Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Saturday inaugurated 20,000 unemployed youths into Osun Youth Empowernment Scheme (OYES).
Osinbajo, while perfoming the inauguration at the Osogbo City Stadium, urged the new employees to be committed and dedicated to their duty.
The vice president said the Federal Government’s Npower Programme was designed to be similar to OYES.
Osinbajo, who noted that Federal Government had employed 500,000 youths into Npower programme, said it was designed to prepare the youth for entreprenurship life.
While commending Osun Government for putting up the scheme, the Vice President said the country would benefit greatly, if OYES could be embraced by other state governments.
He, however, urged the employed youths to contribute positively to the development of the state.
” As you are inaugurated today, you have a duty not only to yourself but to the state and the nation at large.
“You are a leader of today because the future belong to you and we are looking forward to your leadership greatness,” the vice president said.
Earlier, Gov. Rauf Aregbesola said the youth were inaugurated into the scheme to engage them positively.
Aregbesola said 20,000 youths were inaugurated into the scheme, adding that 250,000 applications were received across the 30 local government areas in the state, when the job offer was advertised.
He said the inauguration was the 4th since the begining of his administration in 2010.
Aregbesola said that due to youths engagement in productive engagement, the state had the least of crime rate in the country.
” Youths are the future of any nation and any nation which did not engage youths in productive ventures is doomed.
“But because of our belief in youths engagement, that is why we are engaging our youths in this scheme,” Aregbesola said. (NAN)