AREGBESOLA BANISHES UNEMPLOYMENT THROUGH OYES

Youths contribute larger percentage to the world population and their influence nation building cannot be underrated. But when they are not engaged positively, they resort to crimes which might eventually make them become menace to the society.
That was what prompted Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to establish Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES). Since it came into existence its relevance has been noticed.

The scheme was designed to create opportunities for 20,000 youths to contribute immensely to the growth and development of Ipinle Omoluabi and today, it has remained a strong pillar in the ongoing environmental sanitization exercise and the drive for urban renewal implementation by this administration. Ogbeni Aregbesola passionate about youth empowerment in the state and this is why he is always relentless in his effort to offer the best welfare programme. He is not ignorant of the challenges ahead when youth are unemployed,

Therefore he took the bull by the horn as the 'OYES' project became a solution to street roaming and other social vices common among youths in the first week of December 2010. Call have been made to young, vibrant, unemployed youths, including interested Osun residents' who are either university graduates or Higher National Diploma holders to apply online for employment into the OYES programmes .This happened just within 100 days in office and some of those beneficiaries in the scheme are being absorbed into the public service, while are empowered to become employers of labour. Indeed, there is no government nationwide that has passionately pursued empowerment programme for its people as the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration. The legendary success of the first set of 20,000 OYES cadets has shown that it is a welfarist programme that has been studied for adoption and applauded  by governments in Nigeria and beyond, including international institutions, such as the World Bank. Generally, government of Osun, under the exemplary leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has strategically designed most of its programmes in a manner that in addition to it end use , there is also business empowerment for its people, such as the 3000 indigenous caterers, who are involved in (O'MEAL)-Osun public feeding programmes and other 3000 indigenous  tailors, trained and engaged to sew Osun students' uniforms under the O'uniform scheme .

Furthermore, 5000 youths were trained in ICT skills under the Osun Youth Empowerment Technology (O'YESTECH), while 6000 youths were employed as teachers in government schools and 1700 Osun elderly citizens receiving N10,000 stipends every month under the scheme, Agba Osun. In fact, this is a total and sincere dedication to the social well-being of the people. Apart from  youth empowerment and employment generation, the OYES scheme has also been useful in the area of environmental sanitation, beautification, crowd and traffic control, ambulance and rescue operations as well as paramedics. Thus, the scheme has also impacted so well on the health and sanitation needs of Osun residents. However, another set of 20,000 youths has been employed to continue the OYES programme  and at the end, 40,000 youths in the state  would have been fully empowered, as plans are on ground to absorb more youths into the scheme at intervals. On employment, kudos must be given to Aregbesola for his commitment towards youth development. He deserves to be given an opportunity for second term.