APPEAL TO FIRST LADY: LET US PROTECT EDUCATION BY PROTECTING THE TEACHERS WHO DELIVER IT

Your Excellence, First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
c/o Renewed Hope Initiative
Presidential Villa, Aso Rock
Abuja, FCT

Your Excellency,
I write to you not only as a Nigerian citizen, but as a teacher who goes to the classroom every day with the responsibility of shaping young minds and preparing children for the future of our country.

I write with great respect and with hope.

I recently read your message of 9 September 2026, commemorating the International Day to Protect Education from Attack. One statement particularly touched me:
“Every attack on a school, teacher, or student threatens the future of our children and communities.”
Your Excellency, I could not agree more.

However, as a classroom teacher, I humbly believe that protecting education goes beyond protecting school buildings and preventing physical attacks. We must also protect the teacher.

A school may have walls, gates, security personnel and learning materials, but at the heart of every successful school is a teacher who is motivated, respected, adequately supported and able to give his or her best.

That is why I respectfully ask Your Excellency to consider championing a National Teachers’ Welfare and Remuneration Package as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

WHY TEACHERS NEED YOUR VOICE
Your Excellency, teachers are among the most important nation-builders, yet their contribution is often taken for granted.

Every doctor was once taught by a teacher.
Every engineer was once taught by a teacher.
Every lawyer, pilot, accountant, professor, civil servant and political leader passed through the hands of teachers.

Even those entrusted with leading our great nation today were once children sitting in classrooms, looking up to their teachers.
Yet the people who prepare everyone else for success often struggle to provide a decent standard of living for themselves and their families.

Many teachers work in difficult environments. Some travel long distances to rural schools. Some teach in communities where security is uncertain. Some manage overcrowded classrooms with inadequate facilities. Many spend their own money to solve problems that should ordinarily be addressed institutionally.

And still, every morning, they return to the classroom.
They teach.
They encourage.
They inspire.
They endure.
They continue.
That resilience deserves recognition.

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR EXCELLENCY
Your Excellency, you occupy a unique position in Nigeria’s educational and national development story.
As a trained teacher and educationist, you understand the profession from within. You know that teaching is not merely a job. It is a calling that requires patience, sacrifice, emotional strength and an enduring commitment to the future.

This is why I believe that if you choose to champion a national teachers’ welfare initiative, it will carry a special significance.

History has shown us that the intervention of a First Lady can bring national attention to the welfare of an important professional group. During the administration of a former Head of State, his wife was said to be associated with advocacy for improved welfare and remuneration for health workers.
Today, I humbly ask that Your Excellency consider doing something similar for teachers; the professionals who nurture the minds of the children who will become tomorrow’s doctors, nurses, engineers, soldiers, entrepreneurs, judges and leaders.

WHAT THE PACKAGE COULD INCLUDE
A National Teachers’ Welfare and Remuneration Package could consider:
A comprehensive review of teachers’ remuneration, with attention to teachers at Federal, State and Local Government Education Authority levels.
Hazard, security and rural-posting allowances for teachers working in difficult, remote and vulnerable communities.

Housing support and affordable housing schemes to help teachers live with dignity.
Improved healthcare and health insurance support for teachers and their families.
Continuous professional development and training, including access to modern teaching technologies and contemporary teaching methods.

A National Teachers’ Excellence Award and reward system to celebrate teachers whose works have produced exceptional impact.
Special welfare provisions for teachers serving in high-risk communities, recognising the personal sacrifices they make to keep education alive.

YOUR EXCELLENCY, THIS COULD BECOME A LEGACY
I respectfully believe that this is an opportunity to do more than make a statement about supporting teachers.

It is an opportunity to create a lasting legacy.
Imagine the hope that would fill the hearts of millions of teachers if the Office of the First Lady were to champion a national initiative dedicated specifically to their welfare.

Imagine a teacher in a rural community receiving a meaningful allowance for the difficult conditions under which he or she works.
Imagine a hardworking teacher being recognised nationally for transforming the lives of children.
Imagine young Nigerians once again looking at teaching as a profession worthy of respect, dignity and ambition.

That would be more than a welfare programme.

It would be an investment in Nigeria’s future.

Your Excellency, we cannot fully protect education if we do not protect the people who make education possible.

We cannot ask teachers to build the future while neglecting their present.

We cannot ask them to inspire children to dream while they themselves struggle to meet basic needs.

And we cannot demand excellence from teachers without creating conditions that make excellence possible.

A HUMBLE REQUEST
I therefore humbly appeal to Your Excellency to consider taking this matter forward by presenting the idea of a National Teachers’ Welfare and Remuneration Package to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the Federal Executive Council for consideration.
Your Excellency, I make this request with humility and with the sincere belief that one voice from the right place can begin a national conversation.

Perhaps this letter may be just one of many appeals you receive.
But behind this particular appeal is the voice of a Nigerian teacher who believes that the future of our country depends greatly on how we treat those who educate our children.

You have already called on Nigerians to secure schools, support teachers and protect every child’s right to education.
I respectfully ask:
Let us turn that call into action.
Let us make teacher welfare a national priority.
Let us restore dignity to the teaching profession.

Let us give teachers reasons to believe that their sacrifices matter.
And let us leave behind a Nigeria in which every teacher can proudly say: “My country values what I do.”
Thank you, Your Excellency, for your service to our nation and for your advocacy for women, children and education.

May Almighty God continue to grant you wisdom, strength and courage as you serve Nigeria.
I remain,

Your Excellency’s humble and loyal citizen,

AKANMU Isaiah
+234 805 922 1577
akadeg3@gmail.com

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