Editor

The Ekiti State government, has solicited speedy release of the federal government’s proposed youth intervention grants to the states to propel human capital development, saying the policy will help in tackling joblessness, poverty and criminalities among productive population.

Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, said this, on Friday, during the inaugural meeting of the Ekiti State Technical Working Group on Human Capital Development, at her office in Ado Ekiti.

Mrs Afuye, in a statement by her Media Aide, Victor Ogunje, said the committee set up by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, is expected to synregise with the federal government’s body to build the capacities of youths to reduce poverty index in the state and country at large.

The Deputy Governor clarified that the vision aligns with the Oyebanji’s Human Capital Development policy, with thematic focus on education , health and Nutrition, women empowerment and youth development and job creation .

She added: “I am sure we are aware that there is a relationship between poverty /unemployment and development of vices and negative behaviour in the society.

“With this proposed intervention of the federal government in the provision of funds to train our youths, many of whom are actually university graduates would be taken off the streets.

“I, therefore, urge members of this working group to take this assignment very seriously as it will have direct impacts in the lives of our youths.

“I also charge the secretariat of the Human Capital Development group to be up and doing to ensure that the grants are released to the state promptly”.

Giving the history of the initiative, the Executive Secretary, Ekiti State Bureau of Employment, Labour and Productivity, Mrs Bukola Faluyi, said the committee was established in 2018 by the National Economic Council through the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to spearhead youth development via training and retraining to be job creators.

Mrs Faluyi said a staggering sum of $45,000 grant had been promised to be injected into the State through Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) to propel the programme.

Mrs Faluyi revealed that at inception, the Deputy Governors of each state of the federation were appointed as the champions of the policy to make it successful.

She said; “We are doing everything humanly possible through the right policies to facilitate the release of the grants to our state as soon possible”.

At the meeting, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Investment, Trade and Industry, Mrs Omotayo Adeola, was represented by her Technical Assistant on Small and Medium Enterprises, Mr. Michael Owoseeni.