The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, has described Governor Biodun Oyebanji as truly a youth-friendly governor, disclosing that over 90 percent of those recently recruited into the Civil Service are youths.
The Deputy Governor stated that the monarchs had consistently demonstrated the lofty spirit through parental guidance to wean their subjects from criminal tendencies and sponsorship of empowerment programmes for productive youths in their domains.
Mrs Afuye, in a statement by her Media Assistant,Victor Ogunje, made the remarks in Ikere Ekiti, on Friday, during a programme organised by the Nigerian Youth Congress to mark the 2023 edition of Odun Oba Youth Colloquium.
The Deputy Governor, while espousing her views on the theme of the programme : ‘The Roles and Relevance of Traditional Institution in Local Community and Youth Development’, maintained that the royal fathers are catalysts to youth development as leaders of their people.
Specifically, Mrs Afuye saluted the enthusiastic and consistent painstakingness of the state’s royal fathers in ensuring that youths population in their domains are captured in employment and empowerment opportunities provided by Governor Oyebanji’s government.
Speaking against the backdrop of Governor Oyebanji’s quests to expand the scope of opportunities for youths, she said: “If you check the policy thrust of this administration, Job Creation and Youth Development remains a prominent pillar.
“Let me also place on records that of the over 3,000 people that had been employed into the civil service by Governor Oyebanji’s government, about 90 percent of them are youths. I am assuring you that many will still be captured in the series of intervention programmes of government that will be rolled out soon”.
The Deputy Governor assured Ikere people that the government will resolve the issue of epileptic power supply in the town, saying some towns facing similar challenges had been reconnected to the national grid.
Mrs Afuye lauded the traditional rulers in the state for keying into the Job Ceation and Youth Development Policy and other initiatives of Governor Oyebanji’s government, saying from time immemorial, traditional rulers had been known to be peace makers and promoters of economic activities in their respective domains.
“It was an established fact that the traditional rulers understand their localities and can easily identify youths with high propensities for criminal activities like internet fraud, killings, kidnappings and ritual activities.
“They know how best to wean them of all these nefarious activities through parental guidance and taking of proactive actions to put them on the path of sanity. It was an established fact that the traditional rulers understand their localities and can easily identify youths with high tendencies for criminal activities like internet fraud, killings, Kidnappings and ritual activities.
“Not only these, they know how best to check them of all these activities through parental guidance and taking of proactive actions to put them on the path of sanity and normality”.
In his presentation on the theme of the programme, the Vice Chancellor, Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti, Prof. Victor Olaoluwa, described traditional rulers as promoters of education in the society, which the youths are the major beneficiaries.
The Professor of Education said: “To lend credence to what I have just said, you could all see how the Ogoga of Ikere inspired his people to contribute money for the take off of the university in his domain. Today, the university is one of the best in the country. We knew the value that university has added to Ikere town and Ekiti in general”
Also, the NYC Coordinator in Ekiti State, Com. Adedara Temitope, appealed to his colleagues to abstain from vices like internet fraud, robbery, kidnapping and killing being recklessly perpetrated, thereby subjecting the communities to insecurity and fear.
Adedara said Ekiti State and the Nigerian nation would be better off if the government at all levels can roll our policies that can transform the lives of the youth population to reduce poverty, unemployment and criminalities among their ranks.
