Independence Day Message: Ogun State job portal has registered over 110,000 job seekers- Gov. Abiodun
ABIODUN JIMOH, ABEOKUTA
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has disclosed that over 110,000 job seekers have since registered on the state portal, jobs.ogunstate.gov.ng which provides an equal opportunity platform to teeming youth for job openings both in the public and private sectors.
Governor Abiodun noted that this has enabled the administration to dimension and fully understand the unemployment challenge, which in turn has informed a number of initiatives embarked on to frontally tackle the problem.
He stated this in his address delivered on the occasion of the 59th National Independence Day celebration, held at Gateway stadium, Abeokuta on Tuesday whereby, he used the event to acknowledge and appreciate the roles and dogged determination of our forebears and founding fathers, who were instrumental to the birth of the independent Nigeria.
He said: “To achieve our collective goal, we have mapped out our approaches into different sectors and we have commenced action since the inception of our administration. For example, we understand that the rate of unemployment is high, and we have therefore launched a job portal to tackle this.
Speaking further, the governor also elaborated on various programmes and initiatives that have been taken since his assumption in May, adding that all these could only be achieved through the support of the good people of the state.
Furthermore, the governor expressed worrisome that Nigerians were migrating to other countries for greener pastures, while some of the current national challenge may make it tempting to seek fortunes outside the country. “We must also realize that these countries were once in our position with different challenges. And indeed, more often than not, the greener pasture is a mirage.
“In any case, the citizens of these countries did not run away, but stayed and solved their problems together. I therefore use this medium to encourage our people to come together as one and solve our challenges for the greater good of our Nation. If we do this, our great nation will be better. Let me also say that just as the leaders have responsibilities, the followers also have their own responsibilities to perform.
“For us in Ogun State, we are building our future together as we are co-travellers in the Nigerian Project, we are all stakeholders. Our Government therefore understands that we need to tap into the vast natural resources and great potentials of our people and maximize the benefits to make life more abundant for our people.
“We are therefore committed to giving Ogun State a focused and qualitative governance and to create the enabling environment for a Public-Private sector Partnership, which is fundamental to the creation of an enduring economic development and individual prosperity of the people of Ogun State.”
Similarly, the governor hinted: “In doing this, we take cognizance of the fact that we must ensure equal access to the available opportunities and democratic dividends to all the people irrespective of the differences in gender, age, geographical location, political or religious affiliations among others.
“We also appreciate the fact that no government has a monopoly of the funds and other resources to engender a wholesome and sustainable development. We recognize that for the successful implementation of our ‘Building Our Future Together’ agenda in Ogun State, we have to collaborate and partner with other stakeholders, especially the Private Sector.
“We have also commissioned the first of our Ogun Tech Hubs in Kobape (Abeokuta) that provides our youths an avenue for pre-incubation and cross-fertilisation of ideas for technologists, social entrepreneurs, tech companies, impact investors, even ethical hackers and governments in and around Ogun State to create new solutions to the many social challenges of humanity.
The Ogun Tech Hub, therefore, will position Ogun State as a key centre for innovation in Nigeria. I am delighted that the Governor’s Challenge that accompanied the commissioning of the Tech Hub identified a number of innovative ideas that are being nurtured and scaled as potentially viable commercial solutions. The Tech Hub creates enterprises, generates employments and directs the talents of our teeming youth to productive endeavours, among other benefits.
“In the area of Agriculture, we appreciate the immense potential of agriculture to provide employment for our teeming youth. Towards this end, we have initiated various programmes in the agricultural sector, one of which is our partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria for the Anchor Borrowers Programme under which 10,000 of our people in the first instance have been empowered with land that government will clear, provide high yield seedlings and other input, and access to finance.
“Also, the participants will be paid stipends pending the time their produce will be ready for harvest and while off take agreements have already been signed to guarantee price stability at the time of harvest.
“We also have the FADAMA Graduate Unemployed Youths and Women Scheme (FADAMA GUYS) which is particularly unique because it is targeted at two main vulnerable groups of our population, the youths and women.
“Under our health programme, we have continued to strengthen our health facilities to ensure a healthy citizenry and a healthy manpower base. We are focusing on the Primary Healthcare facilities, because they are the closest to the people.
“In the Education sector, and in tandem with the high premium, our administration places on education and in fulfilment of our electoral promises, we have taken some decisive steps that have started creating positive impacts.
“Following the recommendations of the two committees set up to review and advise us, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, has been fully restored to full academic activities with the institution on the upward trajectory of re-enacting its old glory; and Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu Ijebu, is once again experiencing peace and sanity after a seemingly intractable crisis that lasted for about a decade.
“We recognize the impedance of teachers as the pivot of teaching and learning, thus we promoted over 10,000 teaching and non-teaching staff who have been stagnated in our public schools since 2016. Besides, our primary schools are wearing new looks and generally having a new lease of life as part of the ongoing efforts to rehabilitate at least one primary school in each of our 236 wards in the state.
“Another important area are the roads linking our neighbouring States. For this reason, we are establishing, in collaboration with Lagos State (Africa 5th largest economy), the Lagos-Ogun Joint Development Commission. The Commission will address issues of common interest, particularly, along our border towns.
“These include security, infrastructure, physical planning, and ease of commuting (transportation) between Lagos and Ogun. We will also be focusing on rural roads with the aim of boosting agriculture and development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
“In the area of Security, though, I must state that security agencies are on the Exclusive List of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for us in Ogun State, we will continue to support these security agencies because the lives and property for which they provide security are that of the people of our dear State.
“We will continue to complement the efforts of the Federal Government by supporting all the security agencies in our dear state. As part of our collaborative efforts, on Friday, 6th September, 2019, our administration in Ogun State donated 100 security vehicles and 200 motorcycles vans fitted with state-of-the-art gadgets to the security agencies in our State.
“We have also established, by an Executive Order, Ogun State Enterprise Development Agency which is to strengthen the MSMEs and boost their capacities as major producers of raw materials and off-takers of the big industries as distributors, wholesalers and retailers.
“Thus, we have commenced the initiative to empower the widows with some financial resources and skills acquisition. 1,000 widows have benefitted from the first phase of this programme. In the same vein, the Oko’wo Dapo, a micro credit scheme, has been launched to provide access to funds for the women and youth to start or scale up their micro and small businesses.
“Shelter is one of the basic requirements of a meaningful live. This is also receiving our attention. Two new projects are currently under way to provide affordable houses that will meet the needs of both the low-income earners and the middle class. For our low -income earners, a 200-unit project is under construction in Abeokuta.
“Good people of Ogun State, in the spirit of the celebration of the 59th Independence Anniversary of our great country, let me enjoin us that as we celebrate this anniversary, we should continue to promote peaceful co-existence, socio-economic development and respect for rule of law.”
