Osun State Youth Empowerment Scheme: A Key to Sustainable Development

Wide-spread poverty and insecurity emanated from gross unemployment of youths seemed threatening the realisation of individual and societal socio-economic progress as well as the nation’s sustainable development and nascent democracy. Youths in their numerical, energy, and creative strength are the most reliable change agents. Unemployment in any form globally propels youth restlessness, crime and associated vices and the attendant threats to nation building, peace and security. In a bid to tackle unemployment and other fundamental problems, the State Government of Osun under me visionary leadership of Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola embarked on six action-packed people programmes that guarantee development with citizens’ participation in the Education, Rural and Urban Renewal, Infrastructural Development, Agriculture, Health, Entrepreneurship and Job creation-christened Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) to fast track development and banish hunger and poverty. This paper examined the challenges and prospects of OYES vis-à-vis its implications in the development of the State. Structured questionnaires were administered to gather relevant information from total sample of 120 OYES cadet members in three local government areas in the State. Data collected were analysed using correlation analysis. The results of the study showed: that there is significant, relationship between youth empowerment and State development; that the general objectives of OYES are achievable. On the basis of the results of the study, the researcher recommended that governments’ empowerment programmes should be encouraged, centred on participatory approach: government should reach out to more youths, regardless of their ethnic, cultural, religious, educational background and geographical or political affiliation, and that the scheme should be legislated so that new/succeeding government would not obstruct its continuity for sustainable development. Keywords: Empowerment, Youth, Development, Sustainable, Unemployment, OYE