams or competing for laurels in local and international contests speak to the brilliance of your output. I am particularly impressed by the knowledge that the focus is gradually shifting from the desperation to pass examinations to learning the values that form the bedrock of a productive life. It is equally pleasing to learn that many of you are beginning to leverage technology to drive your delivery without losing the human touch that make your vocation more engaging.

5 Over the last 3 budget cycles, we have demonstrated that quality education remains the number one development priority of the administration. By consistently allocating one-fifth of our annual budgetary outlay to the sector, we are making a direct and clear statement of intent for the future of our society. In the new Abia, education will always come first and the order of priority is defined: teachers’ welfare, motivated pupils, quality infrastructure and learning-support tools, age-relevant curricular, competition and reward for excellence. To ease the workload of teachers and improve the quality of instructions in our public schools following the introduction of free and compulsory basic education, the State has recruited 9, 469 new teachers to cover different subject areas, especially sciences and mathematics. As we continue to expand access to quality education for young Abians, we have added smart schools to the mix. Beyond the smart schools, we are also retrofitting several other regular schools to reflect the development focus of the government. Across the schools in different communities, you would observe that new structures are being erected to accommodate the surge in the population of pupils, we are also fencing the premises to improve the security of pupils and teachers and effectively stop the reckless encroachment on school lands.

6. I would like to specially appreciate the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in the State for the organisation of this remarkable event. I am aware of reports of delays in payment of some of the newly recruited teachers. I have since directed the relevant officials to fast-track the processing of all outstanding salary claims from teachers in our basic and secondary education system.
7. In the same vein, I have also directed that all payment irregularities arising from verification challenges should be resolved before the end of this month. The issue of outstanding promotions for 2021 and 2022 is receiving attention and should be resolved shortly. Again, the directive to extend the retirement age of teachers to 65 should be implemented forthwith. The Honourable Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education is expected to present a detailed report to my office on the status of the implementation of these directives in the next 2 weeks. May I reiterate that we are particularly mindful of the welfare of workers, especially teachers for reason of their strategic importance in the success of our cross-sectoral development programmes.
8. Part of our plans for the future is to create opportunities for continuous training and retraining of teachers as we hope to expose them to new ideas on the science of pedagogy and new developments in education. This is particularly relevant in the light of the fact that the products of our school system will play in the global economy so it would help to find out how their peers are being prepared for the opportunities of the new world. Our projection is that scores of diligent teachers shall benefit from this programme every academic session. As with everything we do, participants would be selected through a merit-driven process. In line with the ongoing efforts at improving the technological readiness of our teachers, I have just directed the Chief Information Officer to evaluate what it would cost to procure relevant IT-devices, including smart tablets and laptops, for teachers in our rural and urban schools. The aim is to foster research, collaboration and further learning through virtual platforms for every teacher. As you are already aware, our network densification project has expanded telephony network services to several rural communities so the question of poor internet access may have been answered before it is asked.
9. Let me also announce that before the end of the current school term, the environment in all public schools in the State would be drastically improved as I have since given a marching order that even for schools that are not up for retrofitting in the immediate, necessary maintenance work must be carried out to make the classrooms conducive for teachers and their pupils. To curb the menace of theft and other nefarious activities that culminate in the vandalization of school property, I have also directed that men of the State’s Homeland Security Services be deployed in their numbers to schools to keep vandals at bay.
10. Let me end by returning to the beginning: every society reflects the quality and commitments of its teachers. Yours is not a regular career, it is a journey in faith, optimism and love. You are therefore expected to be worthy role models to your pupils and to everyone else in the community. Refrain from whatever could harm the reputation and dignity of the profession, especially acts of extortion, abuse of trust or any form of involvement in examination malpractices. Bear in mind that this administration, for all its compassionate disposition, is also not afraid to use the big stick when necessary; you are therefore advised to be mindful of your actions.
11. As part of our commitment to the welfare of Abia teachers, I have given approval for the payment of N1b special allowance to our hardworking teachers this October. This amount which shall be shared equally will be termed “Teachers’ Appreciation Allowance” and would be paid from today.
12. Thank you for listening and may God bless you.

Governor Alex Otti of Abia state has approved one billion naira special allowances to Abia teachers for the month of October.

Governor Otti gave the approval on Monday during his Teacher’s Day speech delivered at the Umuahia, Abia state.

In his words: “As part of our commitment to the welfare of Abia teachers, I have given approval for the payment of N1b special allowance to our hardworking teachers this October. This amount which shall be shared equally will be termed “Teachers’ Appreciation Allowance” and would be paid from today”.

In the governor’s speech titled Through The Mountain Of Excellence, he expressed appreciation for the work teachers do in society.

“Beyond what you taught directly in the classrooms, we learnt much more about life through your sense of contentment, the force of personal example and unwavering commitment to the good of the community.

“By refusing the entrapment of greed, you demonstrated that one does not need to have it all to live with purpose and honour. You treasured the purity of your name much more than riches because you were conscious of what truly matters. It is instructive that years after we left the conventional classrooms, we continue to remember many of you with great sentiments of affection and admiration.

“You remain the heroes and sages whose will and wisdom offered us the compass to navigate the complex sea of life. Our debt of gratitude to you shall remain inexhaustible; at any rate, in honour of your mindful investment in us, we shall continue to carry forward the torch of diligence and excellence in our different endeavours and calling. Governor Otti said.