Osogbo — The Osun State government at the weekend marked one year anniversary of its Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) with Governor Rauf Aregbesola harping on youth empowerment. He maintained that any forward looking government would invest in its youths for a better society as they are the essential agents for nation building.

"Investment in youths is one of the primary duties of any forward-looking government. Youths represent the reality of today and the promise of tomorrow; they are the great agents of change. OYES is the response of our administration to the insensitivity of the immediate past government in the state which viewed our youths as nothing more than political thugs and tools for self-aggrandizement," he said.

Aregbesola said the philosophy underlying the OYES scheme goes beyond a mere social security service, adding that it is a strategy designed to give hope to the youths, to keep them at work and out of mischief.

"OYES is part of the fulfilment of my six-point integral action plan which, among others, promises to banish poverty, hunger and unemployment. It is a socio-economic strategy which promises to engender social stability and develop the economy of the state. Apart from its positive social effect, the economic basis of the scheme is no less salutary. For instance, the monthly allowance of N10, 000 for the 20,000 volunteers translates to N200 million. In consonance with our backward integration economic policy, this money is meant to help to boost the economy of the state", he said.