Gov Makinde approves immediate death benefits for slain Oriire teachers
By Adejayan Gbenga
The Oyo State Government has approved the immediate payment of death benefits to the families of teachers killed in a recent incident in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
The Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Staff Pension Board, Akeem Ademola Ige, disclosed this on Wednesday during an assessment visit by officials of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies to the board at the State Secretariat in Ibadan.
Ige said Governor Seyi Makinde directed that the benefits be paid without unnecessary bureaucratic delays, assuring the affected families that the process would be seamless and would not subject them to additional stress.
The disclosure came during NIPSS’ assessment of Oyo State’s local government administrative policies, strategic development initiatives and pension administration. The team said it was examining policies and systems that could provide practices for possible adoption at the national level.
The team leader, Prof. Ibrahim Choji, said NIPSS was assessing policies, strategies and systems across local governments to identify practices that could form part of recommendations and implementation strategies for the presidency. He added that outstanding states or agencies could also be recognised during an award programme in December.
Ige further disclosed that the state government had paid N42 billion in gratuities and death benefits to retired and deceased pensioners, covering inherited backlogs and obligations accrued under the current administration. He said the board’s monthly allocation had increased from N250 million to N3 billion.
According to Ige, pension payments to retired local government pensioners between 2019 and 2026 exceeded N103 billion. He also listed other interventions for pensioners, including a N15,000 wage award, N10,000 transport support and N50,000 Christmas bonus.
Meanwhile, the assessment also featured the enrolment of newly retired primary school teachers and local government staff on the pension payroll, with NIPSS officials presenting pension certificates to some retirees. The National Coordinator of the assessment programme, Yoni Charles, said the team was impressed by its findings, while the state government highlighted initiatives including local government recruitment, an integrated administrative system, improved local government functionality and equipment for primary health care centres.
