Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has approved the immediate payment of death benefits to teachers killed during the abduction of teachers and students in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
The government said the affected families would receive the benefits without unnecessary bureaucratic delays.
The approval was disclosed on Wednesday in Ibadan by the Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Staff Pension Board, Akeem Ademola Ige, while receiving officials of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, at the Local Government House, Secretariat.
Ige said the teachers were killed during the May abduction incident in the local government area, adding that arrangements had been made to ensure a smooth payment process for the beneficiaries.
He said the payment formed part of the state government’s efforts to improve the welfare of workers, retirees and families of deceased public servants.
According to him, the pension board had, since 2019, paid about N42 billion in gratuities and death benefits to retired and deceased pensioners, while its monthly allocations had increased from N250 million to N3 billion.
Ige added that the administration had also provided various forms of support to pensioners, including a N15,000 wage award, N10,000 transport allowance and N50,000 Christmas bonus.
He spoke during an assessment visit by NIPSS officials to examine local government policies, administrative systems and strategic development initiatives in the state, with a view to making recommendations and identifying practices that could be adopted elsewhere.
The leader of the NIPSS delegation, Prof. Ibrahim Choji, commended the state for what he described as notable practices observed at the pension board.
Choji said the assessment was intended to contribute to recommendations for improving local government administration in the country.