In advanced and emerging economies, how productive jobs are created and how labour is absorbed are important issues to development planners. A recent survey in the UK, for example, showed that 91 out of every 100 graduates from Higher Education were in work or further study after 6 months of course completion.

In Nigeria, the issues of unemployment and underemployment have become a perennial problem. In Ekiti, the greater majority of our youths are not gainfully employed. The ‘lucky ones’ are in peasant farming, petty trading, okada riding, or part-time teaching. Others are engaged in whatever is available – full-time politics, miscreancy, fraud or other forms of demeaning endeavours.

Being a privileged one of them, who shared the same pains with them growing up in Ekiti, who saw and tasted poverty like them, and who only secured his liberation through a gainful employment upon graduation from the university, I will do everything possible to arrest this ugly trend by the grace of God. My team and I have taken it as a core task to finally bring a long-lasting solution to unemployment in the state.

We will improve the educational system, advance labour market flexibility, and improve rural-urban mobility as being articulated in our development agenda. We will give priority attention to Agriculture, Education, Healthcare, Light Manufacturing, ICT, Sports and Entertainment sectors to drive our strategy for job creation.

Odundun de, a sode dero!