Amaechi Named ‘Today’s Impact Education Man of the Year’

The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, who was Governor of Rivers State until 2015, has clinched Today’s Impact 2015 Education Man of the Year Award.

This is just as the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) also bagged Today’s Impact 2015 Agency of the Year Award.

In a colourful ceremony in Abuja to herald its official launch, the education-focused newspaper said in his citation that Amaechi was given the award because of his unmatched investment in public education up to 2015 when he was governor.

“One of the strategic projects that continue to endear the ex-governor and now transportation minister to the masses was the massive construction of 700 model primary schools with 20 classrooms costing N3.1 billion each and equipped with ICT facilities.

“The secondary schools were not also left out as 24 model secondary schools were constructed across the 23 local government councils in the state, with fully equipped modern day educational, recreation and boarding facilities, as well as standard housing for teachers.

It added: “Many education experts have often referred to those schools as mini universities as a result of the state-of-the-art infrastructure that are ubiquitous in the schools. The remarkable successes recorded by students from the states in national and international examinations following the establishment of the schools testified to this, even as there were many reported cases, were parents withdrew their children from highly rated private schools to the government owned ‘mini-universities.”

Today’s Impact, which was launched as the only free national newspaper in Nigeria, as well as the only one focused on education, hit the newsstand on 18 May 2015 as a weekly in Abuja. The paper, which was officially launched on July 28, 2016, had in attendance dignitaries from all walks of life and from the education sector.

The launch was graced by former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, who was represented by his former Chief of Staff, former Governor of Niger and Plateau States, Col. Habibu Shuaibu.

Others recipients of Today’s Impact award were Maris Brothers Juniorate, as School of the Decade; Nigerian Turkish International Colleges, as Most Reputable School; Grudtvig International Secondary School, as Best School; and Dr. Christopher Utulu, as Entrepreneur of the Year.

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