For years, the teaching profession in Oyo State was marked by delayed salaries, unpaid entitlements and stalled promotions, leaving many educators struggling to make ends meet and uncertain about their career future. Some, according to a former leader of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), were even forced to go around cap in hand in search of assistance.
But that narrative, Comrade Raji Oladimeji says, began to change with the emergence of Governor Seyi Makinde in 2019.
Oladimeji, a former NUT chairman in Oyo State and now Deputy Chairman of the Mobilisation Committee of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), describes Makinde’s administration as a defining moment in the history of teachers’ welfare, career advancement and professional dignity in the state.
“God answered the prayers of teachers by giving us a governor who understands our plight. As the son of a teacher, Governor Makinde changed the narrative. Today, teachers can walk with their heads held high and speak with confidence,” he said.
He recalled that teachers were on strike when Makinde assumed office over outstanding entitlements and other welfare concerns. According to him, the new administration addressed the crisis by clearing salary arrears and leave bonuses, regularising monthly payments and ending the two-to-three-month salary delays that had become a source of frustration.
Beyond regular salaries, Oladimeji said the administration also addressed disparities in payments between primary and secondary school teachers, creating greater financial stability for educators and their families.
For him, however, one of the most significant changes has been in career progression. He described the removal of the 27-year-old restriction that prevented teachers from advancing beyond Grade Level 13 as a landmark achievement, noting that primary school teachers can now rise to Grade Level 16, with prospects of reaching Grade Level 17.
The appointment of teachers as Permanent Secretaries and Tutor-Generals across the state’s 10 educational zones, he added, has further strengthened confidence in the profession by recognising the competence and experience of education practitioners.
The transformation, in his assessment, has also been reflected in recruitment. Oladimeji commended the Makinde administration for employing more than 14,000 teachers into the primary and secondary education sectors, describing the exercise conducted through the Ministry of Education, TESCOM and OYOSUBEB as transparent and free from political, tribal or discriminatory considerations.
He said the inclusion of qualified non-indigenes in the recruitment exercise demonstrated fairness, while the increased number of teachers had contributed to improved school enrolment and efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
Oladimeji also cited the reinstatement of teachers removed from the payroll during the administrations of former governors Abiola Ajimobi and the late Adebayo Alao-Akala as evidence of what he described as Makinde’s human-centred approach to governance. He said deserving teachers were restored after their cases were reviewed, while others facing allegations of misconduct were allowed to defend themselves before disciplinary committees.
He recalled other gestures he considered symbolic of the governor’s commitment, including Makinde’s decision to suspend his holiday in 2024 to attend the annual Teachers’ Day celebration despite heavy rainfall and competing official engagements. He also mentioned the tarring of the previously neglected road leading to the NUT office.
According to the former union leader, the governor’s relationship with teachers has earned him commendation letters and awards from the NUT at the national level.
But as the political conversation shifts towards the 2027 governorship election, Oladimeji believes the most important question is how to preserve these gains. He expressed confidence in the ability of the APM governorship candidate, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, to understand and sustain the policies introduced under Makinde.
He argued that a sustainable framework for salaries, pensions and other entitlements would be necessary to protect teachers from a return to the uncertainties of the past.
For Oladimeji, therefore, the story of teachers under Makinde is not simply about salaries paid, promotions approved or appointments made. It is about a profession whose members, in his words, can now stand tall, speak with confidence and look towards a more secure future.
