Vindicated! Osun Emerges with Lowest Unemployment rate in Nigeria – National Bureau of Statistics





30 MONTHS OF GOVERNMENT UNUSUAL: Osun Vindicated, with lowest unemployment rate (3%) in Nigeria by National Bureau of Statistics.

Mopping up 40,000 youths off the streets in two years and productively engaging them, thereby pumping 200 Million Naira monthly into the local economy with its attendant multiplier effects in commerce and exchange of goods and services, triggered economic rejuvenation and coupled with massive infrastructural development dotting across the landscape of Omoluabi land on a scale unparalleled in the 21-year history of our darling State of Osun, cannot but propel us forward…
Asese bere ani ki le ti rio. Asi ma goke si to ri bi giga laye tawa. Osuo ju pe ta lantakun o ba ku lati bi de ido oma tun ta kun dado…
EVERY STEP, A PROMISE KEPT! IREEEEE KABITI, OSUN TI N’DARA! AJURAWALO TIJAKADI KO!!!!

PointB: With massive under-employment, no thanks to agencies such as Oyes, that pays graduate pea-nut, this is not unexpected!

PointB: With massive under-employment, no thanks to agencies such as Oyes, that pays graduate pea-nut, this is not unexpected!

justhelp: yeah under-employment and pea-nut but you need to think positive and give credit to their Government that engage their youthn, at least they are sitting at home or roaming the street or carry gun and kidnapp people,they are useful the state and they living their life,let other state govt emulate them and see what Nigeria would become,so learn how to encourage government that is try to reach people and change life.

ayswags: where are u heading at bigot if the report on sokoto was false,how do u know that of osun is also false or do u have a link to that too

Frank-C:

If you read the report, you will notice that the custodians of such data denied releasing any poverty index report, be it on Sokoto or Adamawa. It states that the next report will be ready in 2014/2015.
Aregbe and @Gbawe should wait till next year to appraise their efforts. And for a State government to create a figure and credit it to a body like NBS says all about the State and how it runs on propaganda.

For ACN e-warriors that may disagree with director of NBS, they should provide us with a link to NBS website where they got the report from or even the details of the original source of the data. 'osundefender' cannot be a credible source for objective reports about Osun.

Gbawe:




Look at the second table. What does it say? "source: National Bureau of statistics. May 2011/2012".

Why not go the whole way and suggest an entire Nigerian State is now into the cheap forging of document just to deliver "propaganda"? Or is it the truth that your malevolent obsession with maligning others, you have been indoctrinated with, simply means you have no reverse gear and must always seek negatives against them instead of simply giving credit where due gracefully or just staying away? You guys are so predictable. Always more aggrieved, flustered, steeped in negativity and an agenda of discreditation than stakeholders and end users themselves. Pathetic. I just feel sorry for you guys.

"Life can be vividly beautiful if one can live it without complexes and sense-altering obsessions" Gbawe 17/05/2013.

htajz: but why must u lie ? anyway lets not blame you , those osun defenders should be ashamed of themselves for quoting a fake statistics just to score cheap point for their governors. you of all people that have been campaigning for good governance in nigeria should also condemm this cheap charade by osun defender.

Replicate OYES Scheme – Osun ACN Advises FG
By theadmin, April 27, 2013



By Timothy Agbor/OSOGBO

The Action Congress of Nigeria in Osun state has advised the Federal Government to adopt the state model of Youth employment scheme (OYES) if it is serious about addressing the unemployment situation in Nigeria that is at the core of the disastrous insecurity now virtually bringing the country to its knees.

Reacting to the worsening security situation and newspaper report that there are about 40 million unemployed Nigerians at the end of 2012, the party in a statement issued from the party’s Directorate of Publicity, Research and Strategy in Osogbo stated that: “If the government provides for at least 50,000 youths in each state of the federation to be removed from the streets each year, the army of the unemployed will be reduced yearly by 1.8 million”.

According to the statement signed by the party’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Bar. Kunle Oyatomi, “this massive population of the unemployed is a fertile ground for the production of armed robbers, insurgents and kidnappers who are now terrorizing our cities and towns”.

The ACN believes that if the Federal Government made a close study of the Osun model of OYES, and adopts it to address the unemployment issue, insecurity will be reduced and a lot of idle youths and unemployed graduates will be taken off the streets and prevented from joining criminal gangs to terrorize our communities.

The statement further proposed to the Federal Government that only a multiple track approach to the crisis can reduce and eventually stop this parlous state of insecurity. Apart from military option, a creative way of pulling youth away from crime and terror must be found, and one of the most pragmatic approaches yet on this issue is the Osun OYES Scheme.

The party claimed that the impact of the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme in reducing unemployment and preventing crime in the state has been tremendous and felt across the state. “It could have similar effect on a national scale if adopted by the federal government,” the statement said.

The scheme was designed not only to keep the youths busy doing something to earn a living, it also provides them with skills acquisition training at home and abroad to prepared most of them for self employment. In addition, the government of Osun organizes financial assistance to help them start a business of their own.

“If one of the poorest states of the federation can do this and pluck out 40,000 youths from the unemployment population in two years, then the Federal Government should be able to double that figure in the 36 states of the federation,” the ACN argued.

The party criticized the SURE-P model of the Federal Government which, it claimed, has become not only ineffective, but also has been bastardized by the PDP and reduced to a conduit for party patronage. This is why the scheme has failed woefully to impact on the unemployment situation in the country.

The ACN however called on Mr. President to summon the courage and political will to adopt the Osun OYES model to reduce unemployment in the country. “The problem has become life threatening for the country and the common sensical thing to do is to address the problem pragmatically before it destroys the country”, the statement posited.

Gbawe:

Why don't you prove they lied? I never talk out of hatred or envy for anyone so I can be objective. Every well-informed and unbiased observer knows that what Aregbesola has done as per aggressive employment initiatives makes this submission entirely consistent and logical.

You are actually the one who is being ludicrous and statistically unintelligent if you do not see that the massive employment Aregbesola has created, in a short space of time, must have a significant and seismic effect on collated data about employment if such has not been repeated in any other State of Nigeria. No disrespect, but that is common sense those who have gained education predisposing them to be solutions-provision will discern easily and logically.

Gbawe:

Why don't you prove they lied? I never talk out of hatred or envy for anyone so I can be objective. Every well-informed, averagely well-educated and unbiased observer, able to make logical inference, knows that what Aregbesola has done as per aggressive employment initiatives makes this submission entirely consistent and logical.

You are actually the one who is being ludicrous and statistically unintelligent if you do not see that the massive employment Aregbesola has created, in a short space of time, must have a significant and seismic effect on collated data about employment if such has not been repeated in any other State of Nigeria. No disrespect, but that is common sense those who have gained education predisposing them to solutions-provision will discern easily and logically. You Nigerians are jokers with your petty hatred of each other. You see something UN, World bank and many developmental agencies are waxing lyrical about, while other African Nations are looking to understudy and implement it, yet you show you cannot rise above your petty issues to note a successful initiative now naturally and expectedly verified by statistics.


http://www.thegazellenews.com/2013/04/27/replicate-oyes-scheme-osun-acn-advises-fg/

htajz: i cant believe you are still defending them even after you saw an article for national beureau of statistics saying its false , oga Gbawe na so u and ACN wan take change nigeria with lies even when caught.

World Bank endorses Osun youth empowerment model
on OCTOBER 2, 2011 · in NEWS
12:02 am
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By FOLUSHO AJIBUTU

Osun State government efforts on youths empowerment have received a boost, as the state is to benefit from the N50 billion World Bank/ Federal Government youth empowerment fund.

This was disclosed by the Sector Leader of the World Bank on Human Development and Task Leader on Youths Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO), Professor Foluso Okunmadewa, after assessing the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) corps in Olorunda, Osogbo and Ayedaade local government council areas of the state.

Okumadewa disclosed that the state government has achieved a milestone in the area of engaging youths into community development and the World Bank is looking into areas to help the government expand the scope of OYES.

According to him, this is the third time his team would visit Osun to assess the scheme and discovered that the government is showing other states in the country how to get their youths gainfully engaged.

“From our past interaction with the officials of the scheme, we discovered that the scheme is getting beneficiaries involved in community responsibility and this time we are seeking the response of the corps members to understand it more and help the state build upon the success it has achieved”, the World Bank Sector Leader added.

He pointed out that the World Bank would partner with the state government on the youth empowerment model and called on other states to emulate the scheme to make their teeming unemployed youths useful.

The six-man team interacted with the corps members on their areas of specialisation and where the scheme needs improvement.

[size=14pt]In his assessment, Yasser El-Gammal observed that the scheme has the potential to be the best in Africa.

“The World Bank is here to assess what the state government is doing and complement its efforts by helping to expand the project. We are impressed with what we see and believe it is a laudable programme on the part of government”, he added.[/size]

The leader of the state government team, Commissioner for Youth, Sport and Special Needs, Mr Stephen Kolabalogun, stated that the state administration has not relented in its effort to give the youths the best welfare programme, saying government is aware of the tremendous challenges ahead and would tackle them appropriately.

He maintained that Governor Rauf Aregbesola is passionate about youths, adding that youths would be the beneficiaries of the transformational policies of the government.

“Now, through OYES, the state economy is reaping about N200 million monthly and the moment about 5,000 of the corps members are absorbed into the state teaching service, 5,000 others would be enrolled into the scheme, meaning more hands would be engaged soon”, added the commissioner.

The chairman of OYES Implementation Group, Femi Ifaturoti, revealed that the scheme is not only about engaging youths but also a platform for human capacity building for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.

htajz: you can make your point without quoting fake statistics.

PointB: With massive under-employment, no thanks to agencies such as Oyes, that pays graduate pea-nut, this is not unexpected!

D sage: @Gbawe, though I'm not living in Osun-State, but please stop spreading a misleading information. I like ACN as a polical party but hate it when people trying to play politic in order make them look like a better side.

I learnt he(aregbesola) offloaded the 20,000 people he claimed he employed before the commencement of this current OYEs program. How are we sure he actually employed the said 20,000 youths? So, where on earth did you get your statistic from?

D sage: @Gbawe, though I'm not living in Osun-State, but please stop spreading a misleading information. I like ACN as a polical party but hate it when people trying to play politic in order make them look like a better side.

I learnt he(aregbesola) offloaded the 20,000 people he claimed he employed before the commencement of this current OYEs program. How are we sure he actually employed the said 20,000 youths? So, where on earth did you get your statistic from?

obo_man:

Inasmuch as I think underemployment is disheartening, it's still better than unemployment. I guess underemployment is the lesser of the two evils.

With underemployment, you earn something, you less likely to commit crime and improve ur work ethic.

Assessing Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme
POSTED ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH, 2013

By Gbenga Faturoti, Correspondent, Osogbo

It was success story for Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, when his administration disengaged the 20,000 volunteer youths recruited two years ago under the State Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) that was introduced by his government. The volunteer cadets were disengaged after they had been successfully trained in various vocational, apprenticeship and entrepreneurship skills for future opportunities.

When the scheme was introduced by the administration exactly in its first 100 days in office around February 2011, the concept was done out of necessity; it was a product of courage, determination, self-conviction, interventionist, political calculation and translation of promises into fulfillments.

This was because the scheme hit the ground at the period when the financial resources were unavailable. Prior to the time, the state was borrowing at least N1billion monthly from financial institutions to meet up its financial commitments in the payment of salaries and allowances of workers of the state as well as other commitments.

There was no hope at that time and the daunting unemployment rate in the state was enough to put off the passion Aregbesola had for the youths who were roaming about the streets without jobs or opportunities to engage in meaningful activities for living.

The monthly stipend of N10,000 to each of the OYES cadets costing N200million aside from the money for their uniform, kits, training and equipment was a huge take-off outlay. Not only the opposition parties in the state were skeptical about the implementation of the scheme, civil servants, artisans, market men and women, professional bodies including journalists and even some members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the political platform upon which Aregbesola emerged.

The insinuation in the state then was that the programme was a political gimmick that was bound to fail at the implementation stage.

In fact, the main opposition party in the state, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was acidic in its criticism of the scheme as it petitioned the Presidency and security agencies to keep eyes on Aregbesola and the state, alleging that the cadets were being trained as political thugs for the purpose of rigging elections. The state government was also accused of plots to secede from Nigeria.

Incidentally, it seems the scheme has come to stay as it appears to have become the platform for recruitment into the state civil service and other programmes.

By the last count, no fewer than 18,000 of the volunteers have secured job placement in the state as exit strategy being implemented by the state after they had been trained for future opportunities.

The scheme was well packaged and executed in that the number of unemployed youths scheming for the second set of 20,000 is more than before the scheme. Investigation also revealed that non-indigenes who are residing in the state have been encouraging their unemployed relatives to part take in the second phase of the scheme. Some are even said to have changed their citizenship status because of the abounding empowerment opportunities of the programme.

What admirers of the government particularly advertise as the cheering news about the programme was that the World Bank recommended it to Federal Government as a model to be replicated in other states of the federation as a viable route in tackling the excruciating unemployment rate in the country.

On account of the success of the programme, our reporter gathered that indices from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that Osun has emerged as the state with the least unemployment rate in the country. It was also said to be rated second best managed state with second lowest poverty level index in the country. It also ranks as second best resources management in the country. Officials of the government celebrate these as feats borne of prudent management of resources and accountability.

According to the Chairman of the OYES Implementation Committee and Director General, Bureau of Social Services to Governor, Femi Ifaturoti, the cadets are taken through various types of vocational and entrepreneurship training, apprenticeship, mentoring, partnerships and collaborations with stakeholders, industry and government.

He stated further that there is Town and Gown collaboration in the areas of skills development, entrepreneurial training and vocational education through engagements with Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State University, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Fountain University, Adeleke University and some private training and development organisations.

“Cadets are encouraged to form Co-operatives. The State Government in turn guarantees soft loans to the Co-operatives by way of Starter packs. One area where this is working well is the Oloba Farm in the outskirts of Iwo, where OYES volunteers under a Co-operative Union, are engaged in cattle and ram fattening and broiler out grower scheme called O-Chicken”, Ifaturoti said.

Speaking further, he said that the scheme was a radical approach by the current administration to tackling unemployment and youth restiveness.

According to him, “OYES , the biggest and arguably the most innovative youth employment initiative in Africa is progressing. At the core of the OYES scheme is volunteerism. It redefines work as the fulfillment of the needs of the community through invaluable contributions that accommodate no class distinctions or false ego.

“OYES as a revolving volunteers scheme is designed to eliminate the frustration and paralyzing effect of unacceptably high and seemingly intractable youth unemployment pervasive in Osun nay, Nigeria.

“It aims at creating a bridge to employment by equipping as many young men and women; our new youth, with positive work ethics and culture, self-sustenance, resourcefulness and respect for the environment. It is designed to promote character and competence and the “yes we can” spirit in the youths.

“The OYES corps were deployed to productive services in identified areas of socio-economic life, smartly kitted for group identity, morale and paid an allowance that the World Bank has said is the highest paid on any such programme anywhere in the world. In fact the government was advised that with such amount many previously employed would be tempted to cross over to OYES – a phenomenon that came true and created new challenges for the management team.

“Areas of deployment include Public Works, Sanitation Czars, Paramedics, Green Gang, Sheriff Corps, e-payment vendors and Traffic Marshalls. Then came teachers’ corps through which 5400 graduates were seconded to classrooms to provide support. A new corps, Farmers Corps is also emerging as a fallout of OYES’ massive involvement in Agricultural programmes and training by the State”, he stated.

Ifaturoti remarked that opportunities abound for volunteers who apply themselves diligently. He said; “at the recently conducted interviews to fill vacancies in the public service, the directive that 60 percent of the intakes must be from OYES was adhered to, thereby boosting the morale of the volunteers themselves and enhancing public confidence in the scheme”.

Speaking at the passing out parade, Aregbesola expressed appreciation to God and the people of the state for the astounding success of the programme saying that the scheme was conceived in order to take the youths off the streets and give them orientation about public service and contribution to the development of their society.

While describing his government as unstoppable, Aregbesola maintained that the programme was one of the progressive efforts and development policies of his administration.

He explained that the recruitment of the 20,000 volunteers was not only to generate jobs but to re-float the economy of the state, stressing that the N10,000 monthly stipend paid to each of the cadets sinks into the economy of the state aside from the fact that their uniform, kits and equipment were sourced from the markets spread round all the local government councils of the state.

According to him, “the OYES programme was designed as a stop-gap scheme to train the youth and imbue them with positive work orientation and ethics such as self-sustenance, resourcefulness, character and competence, and to give them the self-confidence to forge ahead and overcome life’s numerous challenges”.

He added that OYES is not about youth employment alone. “It is also about re-inflating the economy of the State. Every month, the N200 million allowances paid to the cadets sink into the economy of the State. Our backward integration policy requires that all the uniform, kits and equipment used by OYES be obtained from the markets spread round all the local governments in the State. This has created value chain, improved the economy of the State, empowered families and created wealth”, he enthused.

While noting that his administration feels fulfilled two years after the programme, Aregbesola said he had the evidence of its success when the World Bank recommended the scheme for study and adoption by other states for public sector mass job creation and youth engagement.

According to him, “when we came to office, we realized that the greatest challenge of our people was lack of job opportunities for the teeming youth. For this, we immediately swung into action and, in less than 100 days in office, established the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) through which we engaged 20,000 young persons, which is targeted at tackling the chronic problem of unemployment in the State.

“OYES is a programme like no other. Rather than being a white-collar or blue-collar job scheme, it was uniquely conceived and designed to, among other things, take our youths off the streets; give them an orientation about public service; and make them see the need to contribute to the development of their society.

“It is a stop-gap scheme to train the youth and imbue them with positive work orientation and ethics such as self-sustenance, resourcefulness, character and competence, and to give them the self-confidence to forge ahead and overcome life’s numerous challenges after they must have spent two years and be ready for disengagement.

“Two years after, we can now proudly say that our dream has been realised. In order to make the programme a complete success the cadets were encouraged to form co-operatives through which soft loans were guaranteed by the State Government as a start-off empowerment to facilitate the success of the volunteers in their chosen vocation or area of entrepreneurship.

[b]“We are happy to announce that this effort is already yielding positive fruits in numerous areas where about 18,000 of the cadets passing out have found permanent job placements. At the newly established Oloba Farm, OYES volunteers are engaged in cattle and ram fattening and in the broiler out-grower scheme.

“Besides, 74 of our cadets are currently undergoing training in modern agricultural practices in Leventis Foundation School, while 610 others are being tutored in the OREAP agricultural training facilities where they are already cultivating farms under a profit sharing arrangement. Similarly, another 500 are in O’dua Farmers Academy, also for training in modern farming techniques. Under a public-private partnership arrangement, 100 OYES volunteers are engaged in fish farming in Okuku and in many other fish farms. Volunteers from the scheme are also to be found in honey-bee production as part of the Government’s apiary farming development policy.

Aregbesola added that in technology, 2,100 OYES cadets have been trained by an electronics company in readiness for a factory it is setting up in the State. The training of these cadets in mobile phone and computers assembly is meant to provide after-sales support and services for these products.

The governor added that 600 volunteers are currently engaged in the production of red bricks. One hundred and seventy-three of the paramedics trained under the OYES programme have been deployed to the O-Ambulance scheme, while two others are call-tracking personnel in the State’s Ministry of Health. The State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has engaged 1,501 of these cadets with teaching qualifications, who will be posted to primary schools in a short time.

“In addition to these, more than 600 of these cadets are to be trained, and subsequently engaged as call operators by the State’s Emergency Call Service operations, emergency service providers and system engineers. More than 300 of these cadets are likewise being supported to set up Farmers Input Supply Shops, which is also a Public-Private Partnership arrangement. Over 5,000 are also being prepared to provide mobile money, e-payment and allied services through various schemes”, he said.[/b]

Aregbesola recalled that when the programme was initiated, his political opponents derided it calling the scheme and the volunteers names such as street sweepers, among others.

His words, “When we set out, we only had hope and a grim determination to change our society for good. We were buffeted on every side by detractors who derided the scheme and predicted its failure within the shortest possible time. I am happy that they have been disappointed. When their prediction of failure failed, they started to fabricate lies against the scheme. They alleged we were training the cadets as political thugs to be used to rig elections. They derided the cadets in the most uncomplimentary terms, including calling them ‘agbale oja’ (street sweepers). I am most pleased however that the cadets have imbibed, like true Omoluabi, the virtues of hard-work, dignity of labour and the leadership spirit that comes with public service”.

Aregbesola declared that none of the cadets have been indicted for any criminal charges- a development he said, made him and his administration proud, assuring that they would remain the foundation of the development and revolution that have begun in the state.

“I have the record that no cadet has been indicted for criminal behaviour or wrongdoing. Like I charged you at your inauguration, you have shamed the critics. I am also assuring you that we will never leave you or forsake you. You are the foundation of the development and revolution that have begun in our State. You have done marvelously well and I am so proud of you”.

The governor however regretted 22 of the cadets who lost their lives during the scheme, describing them as the true patriots who served their state till the very end. He prayed God to comfort the their families and loved ones.