Dr. Akintola, Benson Oke, PH.D., LL.B., BL., FCArb., FNIM., FCGP., F.IoD., EF.CIPDM is a political science scholar, a chartered manager, a corporate governance specialist, and a qualified legal practitioner.
He served as the Honourable Commissioner for the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions in Lagos State from October 19, 2015 to May 29, 2019.
In this position, he exercised oversight and supervisory responsibilities for the Office of Establishments and Training (OE&T), the Civil Service Pensions Office (CSPO), the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) and the Lagos State Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC).
Dr. Akintola, Benson Oke holds the degrees of the Doctorate of Philosophy (Political Science); Masters of Science (Political Science with specialization in International Relations); and Bachelors of Science (Political Science) from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and the degree of Legum Baccalaureus (LL.B) from the Lagos State University. He also holds the degree of Bachelor of Laws (BL.) from the Nigerian Law School and a qualifying certificate to practice Law in Nigeria awarded by the Council of Legal Education (CLE).
As the Honourable Commissioner for the Lagos State Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions, he was responsible for overseeing the design, implementation and review of Lagos State Government’s expansive staff engagement, motivation, training, and discipline strategies and policies as well as the supervision of the Lagos State Award-Winning Pension Management Systems. In addition to his statutory role in the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions and his representational duties to the Governor of Lagos State, he was also a delegatee of the Governor’s powers relating to the endorsement of statutory consent on approved land transfers.
Dr. Akintola’s career, the entirety of which has been devoted to public service, started in 1992 when he was appointed as a Senior Special Assistant (Political Affairs) to the then Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Finance and Banking, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In that capacity, he prepared high-level advisory documents and attended high-level strategy meetings. He was later appointed as the Senior Special Assistant (Media Relations) to the then Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. While serving in that position, he was responsible for the development and implementation of information management strategies; the management of public-interest information dissemination process; and the articulation of government-wide policy implementation strategies.
He was also appointed as a Senior Special Assistant (Information and Strategy) to His Excellency, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) who succeeded His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Governor of Lagos State and further served as the pioneer National Financial Secretary of the Action Congress (AC), the political party that metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and which later merged with other political parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Before his appointment as a Commissioner in Lagos State, he was responsible for the development of researched policy papers; liaison with various political interests at all levels; development, articulation and implementation of strategies on relationship with the media and major political stakeholders; and the evaluation of policy proposals from political and legal standpoints.
Born in Idanre, Ondo State.
In demonstration of his scholarship and practice in the fields of Political Science, Management, and Law, he is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) (FNIM), Member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (FCArb), Fellow of the Association of Corporate Governance Professionals of Nigeria (FCGP), Fellow of the Institute of Directors, Nigeria (F.IoD). In addition, he is an Executive Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Diplomacy and Management (EF.CIPDM).
With a distinguished academic profile and rich practice experience consisting of extensive first-hand participation in governance and political activities at high levels since the early 1990s, Dr. Akintola, Benson Oke is widely acclaimed as possessing multi-disciplinary skills for public policy appreciation, formulation and analysis along with a deep understanding of contending citizenship, political, and legal interests in governance and public policy formulation. On a personal level, he is disciplined, determined, and tactful. He also has excellent work ethics and has been trusted with confidences.
During his tenure of office as the Honourable Commissioner for the Lagos State Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions, he led the overhaul and modernization of the ministry’s training curriculum and schedule, and he furthered the re-alignment of the state’s pensions obligations with officers’ legitimate expectations in a manner that has received accolades from far and wide.