Ogun Teachers Demand Scrapping of Contributory Pension Scheme, Minimum Wage Implementation From Senator Yayi

ABEOKUTA – Teachers across Ogun State on Monday demanded the abolition of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), full implementation of the National Minimum Wage and the Teachers’ Peculiar Salary Structure (TPSS), among other welfare packages from the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The teachers drawn from different education unions and professional bodies across the state made the demands during an interactive session with Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) held at the Ake Palace Ground in Abeokuta on Monday.

The teachers, while acknowledging Senator Adeola’s numerous interventions in the education sector over the years, presented a comprehensive charter of demands aimed at improving the welfare, motivation and productivity of teachers in Ogun State.

Speaking on behalf of principals in the state, the President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Evangelist Alaba Olugbenle, described the gathering as “a dream come true,” saying the overwhelming support enjoyed by Senator Adeola across Ogun State was a reflection of public confidence in his leadership.

According to Olugbenle, Senator Adeola’s interventions have cut across education, healthcare, infrastructure and economic empowerment, adding that his investments in the education sector have significantly improved learning conditions in schools across the state.

He highlighted the construction and renovation of school facilities, provision of libraries, textbooks, notebooks, school bags and other instructional materials, as well as the distribution of laptops to teachers and students to promote digital learning.

Olugbenle also commended the senator for paying the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fees of over 2,000 indigent students at a cost exceeding N80 million, saying the intervention prevented many brilliant students from being denied the opportunity to complete their secondary education because of financial challenges.

He further recalled Senator Adeola’s intervention during the 2025 education crisis, which, according to him, ensured that scholarship opportunities for Ogun State students were preserved.

Presenting the collective position of teachers, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Felix Agbesanwa, appreciated the senator for his consistent support for teachers and education, but insisted that the next phase of educational development must focus squarely on teachers’ welfare.

Agbesanwa said teachers were demanding either a complete return to the old pension scheme or a comprehensive resolution of all issues surrounding the Contributory Pension Scheme to guarantee prompt and adequate retirement benefits.

He also called for the full implementation of the Teachers’ Peculiar Salary Structure, including all outstanding components of the Special Teachers’ Salary, alongside the immediate implementation of the approved National Minimum Wage for teachers.

Other demands presented by ASUSS included regular promotion of teachers, payment of outstanding leave allowance arrears from 2015 to 2018, upward review of transport allowance from N10,000 to N50,000, increase in rural posting allowance to N30,000, payment of transfer allowances, implementation of a “One Teacher, One Laptop” initiative, functional health insurance, accessible housing scheme, improved school infrastructure, enhanced security in public schools, provision of a union bus and support for the forthcoming World Teachers’ Day celebration.

Agbesanwa said addressing the demands would improve teachers’ morale, increase productivity and ultimately enhance the quality of education across Ogun State.

Similarly, the State Coordinator of Yayi Teachers, Mr. Sunday Odunaro, described Senator Adeola as “a man of capacity” whose track record had earned him the confidence of teachers across the state.

He specifically appealed to the senator to abolish the Contributory Pension Scheme, stressing that the welfare of teachers must remain a top priority of any administration committed to quality education.

The Coordinator of the Employed Graduate Teachers Association (EGTA) urged Senator Adeola to establish a Teachers’ Advisory Council in the Governor’s Office to create a permanent platform for dialogue on policies affecting teachers.

Also speaking, Olumide Oduneye, the State Chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) commended the senator for expanding educational opportunities through his interventions, saying his investments had strengthened the education sector and restored confidence among stakeholders.

The Coordinator of Ogun Teach Interns, Tijani Sakiru, appealed to Senator Adeola to sustain and expand the Ogun Teach initiative as a flagship programme for youth employment while requesting that the internship period be reduced from two years to one year.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Ogun State Wing, Comrade Noah Sewakanu, described Senator Adeola as “a finished product” whose developmental impact was evident across the three senatorial districts of Ogun State.

According to him, the senator has redefined legislative representation through people-oriented programmes and sustained interventions in education, healthcare, infrastructure and economic empowerment.

Chairman of the Ogun State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Apostle Biodun Sanyaolu, described the meeting as unprecedented, noting that it was not a political rally but a historic opportunity for teachers to collectively present their agenda to a governorship aspirant.

“This is the first time teachers are coming together to prepare a covenant document containing their expectations from someone aspiring to govern Ogun State,” he said.

Responding to the various requests, Senator Adeola assured teachers that they would remain central to his developmental agenda, declaring that he would not abandon the teaching profession.

“I have listened carefully to all your submissions and complaints. I can only promise to do better and move forward with you,” he said.

The senator announced that reducing the Ogun Teach internship period from two years to one year would receive priority attention, while also promising to establish a Teachers’ Advisory Council to facilitate regular engagement with education stakeholders on teachers’ welfare.

On the controversial Contributory Pension Scheme, Adeola assured teachers that all available options would be carefully examined.

“We are going to look at the Contributory Pension Scheme. If abolishing it turns out to be the best available option, we will go by it,” he declared

He further pledged to domesticate the enhanced retirement age for teachers already approved at the federal level, recruit more teachers to address manpower shortages in public schools, clear outstanding payments owed teachers, strengthen teachers’ cooperative societies to facilitate access to short-term loans, and improve amenities in rural schools.

The senator stressed that teachers occupy a strategic position in national development, noting that no meaningful educational advancement could be achieved without motivated and well-supported teachers.

He said he was fully committed to implementing the National Teachers’ Policy in Ogun State if elected governor, explaining that the policy aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by placing education at the centre of national transformation and sustainable development.

Adeola added that his administration would faithfully implement the National Teachers’ Policy while building on the welfare initiatives already introduced by Governor Dapo Abiodun for teachers in Ogun State.

Reflecting on his longstanding relationship with teachers, the senator said his support for the profession predates his current governorship aspiration, recalling that he had consistently participated in World Teachers’ Day celebrations and supported teachers for nearly a decade despite criticisms from political opponents.

He said his numerous interventions in education over the past three and a half years, including the construction of 128 classroom blocks with 56 staff rooms and four modern libraries, provision of furniture and over 300,000 textbooks, establishment of 13 ICT centres and eight skills acquisition centres, ICT training and distribution of 12,250 laptops to students, teachers and medical personnel, facilitation of over 12,000 scholarships and bursaries, donation of 102 campus shuttle buses, sponsorship of the legislation upgrading the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, to the Federal University of Technology, Ilaro, payment of WASSCE fees for 2,137 indigent students in 2026 and sponsorship of JAMB registration fees for over 15,000 Ogun students were driven by his conviction that education remains the greatest instrument for societal transformation.

He assured teachers that he would continue to champion legislative initiatives and government policies that promote quality education, adequate funding and improved welfare for teachers, describing them as the engine room for producing the skilled human resources needed for Ogun State’s future development.