By Jamiu Ganiyu
In order to reduce the unemployment rate among the teeming youths in Osun State, the state government has resolved to establish eight more Life Academy in each of the state federal constituencies besides that of Osogbo.
It would be recalled that there is a subsisting Life Academy at the Technical College, Osogbo, which has taken care of the quota of Osogbo federal constituency in the state.
According to a statement issued by the Media Consultant to the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Gboyega Famodun, on a Timsed FM Radio programme in Ijebu-Jesa which was monitored in Osogbo during the weekend said, the Life Academy would enable the youths to be employable and contribute their quota to the society.
The party chairman who bemoaned the present state of some of the jobless Nigerian youths observed that the real issue is that the highest percentage of the graduates being turned out by our institutions of higher learning are not professionals who can really stand on their own without necessarily shopping for white-collar jobs.
According to the APC state chairman, the main objective for setting up the Life Academy by the Osun State government is to ensure that irrespective of one’s discipline, one should have a vocation in order to be gainfully employed.
He said, there is an ample opportunity for interested youths to make a choice of how they can be useful to themselves and society.
In his words: “There is an urgent need for our youths to urgently key into the opportunity provided by the government of Osun State to banish unemployment at little or no cost.
“It is not an overstatement to state that the rate at which tertiary institution graduates are being turned out is not commensurate with establishments that can readily absolve them for employment.
“It would be recalled that in the ’70s through ’80s, some tertiary institution students used to secure jobs before their graduation but the contrary is the case today”, Prince Famodun disclosed.
He tasked parents and guardians to guide their children and wards in their choice of course of studies as it will be counter-productive for any graduate to be perpetually depending on his parents several years after graduation.