Oshiomhole employs 400 graduates

By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN—GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has  employed 400 graduates in various disciplines, under the state government’s Youth Employment Scheme (YES).

On assumption of office, the governor had vowed to fight unemployment in the state and decided to set up the YES programme, where over ten thousand youths are expected to be employed.

Speaking at the ceremony to kick start the programme, Governor Oshiomhole noted that the best way of fighting crime in the society was to provide employment for the youths, adding that the programme will continue until the unemployment level in the state was drastically reduced.

According to him, “our job creation programme is not borne out of the fact that we have so much money to pay, but the primary objective of government is to ensure that we reduce crime because it is only when our youths are idle that they engage themselves in various crimes. Therefore, we need to engage the youths so that they will not become a problem for us.

“So, I strongly believe that job creation is a weapon against criminality and I am hoping that our youth employment programme will help us reduce crime in the state,” he stated.

The governor, who, however, regretted that the 18 local government councils in the state refused to support the state government in the YES programme, appealed to the state House of Assembly to prevail on the council chairmen to be involved in the programme, saying that “the goal of all of us must be how to execute projects that will be beneficial to the generality of our people”.

One of the beneficiaries, Daudu Ogan, commended the state government for the programme, saying that “it is the first of its kind in the state and that is why it looks like magic to us today. We want to say that we will give our best to this rare opportunity given to us”.