Oyo to partner relevant bodies to promote healthy environment, employment opportunities

The Oyo State government has restated its readiness to partner foreign and local bodies to cushion the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, promote a healthy environment for residents of the state while making employment opportunities available to the teeming youths.

Sangogade Olusumbo, head of the State Labour Intensive Public Workforce (LIPW) under the Nigeria CAREs operation, disclosed this weekend when he led members of the state monitoring team to Atiba Local Government Area.

The LIPW was conceived to create job for the teeming youths population in the rural communities as they are engaged for four hours daily to do public works like clearing of bush of public institutions like schools, courts, community halls, clearing of drainages among others for a conducive environment and they are paid ten thousand naira stipend monthly.

Olusunmbo said the LIPW beneficiaries were picked in eighteen local government areas as the first batch of the programme while the second batch will feature the rest of the fifteen local government areas of the state by 2023.

However, people of Oyo town have appreciated the efforts of the State government towards achieving a clean environment and sustainable employment opportunities for the youths in the community.

But while commending the state government, a commercial motorcyclist at Sabo area of Oyo town, Kabiru Waheed said the engagement of the youths was a good approach to end idleness and at the same time, will make a neater environment achievable.

Kabiru added that “these are young men in our community that would have been engaged in criminal activities if they are not doing these and when one thinks about the fact that they are paid ten thousand naira, we should commend the State government and other stakeholders that put up the program.”

While also appreciating the current administration for the program, two of the beneficiaries in Atiba local government, Abdul-Kadir Ayanwola and Olayiwola Kafayat who spoke with newsmen during the monitoring exercise, said the post-COVID-19 intervention programme has empowered them to have savings and purchasing power while they were also happy to contribute to achieving a clean environment that will attract investors to the community.

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Meanwhile, the State Government has implored the people of the state to patronise scout-camp market to strengthen the local economy and increase the state’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

Wasiu Olatubosun, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, who made the appeal in Ibadan, after a visit to the market hinted that the government built and equipped the modern market for traders, to end street trading, adding that Scout Camp is Government-owned, supervised by the State Ministry of Trade and Investment.

“I use this occasion to reiterate the support of Oyo State Government to the success of this market and we will always be part of the numerous programmes that are geared towards bringing more developments to the State”, he said.

He also urged residents to pay adequate attention to consumption of fresh vegetables and fresh farm products from Oja-Agbe Market at the market.

Olatubosun therefore enjoined traders trading on the streets of Challenge, Felele/Olorunsogo areas to return to the Scout Camp market, as over Seven Hundred shops are still available for them to occupy.

“I urge the people to continue patronising the market to boost the capacities of the local farmers and enhance their livelihoods”, he said.

He said the market is a door of employment opportunities and source of wealth to many that are passionate about the commercial values in the State.

Also speaking, the Chairperson, Caretaker Committee Scout Camp market, Challenge, Ibadan, Abike Olukoju said the Committee established Oja-Agbe market inside Scout Camp Business market complex where people can buy food stuff directly from the farmers.

Olukoju added further that in order to attract patronage for the market, the caretaker committee arranged with the Oja Agbe market Association and was established in Scout Camp market to bring fresh farm produce into the market for people to buy at a much cheaper rate.

Also speaking, one of the market leaders, Inauolaji Quality said Scout Camp market was good and peaceful in terms of sales and adequate security of lives and property, urging people to come inside the market and do their business without any intimidation.