All Protocols Duly Observed.
Iam 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,enthusiasms, insecurities, idealism, confusion,and challenges that characterize 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, social norms and practices often exclude them from participating in critical decicion making pertaining to their lives and activities with dire consequencies. Conscious of this misnomer and intent on correcting it to harness the bundle of energy that characterizes the youth,our government has in recent times focused its attention on the youth,while designing programmes and projects that impact on youth empowerment, employment and social justice.
The people, including the youth, are the reasons 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 sustain the peace in the State, transform the economy,industrialise the State,provide jobs for the people,especially the youths and provide security and welfare for the people.
To further demonstrate our commitment to developing our youths, we have developed a YouthPolicy,christened the 4 Es: Youth Empowerment, Youth Engagement, Youth Entrepreneurship and Youth Education.
The Osun Youth Policy contains commitment by the 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 Agencies(MDAs), Youth Organisations and the Public Sector, Private Sector and Philanthropists.
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 envirronment is created for them to maximally realize 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 enrollment 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 the 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 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 sustainable 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. I want to also assure all the youths in the State that this new State Youth Policy, vividly 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 is made a reality for our teeming youths.
To this end, I wish to commend the efforts of the Honourable Comminssioner 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 potentials and aspirations for their over all development and that of Osun in particular and the country at large.
I 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.
Your means of describing everything in this post is truly nice, all can simply know it, Thanks a lot.
Thanks.