5th March , 2025
Dapo Oyewole
News desk
The Oyo State government under the leadership of Engr. Seyi Makinde has assured that his administration will continue to make life better for pensioners in the state.
The chairman of the Local Government Staff Pension Board, Hon. Akeem Ademola Ige disclosed this while speaking as the Chairman of the occasion at the retirement programme organized by St.Teresa’s College, Oke Ado, Ibadan for Mrs Oguntayo Olabisi Mojisola, wife of the renowned legal luminary, Barrister Lekan Oguntayo who retired as the Principal of St. Teresa’s College, Oke Ado Ibadan yesterday after 35 years of meritorious service.
Hon. Ige disclosed that Engr. Seyi Makinde has a very high regard for the pensioners and that is why he has put in place several welfare packages for them including prompt payment of their pension on or before the 25th of every month popularly known as ‘GSM date’ by workers in the state.
According to him, “distinguished guests, I want to tell you that Governor Makinde met the backlog of unpaid pension and gratuity to the tune of 36 billion naira when he assumed office in 2019. Out of this several billion of naira, Engr. Makinde has paid over 21 billion naira out of this debt.
We are now paying gratuities of those that retired in 2016 and I want to tell you that Governor Makinde has promised to clear this debt before the end of his administration in 2027.
To make this happen, Governor Makinde has increased the monthly allocation we are paying for retired local government staff from #250 million to #500 million among other several welfare packages he has put in place to make life better for our senior citizens.
Governor Makinde has also accorded great respect for the pensioners especially the teachers and that is the reason why he appointed some of them including the Chairman of Civil Service Commission, Alhaji Kamorudeen Aderibigbe, erstwhile Chairman of Teaching Service Commission, Pastor Akin Alamu and so on in his Omi Tuntun 1.0 and 2.0 government.
For our mama that is retiring today, you have served the state for 35 years and you deserve to be rewarded with payment of your gratuity.
As the chairman of the Local Government Staff Pension Board, I know how many files of retirees that come to my table on a daily basis.
By the time I’m scrutinizing these files, I used to discover that it is the next-of-kins of many of these people that come to claim the death benefits of their parents or relatives which means that the person that worked for the benefit had died. I pray that this will never be your portion. You have served and you will live long to enjoy your retirement benefit. Hon. Ige prayed.
Earlier in his sermon, Pastor Paul Olayiwola of God’s Gospel Prayer Ministry who described teaching as a great profession that requires endurance, however, admonished those who are still in active teaching service to be faithful, persevere, dutiful and committed to duty in order to end well just as the celebrant did.
Those who commented on the celebrant described her as a wonderful, hardworking, humble, passionate, generous and a great disciplinarian that is always ready to proffer solutions to every problem or challenge.
Mrs Oguntayo Olabisi Mojisola who hails from Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti state started her teaching career at Igbabi College Yaba Lagos state in 1990 and taught in various schools including Ansar-ud-deen High school, Liberty, Ring road, Yejide Girl’s Grammar School, Molete, People’s Girls Grammar School, Molete, African Church Grammar School, Apata Ganga, before she retired at St. Teresa’s College, Oke Ado, Ibadan as a Principal.
Highlights of the event were cultural display in Yoruba and Igbo tradition, teachers special number, testimonies about the celebrant, cutting of cake, presentation of gifts and special prayer for the celebrant.
