The Osun State Governor, Mr. Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 launched the Osun State Youth Policy Document first of its kind in the history of the state.
In an elaborate ceremony at the prestigious Aorora Event Centre attended by the market women, Monarchs, youth organizations and other interest groups including ILERI-OLUWA Next Level Progressive Movement (INLPM), Oyetola Commended the organizers of the program and reiterated his administration’s commitment to the cause of the youths in the state.
He said, “The people, including the youth, are the reason we are in government….To further demonstrate our commitment to developing our youth, we have developed a Youth Policy christened the 4 Es: Youth Empowerment, Youth Engagement, Youth Entrepreneurship and Youth Education.”
SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR OF OSUN, MR. ADEGBOYEGA OYETOLA, AT THE LAUNCHING OF THE OSUN YOUTH POLICY DOCUMENT, AT AURORA EVENT CENTRE, OsOGBO, ON WEDNESDAY, 2 JUNE, 2021
PROTOCOLS: I am highly delighted to be here today to launch the Osun Youth Policy Document to develop and empower our young people and put them at the centre of the development of the State. Youth is a critical stage in the life cycle of human beings because of the admixture of high energy, enthusiasm, insecurities, ldealism, confusion and challenges that characterise this unique life stage. Youths are the hope of our nation and our State. They are the face and engine of any meaningful sustainable development. Unfortunately, In our clime, soclal noms and practices often exclude them from participating in critical decislon-making pertaining to their lives and activities with dire consequences.
Conscious of this misnomer and intent on correcting it to harness the bundle of energy that characterises youth, our government has in recent times focused its attentlon on the youth, while designing programmes and projects that impact on youth empowement, employment and social justice.
The people, including the youth, are the reason we are in government. Our Administration came into office on the shoulders of Development Agenda, a programme carefully created to bring all the sectors and the people into the development net.
Within two years after coming into office, we have delivered adequate and quality services, projects and programmes across the State in a manner that will sustaln the peace in the State, transform the economy, industrialise the State, provide jobs for the people, especlally the youth, and provide security and welfare for the people To further demonstrate our commitment to developing our youth, we have developed a Youth Policy christened the 4 Es: Youth Empowerment, Youth Engagement, Youth Entrepreneurship and Youth Education.
The Osun Youth Policy contains commitment by government, the youth of the State and society in pursuance of youth development and growth. The Policy provides a crucial framework for guiding the State’s approach to ensure that large number of youths residing in the State is provided with high quality of life.
As captured in the Policy, youth development is holistic and integrated, requiring the Support and active involvement of all relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencles (MDAs), Youth Organisations, Non Governmental Organisatlons and the Public Sector, Private Sector and Phllanthropists. The Osun Youth play a key role in our development efforts, hence, our Administration has enunciated a clear policy framework to ensure that an enabling environment is created for them to maximally realise their creative and productive potential.
So far, we have been engaging the Osun youth productively. Loans ranging from N500, 000 to N2, 500,000 were facilitated for 4,650 people and efforts are on to increase our beneficiaries. We are also determined to use sports as a vehicle for encouraging school enrolment and retention and talent identification, just as we intend using it to create opportunities for young people in our rural communities Only two days ago, the State Executive Council gave approval for tnee commencement of Osun Sports Festival. The first edition will commence in June this year
The unveiling of the Osun Youth Policy Document today is to further demonstrate our administration’s commitment to youth development.
We shall engage in research and monitoring, while deploying effective evaluation template to constantly enrich the initiative and to ensure proper and sustainapie Implementation of the Policy.
I therefore, recommend the document to all levels of government for accelerated Implementation as the roles of all stakeholders are clearly spelt out.
Iwant to also assure all the youth in the State that this new State Youth Policy vividiy captures workable strategies for achieving the Youth Development Plan of the present Administration and we will do all that is necessary to ensure that, in Collaboration with other Stakeholders, the lofty intention of the Policy 1s made a reality for our teeming youths.
To this end, I wish to commend the efforts of the Honourable Commissioner and Special Adviser for Youth and Sports, Coordinating Director, Directors, Resource Persons, all Staff of the Ministry, other relevant Departments, Agencies of Government and all Stakeholders who contributed in one way or the other to the successful production of the State Youth Policy, to enhance the wellbeing of our youth and to achieve their potential and aspirations for their overall development and that of Osun in particular and the country at large.
| now have the singular honour to launch the Osun Youth Policy Document to the glory of God and for the benefit of humanity. Thank you all and God bless.”
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