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AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY, DR KAYODE FAYEMI, THE GOVERNOR OF EKITI STATE ON THE OCCASION OF

THE INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY CELEBRATION AT CHRIST’S SCHOOL , ADO EKITI ON FRIDAY 12TH AUGUST, 2011.

PROTOCOLS

It gives me an overwhelming joy to be amidst the Ekiti

State Youth on the occasion of this year’s International

Youth Day celebration. I am particularly glad because

this is the first Youth Anniversary I will celebrate with you

since I assumed office.

As you may be aware, since 1999, August 12 every

year has been observed as the International Youth Day as

declared by the United Nations through the adoption of

Resolution 54/120. It is a day set aside to provide

governments and other stakeholders in Youth

development with the opportunity to draw attention to

Youth related issues.

 

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This administration recognizes the fatality

of paying lip service to matters relating to the

advancement of the course of the youth. The youth is

strong, energetic and very adventurous. However, if these

starling characteristics of the youth are not properly

channeled towards productive, positive and communally

advantageous courses, the society would pay dearly for it.

This explains why this administration deliberately

places high premium on youth development in all its

ramifications. It may interest you to note that the Youth

Day had to be resuscitated by this administration having

been put on hold in the State for the past five years

because of the high esteem we hold you.

Let me seize this opportunity to draw your attention to

the 8-point Agenda of this administration with critical areas

designed to create employment opportunities for Ekiti

State Youth.

You would all recall that recently this administration

concluded the training of 2,500 Youth Volunteer Corps for

job creation in public and private sectors. Another group of

 

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2,500 volunteer corps will be trained this

month for immediate employment. By their training, the

Volunteer Corps are exposed to leadership training,

character development, value re-orientation, conflict

transformation and peace building among others.

By the end of year 2014, 20,000 Youths are expected

to have been trained and employed in mechanized

Agriculture, small and medium scale enterprises and other

varying productive ventures. The State Government will

provide them with Micro – credit facilities; thereby making

them self reliant and viable entrepreneurs with sustainable

livelihood.

Please be assured that this government shall

continue to rekindle the hope of its Youths of secured

future with a life of comfort and fulfillment.

This year’s Theme “Dialogue and Mutual

Understanding” is timely and appropriate at this period

when our youths are restive and confrontational in their

demands for policies that would make them fulfill their life

purposes.

 

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As the number one youth in the State, I call

on you, my compatriots, to let us always embrace dialogue

instead of confrontation in all cases. The story of the

struggle that heralded the inauguration of this

administration is still fresh and very instructive. Amidst

various options opened to us to reclaim our mandate, we

chose the course of justice, peace and scientific

resistance to infamy. At the end we won without shedding

innocent blood. The import of this is that dialogue

promotes mutual understanding, and matured crisis

management for development and growth.

Once more, I congratulate our Youths for this day. I

implore you to maintain upright behavior, shun cultism like

plague and avoid all forms of social vices. Do not partake

in political thuggery and militancy, endeavour at all times

to cooperate with this government, for us to build a nation

and Ekiti State of our dream.

I wish to implore all stakeholders in youth

development to join hands with us to develop our youth

 

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through the provision of qualitative education,

recreation / sporting facilities and youth empowerment

programmes.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let us all get the

Youths seriously involved in the task of nation building and

socio economic development, because when you build the

youth you are building the nation.

Thank you and God bless you all.