By Modupe Gbadeyanka
About 6,134 youths have been employed in the past year by the Oyo State Government, the Governor of the state, Mr Seyi Makinde, has disclosed.
Speaking at a community and stakeholders’ town hall meeting held at Saki on Tuesday, Mr Makinde said this was part of the efforts of his administration to reduce unemployment in the state.
According to him, these persons recruited by the government included 5000 teachers, 600 education officers and 534 medical and healthcare workers.
The Governor, who was represented at the gathering by his deputy, disclosed that the massive recruitment was done to increase efficiency in government service delivery.
He further said it was also based on the drive to gainfully engage and employ the youth population while reducing the unemployment numbers.
He said, as at the half of the year budget evaluation, the budget performance stands at 60 per cent while the target stands at enhancing it up to 75 per cent before the year ends based on improved revenue performance.
The state’s helmsman asserted that the scarcity of resources will make the government prioritize based on the most pressing while considering other requests in the next year’s budget.
The Governor highlighted that his administration has started various projects in the Oke Ogun zone and are at various completion stages, including the reconstruction and remodelling of OYSADA, reconstruction of Saki township road, reconstruction of Saki-Ogboro-Igboho road to mention but a few.
He, therefore, urged the people to let their voices be heard as the government is set to relieve them at their pain points by heeding to their requests.
Earlier in her open remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Foluke Adebiyi, said in spite of the paucity of funds, the state government is accommodating all the needs of the people but attending to them in order of priority one after the other.
Aduragbemi Omiyale