The government of Osun state has once again called on able-bodied youths in the state to engage in productive activities, rather than be idle. This directive was contained in a brief issued at the end of the Council of State meeting on Wednesday.
A statement issued by the media adviser to the Governor, Sola Fasure, sai the government has put in place several empowerment programmes in agriculture such as food cropping, chicken rearing and piggery, among others, for anyone to latch on to and be gainfully employed.
The state government lamented that despite its efforts to create numerous platforms for productive engagement, these opportunities are yet to be fully taken advantage of by the youths, some of whom have remained dependent on their parents while others have resorted to begging.
The statement noted that with the current empowerment programmes initiated by government, no youth should be unemployed unless he or she proves to be unemployable.
"Many of these opportunities are underutilised. Council therefore urged young people, especially the unemployed, to be engaged in any of these.
“No able bodied person in the state should have any reason to be unemployed or engage in begging,” the statement said.
In a similar vein, the Council frowned at a report, which observed the poor and unhygienic look of pupils in the state’s public schools.
The report noted that many of these pupils wear ill-fitting, old and dirty uniforms to school, a condition the Council said is unacceptable.
Government however, placed the poor dressing and haggard appearances of the pupils at the door steps of their parents, who just abandon the children to their fate. The Council said: "School pupils are expected to wear neat, fitting and smart uniforms. This is failure on the part of the parents first.
"Council enjoins parents to buy new uniforms for their children and ensure that they leave for school in the best physical shape in a way that inspires confidence in them and equally buoys their self confidence. "Teachers are also required to take responsibility for the physical look of their wards.”
The state’s Executive Council also directed that the Community Based Management Committees of public schools be visited so as to evaluate their effectiveness and take appropriate actions based on the outcome of this evaluation.
Meanwhile, Council also deliberated on a proposed bill entitled: ‘State of Osun Independent Electoral Commission Bill, 2017,’ a document containing 86 chapters that cut across various issues relating to the conduct of local government elections in the state.
The Council approved the document and directed that it be presented to the State House of Assembly as Executive Bill to be passed into law.
Council did not omit to commend the National Executive Council (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the directive that 33 per cent of elective offices be reserved for women,
It described the policy as an affirmative action that will bring inclusiveness and empower women in the state politically.