For the past seven and half years, the social intervention programmes of the Rauf Aregbesola led-APC administration in the State of Osun has effectively made the pervasive crime rate of the state minimal and reduced the raging unemployment rate before it took over.
Studies show that before the advent of his administration, Unemployment, Violence and Corruption had been the order of the day despite the so-called “Stomach Infrastructure” which was only beneficial to party members and some politically inclined members of the public.
At the flag off of the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, OYES in December 2010, many thought the scheme would be for members of the then Action Congress AC to benefit from their own which they laboured to get into office but were surprised to see how apolitical the scheme went which even absorbed members of the opposition.
The scheme which improves the economy of the state with about N200 million paid its 20,000 beneficiaries monthly also gives the Youths who were hitherto “jobless” the opportunity to eke out a living nonetheless how minimal it might be.
OYES since inception has been a model, one which the World Bank applauded and described as another way out of engaging unemployed Youths in menial jobs of community service, providing enormous opportunities for them to become self reliant and teaches them the spirit of the Omoluabi Ethos; Hardwork.
The Federal Government under the former President, Goodluck Jonathan and some states of the federation keyed into this initiative with programmes like YESSO and SURE-P before the current government refined it and modelled it after the one Rauf Aregbesola created in Osun which is today referred to as N-Power.
Aside the fact that it has reduced the unemployment rate of the state with 3% influence, it has also taken to its barest minimum the level of crime in Nigeria.
Residents of the state who had lived in major towns like Osogbo, Ikirun, Ile-Ife, Ede, Ejigbo, Ilesa among others said before Aregbesola, Violence, Crime and Youth Restiveness were the order of the day as there would be no week without an ugly incident of either bank robbery, burgling of shops, residences among others.
They told newsmen that since Aregbesola came, social intervention programmes like O’YES, Agba Osun, O’REAP and many more have and are still helpful to the reduction of crime in Osun while the solid foundation for the state’s economic prosperity in the next 50 years has been laid.
