The Special Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Education Intervention, Hon. Suraj Tiamiyu, has clarified issues surrounding ongoing educational projects in the state, addressing allegations of mismanaged teacher training funds, unequal allowances, and the return of digital tablets by teachers.
Speaking in a recent interview, Tiamiyu said the present administration inherited a huge infrastructure and manpower deficit in the education sector due to neglect by past governments. He explained that Governor Seyi Makinde’s first four years in office were focused on making structural amendments, which may not have been immediately visible because of the scale of decay.
“The deficit we have has been long since the past administration didn’t do anything to address it. The first four years of this administration were dedicated to making amendments, but it’s not showing quickly because a lot has spoiled,” he said.
According to him, collaborations with the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) have supported major school renovations. He disclosed that for the first time since 2014, Oyo State recorded its biggest education budget this year, with ₦15 billion earmarked annually for school renovations. Already, 105 primary schools have been upgraded to standard, with more expected to follow.
On teacher training, Tiamiyu highlighted the BESDA AF-TESS project, which targets the training of 18,000 teachers across Oyo State. He explained that the training is part of the “Program for Results” (P4R) initiative, under which funds are disbursed to selected states based on outcomes achieved. Oyo, alongside Katsina and Adamawa, was chosen, but has not yet received its allocation, meaning the state is currently funding the project with its own resources.
He dismissed claims that teachers in other states were paid ₦200,000 for the training, insisting no such amount was approved by BESDA. Instead, each state was asked to determine its own payment structure.
Explaining the variation in allowances—some teachers receiving ₦80,000 while others got ₦60,000—he noted that this was based on transportation logistics.
“Each teacher is entitled to transportation allowance. We paired two local governments together, meaning some teachers lived in the host LG where the training was held, while others traveled down. Those living in the host LG received ₦6,000 daily, while those traveling received ₦10,000 daily. In addition, every teacher got a ₦30,000 training allowance,” he explained.
Addressing allegations that some teachers were forced to return ₦2,500 or ₦5,000 to their local governments, Tiamiyu confirmed that investigations were ongoing. He said letters had been sent to those allegedly involved, and any guilty officials would face a disciplinary panel soon.
On the controversy surrounding the return of tablets distributed during the seminar, Tiamiyu clarified that only veteran teachers with less than five years left in service were asked to return the devices.
“We selected newly recruited teachers for this training, but some senior teachers with little time left in service also participated. They were the ones asked to return the tablets. However, we have listened to public opinion that these teachers will still be active for a few years, and we will revisit this decision after the program,” he added.
Hon. Tiamiyu assured that the state government remained committed to improving both infrastructure and manpower in the education sector, stressing that ongoing reforms would gradually yield visible results.
