A widow from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Mrs Adetola Olayide-Asipa, tells BIODUN BUSARI about her daily struggle to singlehandedly raise five children — a burden she says has been compounded by her late husband’s employer allegedly withholding his benefits
When did your husband join Tai Solarin College of Education?
I’m a widow living in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. My husband, the late Olusoji Olayide-Asipa, joined Tai Solarin College of Education in May 2006. Later, another institution, Sikiru Adetona College of Education, Science and Technology, was carved out, and he was transferred there.
According to the letter I received after his passing on September 23, 2017, his last position was Principal Registrar.
What was responsible for his death?
He died as a result of injuries he sustained in an accident in April 2016 while returning from work in Omu-Ijebu. Although no one died at the scene when the staff bus somersaulted, his internal injuries were not immediately detected.
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A few months later, he began complaining of severe stomach pain. He went to the General Hospital in Ijebu-Ode, where he was later referred to the Ogun State Teaching Hospital in Sagamu, and subsequently to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.
A medical report later confirmed that his liver had been damaged due to the accident. He spent a few days at LUTH before he passed away. This was a year after the accident.
What steps have you taken to claim his gratuity and other entitlements?
After his death, the institution sent me a list of requirements needed to process his gratuity. I filled out the next-of-kin form, declared his assets at the bureau office in Abeokuta, and obtained a letter of administration from the High Court in Abeokuta since he didn’t leave a will. They also requested for his employment letter and another document issued two years later, with which he was assigned an OG number based on his employment year. There were other documents I can’t fully recall, but I submitted everything.
When a new administration came into power in Ogun State, I was instructed to redo the entire process through the Ministry of Justice, which meant obtaining another letter of administration, signed by the same person as the first one. These processes cost me so much time and money.
Were there other benefits he was entitled to?
Yes. The institution owed him 48 months of net arrears and three months’ salaries. His last promotion was only in title; it was never reflected in his salary. His promotion letter clearly stated it. There was also a mix-up with the cooperative society during the split between the College of Education in Omu and the University of Education in Ijagun.
It was a management error, yet it was used as one of the excuses to delay his entitlements. The management had deducted money from staff salaries. I fought to recover it, but they said every member of the cooperative was affected, so nothing was refunded.
Which of these benefits have you received so far?
As I speak to you, the state government has still not paid me my husband’s gratuity. The Sikiru Adetona College of Education, Science and Technology has also not given me anything. Even his salary for the month he died was not released. I was not allowed to collect it on his behalf. The only money I received from the institution was N20,000, as a burial contribution.
Has anyone from the institution, government, or PenCom explained the delay?
A staff member at the PenCom office told me it was due to the change in government. According to my sources, when the new administration came in 2019, they said they would not pay benefits owed to workers under the previous administration, that it was not their responsibility. In fact, one officer at the PenCom office told me to “just go and pray.”
How have you been coping with the situation?
It has been extremely difficult raising my children, especially in this harsh economy. I have five children: two sets of twins and their elder sister. Paying their school fees and feeding them has never been easy. My children do odd jobs and hawk on the streets just to support me.
I am a low-cadre civil servant and also do petty trading to earn extra money. Over time, I’ve taken several loans from cooperative societies and microfinance banks just to survive. I am neck-deep in debt, and servicing these loans gives me no peace of mind. But I refuse to let my children fall behind their peers. I pay their school fees in instalments. I am doing so with shame, but with determination.
Was there any support the college could have given you?
Yes. My husband was allocated an official residence by the college. He was to pay for it through salary deductions. At the time we moved in, my last set of twins was in Primary Three.
But as debts piled up, I had nowhere else to turn. For years, nobody came to disturb us about the house, until August 7. Some officials came and told me to vacate the house immediately. They said I must leave by September 9, 2025.
I begged them, telling them I had nowhere to go. I reminded them that the state government still owed my late husband three months’ salary, 48 months’ net arrears, and his gratuity. I asked them where they expected me to take my five children. Did they want us to sleep on the street?
Husband’s benefits used to offset bank, co-operative
The Deputy Director of Public Relations at Tai Solarin College of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Olufisayo Olayide, responds to the claims made by the widow
Are you aware that the late Mr Olusoji Olayide-Asipa worked with the college and was promoted to the level of Principal Registrar?
I know he worked with the college, and I’m familiar with his widow’s case. However, I would have to confirm from the registrar’s office whether he attained the position of Principal Registrar as she claimed.
Were you also aware he had an accident while returning from work, which later led to his death?
Regarding the claim that he died due to an accident he had while returning from work, that is not accurate. To the best of my knowledge, he was never involved in any serious accident that could have caused such complications. He was never hospitalised for accident-related injuries while in service. We only knew he was very ill. He had a terminal illness, and the college intervened to support him.
The widow claimed she has not received any of her late husband’s benefits despite submitting all required documents.
When her husband was ill, staff members rallied round to support him financially because the college was going through a salary crisis at the time. After his death, we formed a foundation to support his children. I personally contributed. The aim was to sponsor the children through secondary school.
What has been delaying the payment of her entitlements?
Ordinarily, when a staff member dies or leaves service, their clearance must be completed before pension processes begin. Since we are a state-owned institution, the Ogun State Government is responsible for paying entitlements, not the college. The pension board will only proceed after clearance from us.
However, before his death, he took a group loan under NASU worth N1m from a bank. The loan was not properly serviced. The bank took both the college and the beneficiaries to court and won. So everyone involved in the loan was compelled to pay.
Later, when the college became more financially stable and wanted to pay salary arrears, the late Mr Asipa was due to receive. But because he still owed the bank, the college used his arrears to offset the loan.
He also owed N800,000 to the college cooperative society. Although his widow wrote through a lawyer, promising to repay once she received the benefits, after deducting his contributions, he still owed over N600,000.
She claimed a change in government also stalled payments. Is that correct?
I’m not aware of that. What I do know is that the Ogun State Government has been pushing for all tertiary institutions to become self-sufficient and settle their own workforce.