BREAKING: Adeleke inaugurates 10,000 corp members in Osun

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has inaugurated 10,000 youth into the Imole Youth Corps at a grand ceremony held at the Freedom Park in Osogbo. During his address, Adeleke described the event as a significant milestone in his administration’s efforts to combat youth unemployment, alongside other initiatives aimed at engaging young people across various sectors.

The Governor explained that the Imole Youth Corps programme is designed as a transitional arrangement to provide opportunities for young people from all walks of life. He stated, “Today’s gathering is a continuation of our efforts to provide job opportunities for our teaming youth. Ten thousand youth, spread across the 332 political wards, will be engaged to provide services in the areas of health, security, environment, and education.” He assured that the newly enrolled members of the corps would receive training to deliver support services across the grassroots economy and other sectors.

Governor Adeleke urged the youth corps members to demonstrate strong commitment in their respective assignments, encouraging them to “justify the confidence reposed in you by working diligently in your posted areas.”

The Governor went on to emphasise his administration’s broader efforts to tackle the unemployment crisis in the state, highlighting the widespread joblessness among young people. He said, “Our administration is focused on tackling the unemployment crisis. We recognise the widespread joblessness among the youth.”

Adeleke outlined several measures taken by his government, including creating an enabling environment for job creation through both public and private sector partnerships. He noted that part of the administration’s strategy included providing financial support to small businesses via cooperative movements, upgrading state infrastructure, and launching the agropreneur programme.

“Through small business financing, this administration has provided lifelines and operational loans to thousands of grassroots entrepreneurs. Over four billion naira has so far been committed to this revolving loan scheme,” he revealed.

The Governor also highlighted the state’s commitment to local content policies in its infrastructure projects. He explained, “We engage local contractors who, in turn, employ local technicians, thereby imparting new skills. Additionally, local suppliers are patronised, ensuring that Osun’s money circulates within the state.”

Governor Adeleke was pleased to announce that, through local content policies, financial access to businesses, and the ongoing youth agropreneur programme, over 250,000 people in the state have been provided with job opportunities. He added that the number would continue to rise with the launch of the agropreneur project in each of Osun’s 30 local government areas and Area Councils.

He also assured that the activities of the Imole Youth Corps would be subjected to regular performance evaluations to ensure that the programme’s objectives are met.

In his address, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Moshood Olagunju, praised the successful launch of the programme, stressing that the government would enforce a performance evaluation system to track progress and ensure the goals of the initiative are achieved.

Olagunju also encouraged the youth corps members to serve as ambassadors for the newly created youth engagement platform, commending Governor Adeleke and the State Executive Council for their commitment to youth development. “Governor Adeleke has consistently demonstrated his passion for youth development,” he added.