Senator Yayi Promises To Review Contributory Pension Scheme, Prioritise Teachers’ Welfare
Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) has assured teachers in Ogun State that their welfare will occupy a central place in his administration if elected governor, pledging to review the controversial Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), implement policies that enhance teachers’ welfare and strengthen the education sector.
The assurance came on Monday during an interactive session with teachers and education stakeholders at the Ake Palace Ground, Abeokuta, where various unions and professional associations presented a comprehensive charter of demands aimed at improving teachers’ welfare and repositioning education in the state.
Responding to the requests, Senator Adeola said he had carefully listened to the concerns raised by teachers and promised to work with relevant stakeholders to address them.
“I am not going to abandon Ogun State teachers. I have listened to all that has been said and all the complaints. I can only do better and move forward. I appreciate your recognition of my interventions in our schools, and I assure you that your welfare will remain a priority,” he said.
On the controversial Contributory Pension Scheme, which dominated discussions at the meeting, the senator promised an objective review of the policy.
“We are going to look at the Contributory Pension Scheme and examine all available options. If abolishing it is the best option available, we will go by it,” Adeola declared
He also pledged to domesticate the enhanced retirement age for teachers already approved at the federal level, recruit more qualified teachers into public schools to address manpower shortages, clear outstanding entitlements owed teachers and strengthen teachers’ cooperative societies to improve access to short-term loans.
Adeola further assured teachers serving in rural communities that his administration would provide the necessary infrastructure and amenities required to create a conducive teaching and learning environment.
The senator also announced plans to establish a Teachers’ Advisory Council in the Governor’s Office to provide a structured platform for continuous engagement on policies affecting teachers and the education sector.
He equally disclosed that reducing the Ogun Teach internship period from two years to one year would be among the priorities of his administration in response to appeals by participants at the meeting.
Describing teachers as the foundation of national development, Adeola said no society could attain meaningful progress without investing in the welfare, motivation and professional development of its teachers.
He noted that the National Teachers’ Policy aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by placing education at the centre of national transformation, adding that his administration would faithfully implement the policy while introducing additional reforms tailored to Ogun State.
The senator recalled that his relationship with teachers predates his governorship aspiration, noting that he had consistently supported World Teachers’ Day celebrations and educational development in Ogun State for nearly a decade.
According to him, his interventions over the last three and a half years include the construction of 128 blocks of 12-classroom buildings with 56 staff rooms and four ultra-modern libraries across the state, provision of furniture and over 300,000 textbooks, establishment of 13 ICT centres and eight skills acquisition centres, training of thousands of teachers and students in digital skills and the distribution of 12,250 laptops to teachers, students and medical personnel.
He also listed the facilitation of over 12,000 scholarships and bursaries for Ogun students, donation of 102 campus shuttle buses to tertiary institutions, sponsorship of legislation upgrading the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, to the Federal University of Technology, Ilaro, payment of the 2026 WASSCE fees for 2,137 indigent students and sponsorship of JAMB registration fees for more than 15,000 Ogun students over the years.
Earlier, leaders of teachers’ unions and professional bodies commended Senator Adeola for his sustained investment in education while urging him to place greater emphasis on teachers’ welfare if elected governor.
President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Evangelist Alaba Olugbenle, described the senator as a visionary leader whose interventions in education, healthcare, infrastructure and economic empowerment had transformed lives across Ogun State.
According to him, Senator Adeola’s payment of over N80 million for the 2026 WASSCE fees of more than 2,000 indigent students, construction and renovation of school facilities, provision of libraries and instructional materials, distribution of laptops and intervention during the 2025 education crisis demonstrated his unwavering commitment to educational development.
