Exclusive Interview With Senator Ibrahim Yahya Oloriegbe

The Chairman Senate Committee on Health and Senator representing Kwara Central, Dr. Ibrahim Yahya Oloriegbe during the weekend organized Town Hall Meeting to interact with constituents and Youth Symposium to build capacity of young people in his constituency. The Senator in an exclusive interview with
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Enjoy the excerpt:

What is the motive behind Kwara Central Youth Symposium?

Coming into power via election, the critical part of that movement before we came into power are the youths and for that reason, I think the youths require special attention special engagement and special support. Not only that, if we have to grow economically as a constituency, we must get our youths engaged, so these are all the factors, in addition to what we did yesterday where we met everybody either youth, men, women, old and young. We set this period aside for them specifically, to be able to bring the youths together, have a more and closer engagement with them on how we can turn things around for the betterment of the youth in the constituency.

Sir, after these event, do you wish to continue or just this one alone?

No! No!! No!!! There is going to be continuity. As you can see, the event is just the beginning of several processes. There are several component of the event. The event is an eye opener on training and opportunity for people to learn what they can be doing outside the certificate. How they can become employers of labour themselves, and to know that there are many other opportunities. But beyond that, we are also now putting those laws into immediate practice, several of the people that we brought together as panelists are entrepreneurs who are also doing business. We will be able to partner with a lot of them to offer opportunities through this programme.

Many I can’t even say the number that will be sponsored by the most people that we invited who are partners with us and by us ourselves for every opportunity that we have. We have about ten to twelve different kind of training programmes that we have been supporting our youth, and when they finish we are going to support this youth with start up capital, so that’s why is just one of a kind and we monitor all this people. We wish to continue to do this from time to time, as you are here now, am sure you saw raffle draw, there are some others who are already on our list, they will be added to those that won the raffle draw so we are making some new changes. You can see a lot of people wearing Volunteer, we are training people how to volunteer, but not only that like the Opay you can hear what he said that what they offer at a cost, but because of our partnership with them they are offering it at no cost due to Kwara service.

What you are actually saying basically is that with these empowerment programmes and trainings will reduce unemployment, youth restiveness, and even enhance Kwara Central security?

Yes! From statistics youth are more in numbers in terms of those engaging in drugs abuse. The drug abuse has multiple effect, it has the effect of economy, it has effect of security, it has effect of the health on the people and if you want to have a productive youths in our country, state and constituency, we have to address the drug abuse, and drug usage generally. That is why we try to link it that for youth to shun drug abuse and we are also partnering with organizations to support us. We are partnering Psychiatric association of Nigeria, Kwara State Ministry of Health; drug prevention section, the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation. We looking for available opportunities at national level and luckily for us the adviser is also from kwara and also from our constituency. We are glad we have a very strong partnership that will benefit our youth, so through all these things; our intention is to increase employment, increase engagement productivity of our people, increase economic activities in our constituency, increase social stability and some other things.

Finally what advice do you have for youths in Kwara Central?

Well my advice is that the opportunity has been created, they should take it, they should get engage, learn from these, and become entrepreneurs and become employer of employee, and they should stay away of drug abuse completely it doesn’t have any value. Thank you!