Governor, State of Osun, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola has restated the commitment of his administration to reposition the Youth Policy Agenda such that it will guarantee their education, empowerment and emancipation.
Oyetola believes the drive towards repositioning the Youth for societal development will further entrench the wave of development the state has witnessed in the last one and half years.
Oyetola stated this in his keynote address to the virtual meeting tagged “Osun Youth Engagement For Global Action” organised to mark the 2020 International Youth Day.
The Governor noted the intervention of his administration so far pledging to do more in optimising the Youthful potential of the state for results.
He said the gains achieved so far can only be sustained if the Youth embrace the spirit of hardwork, resilience and the Omoluabi Ethos Osun is known for.
Oyetola also used the occasion to enumerate the success story of the present government in Youth Empowerment and Development.
“As a government, we are conscious of the fact that our youth are not only our future, but also our present hope. We first demonstrated this by including youth in our cabinet. To further demonstrate our commitment to building our youth, we’ve sustained the O’YES and YESSO programmes.”
“These programmes are aimed at alleviating poverty as well as improving the economy of the State through the involvement of youth in empowerment activities in different fields such as agric, sports, Information Technology, security and fashion designing, among others.”
“In order to consolidate on our gains so far, we are putting a Policy Document together, which we shall soon present to the public for inputs and adoption. The State of Osun Youth Policy Document is a fallout of the country’s National Policy on Youth.”
“However, our own policy dwells on 4E’s, namely Youth Education, Youth Engagement, Youth Empowerment and Youth Entrepreneurship.This policy sets out guidelines and provides framework for all stakeholders to engage, empower and equip the youth to realise their potential and take advantage of the opportunities available to make positive contributions to the wellbeing of their communities across the State.”
According to the Governor, “The State of Osun Youth Policy emphasises greater youth participation and engagement in decision making as well as welfare programmes of the Government at State and local levels.”
“This Policy will ensure sufficient investment by the State through the provision of resources, skilled labour and facilities. I appreciate Osun youth for all your support and goodwill towards our administration. I assure you that we will continue to do our best to justify the faith reposed in us as a government.”
In his remarks, Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Yemi Lawal who corroborated the Governor said the ministry is open to ideas from various youth organisations in the interest of the state of Osun.
“As a government, we will continue to do our best to ensure that the Youths of the state are empowered and repositioned for excellence. As we do our own, we want the Youths to support us while we are open to ideas on how we can address the issues for a greater tomorrow.”
