The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected Governor Ademola Adeleke’s recent claim that his administration created 250,000 jobs in the last two years.
The party, through its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, described the governor’s statement as false and accused him of failing to address critical employment needs in the education and healthcare sectors.
“Is it not funny and strange that Governor Ademola Adeleke, who could not employ teachers and health workers for three years in his administration, is now thinking it wise to recruit 10,000 Imole Youth Corps members?” Olabisi stated.
He highlighted the shortage of teachers in public schools and the understaffing in public hospitals, questioning why the governor was prioritizing youth corps recruitment instead of addressing these fundamental gaps.
Olabisi also criticized the government for allegedly deceiving job seekers into purchasing employment forms without actual recruitment.
However, Governor Adeleke, speaking in Osogbo during the induction of 10,000 youths into the Imole Youth Corps, insisted that his administration’s policies had significantly tackled unemployment.
He attributed the reported job creation to initiatives such as local content policies, financial support for small businesses, and employment programs, adding that youths recruited under the Imole Youth Corps would serve in sectors like health, security, environment, and education.
“Our administration is focused on tackling the unemployment crisis. We note the widespread joblessness among the youth. Our first decision is to create an enabling environment for job creation by both the government and the private sector,” Adeleke said.
He emphasized that the Imole Youth Corps was a transitional initiative designed to equip young people with skills and opportunities across various industries.
The governor also revealed that his administration had committed over ₦4 billion to a revolving loan scheme for grassroots entrepreneurs, further boosting job opportunities.
“I am happy to announce that through our local content policy, financial access to businesses, and ongoing youth agropreneur programme, over 250,000 of our population were provided job opportunities,” he stated.
Osun State’s Commissioner for Youth Development, Moshood Olagunju, backed the governor’s claims, assuring that a performance evaluation system would be introduced to track the impact of employment initiatives.
“We are committed to transparency and results. The performance evaluation system will ensure that every initiative meets its objectives,” Olagunju added.
The APC, however, insists that Adeleke’s job creation figures are exaggerated and called on the state government to provide verifiable evidence of the purported employment opportunities.