Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
The Oyo State administration has reiterated its willingness to work with international and regional organizations to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, create a healthy environment for state citizens, and provide employment possibilities for the teeming youngsters.
When he took members of the state monitoring team to the Atiba Local Government Area over the weekend, Sangogade Olusumbo, head of the State Labour Intensive Public Workforce (LIPW) under the Nigeria CAREs program, disclosed.
The LIPW was created to provide employment for the burgeoning youth population in rural communities. They work for four hours each day clearing brush from public buildings like schools, courts, community halls, and drainages to create a pleasant environment, and they are paid a monthly stipend of 10,000 naira.
According to Olusunmbo, the first batch of the program’s LIPW beneficiaries was selected from among eighteen local government areas, and by 2023, the second batch will include the remaining fifteen local government areas in the state.
However, the residents of Oyo Town have praised the State government’s efforts to provide a healthy environment and long-term job possibilities for the local young.
Kabiru Waheed, a commercial motorcyclist in the Sabo district of Oyo Town, praised the state government and stated that the involvement of the youngsters was an excellent strategy to prevent laziness and will also make a cleaner environment feasible.
When one considers the fact that they get paid 10,000 naira, Kabiru continued, “Things are young guys in our community who would have been engaged in criminal activities if they are not doing these. We should applaud the State government and other stakeholders who put up the program.”
Abdul-Kadir Ayanwola and Olayiwola Kafayat, two of the beneficiaries in Atiba local government, spoke with newsmen during the monitoring exercise and expressed gratitude to the current administration for the program while also saying that the post-COVID-19 intervention programme has empowered them to have savings and purchasing power. They were also pleased to contribute to the achievement of a clean environment that will draw investors to the community.
