Aregbesola urges Nigerians to be patient with Buhari •Says Osun job centre will tackle unemployment

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State on Wednesday appealed to Nigerians to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in its bid to strengthen the nation’s economy.

He made the appeal in his office while receiving a plaque of honour from the leadership of the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE), Osun State chapter.

Aregbesola, describing change as a gradual process, said “what Nigerians need at the moment is to double their support for government in finding lasting solutions to myriads of challenges confronting the nation.”

According to him, “change does not come easily, change comes generally with pain and it is this pain that will turnout for good. There is no doubt about the fact that we are going through serious socio-economic and politics of unrest and it is my fervent belief that after this period, Nigerians will experience good life, joy and happiness

“The period we are in now is what could be referred to as labour of child delivery because when a pregnant woman is about to deliver, she goes through unaccountable pains and agony, but after this period, happiness take over with celebration,” Aregbesola remarked.

Earlier, the chairman, Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering, Dr Daud Abubakar, while presenting the plague of honour to the governor, lauded Aregbesola for prioritising physical infrastructural development above other things.

Meanwhile, Governor Aregbesola, on Tuesday, said that with the commencement of operations of Osun Job Centre, unemployed individuals would not need to go outside the state to seek employment.

He said the creation of the centre was part of the measures being explored by his administration to take the army of jobless youths off the street.

Aregbesola, who made these disclosures in Osogbo during the commissioning of Osun Job Centre, an organisation set up to be the hub for job seekers in the state, restated the commitment of his administration to reduce challenges of unemployment to the barest minimum through legitimate means.

 

 

 

 

 

According to him, the motive behind the establishment of the centre was to equip job seekers in the state, such that they would be more employable and better placed for possible opportunities.

He further observed that through requisite training and comprehensive engagement of applicants on the dynamism of labour market, job seekers would be availed the basics of what it takes to fit in better.

While imploring job seekers in the state to develop their God-given skills apart from academic qualifications, Aregbesola maintained that the centre would be committed to training of applicants on how to perfectly package their qualifications and skills, including linking them with different job opportunities.

He said the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (O-YES) policy brought great micro-economic impact on the state with N200 million allowance given to youths under the programme monthly.

He revealed that of the four million population of the state, there are 60 thousand civil servants (retired and working), whose salary and pension are much more than the revenue accruing to the state today.

Aregbesola averred that to pay workers salary alone would amount to neglecting over 3.9 million people of the state.

He said, “If you are to use all the resources of the state to pay salaries, life will be hard and unliveable, therefore our government uses its creativity to spread the resources we have to all citizens. By this, we can achieve development.”

In her remarks, former Commissioner for Human Resources and Capacity Building, Mrs Mobolaji Akande, who doubles as Chief Consultant to government on the project, contended that the idea of the centre was unprecedented in the history of the state.

Controller of Labour, Osun State Chapter, Mr Bode Abikoye, said “The establishment of the Job Centre demonstrates the vision of Governor Aregbesola. This centre will no doubt help in combating unemployment in the state.”