Union Bank of Nigeria is expanding its investment in education through partnerships that combine teacher recognition with digital learning infrastructure, as the financial institution seeks to improve learning outcomes and strengthen access to quality education.
The bank’s intervention includes its sponsorship of the 2026 Maltina Teacher of the Year Award for the third consecutive year and support for the commissioning of a Digital Learning Centre at Wisdom International School of Excellence (WISE), Abuja.
At the 12th edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Competition, held on October 30, 2026, in Lagos, Union Bank joined Nigerian Breweries Plc and the Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund to celebrate outstanding teachers and promote excellence in the teaching profession.
Busayo Victoria Adeyemo of Lanre Awolokun High School, Gbagada, Lagos, emerged the overall winner from 10 finalists selected from more than 2,000 entries nationwide. She received N10 million, a new Honda SUV, an international capacity development programme and a N30 million infrastructure project for her school.
Speaking at the event, Olufunmilola Aluko, chief brand and marketing officer at Union Bank, said the competition represented one of the most consistent private sector commitments to the teaching profession in Nigeria, with more than 300 teachers recognised to date.
She said the partnership was central to Edu360, the bank’s flagship education initiative under its UnionCares platform, which focuses on improving the education value chain.
According to Aluko, teachers remain central to the bank’s education intervention because investments in education depend significantly on the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms.
The bank’s support also extends to digital infrastructure, as demonstrated by the commissioning of a Digital Learning Centre at Wisdom International School of Excellence in Abuja earlier in October.
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Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks.
She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings.
Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.
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