Five Months After, Applicants Express Concern On Imole Youth Corps

Kazeem Badmus

SOME residents of Osun State who applied for ‘Imole Youth Corps’, a newly floated youth empowerment scheme of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administra on have expressed concerns over ‘silence’ on the scheme.

The applicants said the state government has remained silent on the scheme five months a er their applica ons.

According to the applicants in different interviews with OSUN DEFENDER during the week, the process of selec on and recruitment of eligible candidates among them should have begun by now.

They expressed worries that the recruitment process might have been hijacked by poli cians who might have confused the Governor to channel it through the party.

It would be recalled that Adeleke, on February 16, 2023, dissolved the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) and replaced it with Imole Youth Corps.

The state government in a circular signed by its Secretary, Mr. Teslim Igbalaye, said OYES was dissolved and replaced with Imole Youth Corps to restructure the agency for op mal performance.

The state government also urged residents to apply for the new programme through a free online applica on, which was made available in all the local governments, including Ife East Area Office.

However, five months a er, the Imole Youth Corps is yet to take off with no informaon from the state government.

Apparently worried by the delay in the recruitment process, some of the applicants urged the state government to speak up and provide informa on on the progress or challenge on the scheme.

One of the applicants, Bayo Adegoke, said he was hopeful of being engaged in the scheme, saying that he did not expect it would take this long before the scheme takes off

“I had thought the recruitment process would start in March, giving a month grace.

SPEAKER, Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Wale Egbedun, has dismissed the report that the State Anthem has been discarded.

Egbedun said the anthem remains intact, explaining that it is the nomenclature that changed.

According to Egbedun in a statement by his Press Secretary, Tiamiyu Olaitan, yesterday, what changed in the anthem is just “State of Osun”, which was replaced by “Osun State” as proposed by a new bill.

“The Osun Anthem is not discarded; what changed is the nomenclature of the Anthem. The law which had State of Osun Anthem had been repealed. The propose bill reintorudce the Anthem as “Osun State Anthem.

“It is the same Anthem we have been singing; it has not been discarded.”

Ealier, the Speaker had in a statement personally signed by him said: “For the purpose of Educa on, I should make further clar-

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