Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has announced plans to employ an additional 3,000 teachers as part of his administration’s ongoing reforms to strengthen the state’s education system.
The governor made this known in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, on Wednesday.
The announcement came a week after Okpebholo personally handed out appointment letters to 5,000 teachers who had previously served on contract during the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Those teachers had been receiving a monthly stipend of ₦65,000 before their positions were regularised at a ceremony held at the Government House.
Speaking on the development, Okpebholo said the new recruitment drive was part of efforts to ensure that every school in Edo State has adequate teaching staff and that pupils receive quality education in a conducive environment.
“Teachers remain a top priority in our development agenda,” the governor said. “We are building and renovating schools across the state, and as infrastructure improves, so must manpower. Our goal is to ensure that no school lacks qualified teachers.”
The governor made the announcement while receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Edo State Chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in recognition of his contributions to the education sector.
The award was presented by the NUT State Chairman, Bernard Ajobiewe, alongside the Acting Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Edo State chapter, Comrade Bernard Egwahide.
Okpebholo expressed appreciation to teachers in the state for their dedication and patriotism, noting that his administration had “ended the era of overcrowded classrooms and combined classes” in Edo’s public schools.
He assured that his government would continue to partner with labour unions to promote industrial harmony and improve teachers’ welfare, adding that a bus would be donated to the NUT to aid its operations and monitoring activities across the state’s 18 local government areas.
“We will maintain a strong working relationship with the NUT and all labour unions. The welfare of teachers remains at the heart of our education reforms,” he said.
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In his remarks, Ajobiewe lauded the governor for regularising the employment of over 5,000 Edo-Star teachers who had served for years as contract staff, describing the move as a major morale boost for the teaching profession.
“In less than a year, our story as teachers has changed from frustration to fulfilment,” he said. “Governor Okpebholo has restored dignity to our profession and rekindled hope in public education.”
Similarly, NLC’s Egwahide commended the governor’s leadership style, pledging the union’s continued support for his administration’s people-oriented reforms.
Since assuming office, Okpebholo’s government has introduced several initiatives aimed at overhauling the state’s civil service, including the direct employment of 1,000 cleaners previously outsourced to private contractors and the recruitment of about 2,000 new staff across key sectors such as health, education, and agriculture.
With the planned addition of 3,000 more teachers, the total number of new employees recruited under his administration will exceed 8,000 within one year.