Okpebholo Gets Platinum Education Ambassador Award Nomination from Independent Newspapers

The Executive Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has been nominated by the Leadership of Independent Newspapers for the coveted Platinum Award as Education Ambassador in honor of his exceptional contributions to the state’s educational transformation.

Since taking office, Governor Okpebholo has made education a top priority because it is the cornerstone of sustained growth. Together with Dr. Paddy Iyamu, the Commissioner for Education, his administration has built or rebuilt more than 65 public schools throughout the state in just eight months, and it has hired more than 600 new teachers.

Additionally, he raised Ambrose Alli University’s (AAU) Ekpoma subvention from ₦40 million to ₦500 million, a significant move that revitalized the school and addressed long-standing issues.

Furthermore, more than 1,000 medical and nursing students who had been stranded for four years under the previous administration were able to be inducted thanks to Governor Okpebholo.

Additionally, he resolved the eight-year AAU JAMB regularization bottleneck, which allowed more than 1,000 students to become eligible for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and regularize their admissions.
In order to further enhance the infrastructure for tertiary education, the government is now constructing a lecture hall with a capacity of 1,500 and a hostel with 600. Additionally, the new minimum wage has been fully implemented with a 5,000 increment throughout the state education eco system.

After 23 years since its founding, his administration has also helped the Polytechnic community by facilitating the development of a 5 km internal road at Usen Polytechnic in partnership with the NDDC.
In addition, no student in any Edo State tertiary school is being sent home for fees, making education essentially free in conjunction with the Federal Government’s NELFUND initiative.

Governor Monday has fully implemented the free primary education legacy at the basic education level and started the “Edu Rescue initiative,” which aims to get homeless children back to school where they belong. This will guarantee that every Edo child has access to high-quality, tuition-free education in a supportive setting.
In order to eradicate certificate fraud and guarantee the digitalization and authentication of all outcomes resulting from the digital public infrastructure, Educert 2.0 was introduced in partnership with the Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation.

All students and guardians can use this to print their certificates online for free.

Governor Okpebholo deserves the title of Education Ambassador because of his advocacy, investments, and dedication to child education, according to Independent Newspapers.

The Platinum Award event will take place at the Eko Hotels & Suites on Victoria Island in Lagos on Thursday, October 9, 2025.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Sir Ahmadu Bello will receive posthumous legacy awards from President Bola Tinubu, the Distinguished Guest of Honor, while Professor Barth Nnaji will give a public lecture during the occasion.

Senator Monday Okpebholo is, in fact, bringing about change in a difficult society by facilitating children’s goals and assisting parents in ending the cycle of poverty.