Gov Akeredolu Says Nigerians Yet To Fully Recover From Effects Of COVID-19 Pandemic

By Ayodele Oni

Government and individuals in the country are still counting their loses occassioned by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, which ravaged the world causing several deaths.

On his part, Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, said the advent of the pandemic coupled with insurgency in Nigeria  worsened the problems of insecurity and unemployment.

The Governor spoke on Wednesday  in Akure, while receiving participants of the Senior Course 45 programme of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, who are on Study Tour of Ondo State.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde stated that the 46-man team was led by the Faculty Leader, Commodore Promise Dappa.

Appreciating them for finding Ondo State suitable again for the study tour, Governor Akeredolu noted that the importance of the topic of the Study Tour, “Youth Unemployment and National Security”, cannot be over emphasized.

He explained that the challenges of insecurity and unemployment are hydra-headed not only in the country but in the world at large.

The Governor said the prevailing unemployment in the country has now made some youth to seek greener pastures abroad.

He added that there is correlation between unemployment and insecurity, stressing that all hands must be on deck to address the problems.

Akeredolu reiterated the need for state police, saying the stand of his administration is that a police command in Abuja can not serve the nation of 300 million people.

“In spite of our meagre resources, our administration has recorded remarkable successes in securing the lives and property of people of the State as well as in the area of employment generation.

“Optimal and profitable engagement of the youth cannot be carried out without the enabling environment of which security of life and property occupies a central place.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that security of life and property is the most basic duty of government, without which peaceful coexistence will be hampered.

“It is in the light of the foregoing that our administration instituted a time-tested developmental agenda, with the acronym: REDEEMED.

“The agenda provides the framework for our interventions in the areas of security, education, health and provision of infrastructural facilities, employment creation and so on.

“I am glad to inform you that we have been providing consistent financial and logistic supports to all security agencies in the State, including the Army, Navy, Police, Airforce, Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps etc.

“As the saying goes, “the taste of the pudding is in the eating”, I should like you to experience firsthand the remarkable achievements of our administration in the highlighted sector, as you travel around the State.

“The Study Tour has, therefore, been carefully designed to afford participants opportunities to directly see some of the achievements, particularly with regard to security and employment generation.

“Resource persons have also been carefully selected to do justice to the lectures you will have at our Public Service Training Institute, Ilara-Mokin.

“The State owned Security Agency, the Amotekun Corps, has also been doing wonderfully well.

“The success of Amotekun Corps in Ondo State in particular and South West of Nigeria in general underscores the fact that the security architecture of the country must be decentralized for effective security of lives and properties in Nigeria.

“Apart from the unfortunate carnage that took place in St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, on Sunday, 5th June, 2022 and a few isolated security breaches, there is relative peace in the State.

“The prevailing peace in the State, which is as a result of collaborative efforts of all the security agencies including the State own Amotekun Corps, has led to inflow of people and investors into the State.

“Our administration has also made significant progress in employment generation. Many professionals have been recruited into the State Public Service including health sector, teaching service, agric sector etc.”

Earlier, the Faculty Team Leader, Commodore Promise Dappa, explained that the purpose and objective of the study tour is for the participants to visit selected states every year to study the prevalent socio-cultural, socio-economic and security challenges in those states.

He added that it is to also see the efforts and various actions taken by the various state governments.

He added that it is to also see the efforts and various actions taken by the various state governments towards addressing those prevalent challenges.

“They are also required to establish a nexus between those challenges, the actions taken by those governors and the security of the states and national security as a whole.

“That is why this year, the theme of the tour is “Youth Unemployment and National Security of Nigeria.”