All the 20,000 cadets of the Youth
Empowerment Scheme of Oyo State (YES-O)
have been directed by the state government to
re-apply for the scheme, with immediate
effect.
This was contained in a statement issued in
Ibadan on Thursday by the Chairman of Oyo
State Agency for Youth Development, Mr.
Gbenga Olayemi.
Olayemi, in the statement, said the directive
for the cadets to re-apply was borne out of the
need for the State Government’s drive and
quest to re-invigorate the scheme for optimum
performance.
It would be recalled that the YES-O scheme
was inaugurated by the State Governor,
Senator Abiola Ajimobi on December 1, 2011,
with a total of 20,000 youths offered
employment.
Although the scheme was aimed at serving as a
stop-gap for most of the unemployed youths, a
number of them have since been given
permanent employment by the State
Government in various ministries, agencies and
parastatals.
Specifically, agencies such as the Oyo State
Road Transport Management Authority
(OYRTMA), Vehicle Inspection Office, Board for
Technical and Vocational Education (BOTAVED),
Oyo State Fire Service, Oyo State Signage and
Advertisement Agency OYSAA), College of
Agriculture, Igbo-Ora as well as the Auditor-
General’s Office, the Ministries of Health and
the Oyo State Finance Company have absorbed
some cadets.
Besides, some of them have also been made to
undergo three-month specialized training in
different vocations such as Auto-tronics, Ttie
and Dye, Tiling and Interlocking, Food
Processing and Graphic Arts with the Industrial
Training Fund while others have been trained
in Agro-allied business by the Federal Ministry
of Youth Development under the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
Governor Ajimobi had, however, at various
times, expressed displeasure at the conduct of
some YES-O cadets, saying that his office had
been inundated with the report of harassment
and extortion of members of the public by the
cadets.
He also said that he was aware of the
clandestine acts by the opposition in
infiltrating the scheme with a view to making
use of some officials in dealing with innocent
members of the public so as to discredit the
scheme.
“I have received several reports of how some
of you have been beating people and carting
away the traders’ wares. Let me emphasize
here that YES-O was not set up to wage war on
members of the public. We will not condone
thuggery, harassment and extortion,’’ the
Governor had told the cadets.
Olayemi directed all the cadets, who are to be
demobilized immediately, to re-apply from
their respective Ward/Local Government,
adding that criteria for fresh recruitment
would include educational qualifications and
physical fitness, among others.



www.oyostate.gov.ng/oyo-govt-orders-20000-yes-o-cadets-to-re-apply-2/