The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ogun State Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola popularly known as Yayi has pledged to prioritise youth development job creation digital skills acquisition and the creative industry if elected governor in 2027.
He assured youth in the state of greater opportunities to realise their potential.
Speaking in Abeokuta at the ‘Gen-Z Asks Yayi Listens’ programme organised by Haleemah Ogogo daughter of veteran actor Taiwo Hassan Ogogo Yayi acknowledged technology’s growing influence on Generation Z describing young people as critical stakeholders in shaping the future of Ogun State and Nigeria.
The Ogun APC guber candidate noted that the younger generation had access to technological opportunities that were largely unavailable when he began his career in public service adding that government must recognise and harness their creativity energy and technological exposure for development.
He said ‘I am delighted to be part of a generation of our people that has been so much impacted by technological development happening across the world. The future as they say belongs to the youths and I am glad to have this important interaction with critical actors in that future we envisage for our nation starting from our state.’
He explained that youth development had remained a central component of his public service citing his interventions in information and communication technology (ICT) education skills acquisition and employment as evidence of his commitment to empowering young people.
According to him while serving as a legislator in Lagos State he facilitated the training certification and empowerment of more than 10000 youths in ICT providing them with computers to improve their digital skills and employment prospects.
He said several beneficiaries had since secured opportunities worldwide or established successful ICT businesses demonstrating the impact of investing in young people’s technological capabilities.
Yayi added that since his election as senator representing Ogun West he had sustained the initiative with approximately 12000 youths and students trained in ICT and provided with laptop computers.
He also disclosed that one of the beneficiaries from Ilaro had gone on to participate in an international ICT competition describing such achievements as evidence of Ogun youths’ potential when given the necessary support.
To further strengthen digital education and access to technology the senator said he had facilitated the construction of 18 modern ICT centres across Ogun State with the latest located at Lisabi Grammar School in Abeokuta.
On education infrastructure Yayi disclosed that he had facilitated the construction of more than 98 blocks of 12 classrooms across the state equipped with libraries staff offices and solar-powered boreholes.
He added that six ultra-modern skills acquisition centres had also been facilitated to equip young people with practical and vocational competencies needed to compete in the labour market and establish businesses.
The APC governorship candidate further stated that more than 12000 students in tertiary institutions had benefited from scholarship and bursary facilitation while over 20000 students had received support through the provision of General Certificate of Education (GCE) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination forms.
He said the interventions were intended to reduce the financial burden on families and ensure that indigent students were not denied educational opportunities because of economic circumstances.
Yayi also disclosed that he had facilitated the distribution of 200000 textbooks and other educational materials to 128 schools across Ogun State alongside the provision of 102 minibuses to tertiary institutions to ease transportation difficulties faced by students.
On employment he said his interventions had created job opportunities for at least 200 people in various government agencies and he said he would expand opportunities for young people through a broader development agenda.
Senator Yayi pledged to make the creative and entertainment industry a major focus of his proposed administration identifying its potential to generate employment stimulate economic activities and showcase the talents of young people.
He said creative arts and tourism featured prominently in his nine-pillar ITESIWAJU agenda for Ogun State stressing that his administration would work towards making the Ministry of Culture and Tourism more proactive in discovering and developing emerging talents.
He lamented that challenges such as piracy had reduced the entertainment business’s attractiveness and profitability discouraging investment and limiting the benefits available to practitioners.
According to him the government must provide an enabling environment for creative professionals protect their intellectual property and establish platforms through which upcoming artistes comedians actors and other entertainers could gain exposure.
‘It is no longer going to be business as usual because we are ready to detect and go after all these hidden talents that God has blessed our state with’ he said.
The senator explained that his administration would explore entertainment festivals and similar events to give emerging performers opportunities to showcase their abilities connect with industry stakeholders and gain wider recognition.
He cited the success stories of established Nigerian entertainers as examples of what emerging talents could achieve when they gained access to the right platforms and professional networks.
Yayi also spoke about a comedian he admires whom he said he had personally encouraged and invited to perform adding that he was determined to support more entertainers in their quest for wider recognition.
He said Ogun State had produced several notable figures in the entertainment industry including Olamide and Crayon and expressed his ambition to discover and nurture many more talents capable of achieving national and international success.
He assured creative industry practitioners that a government would be willing to partner with them identify promising talents and create sustainable opportunities for growth.
Yayi said Generation Z and other young people would occupy a prominent position in his development agenda if elected governor particularly under the pillars addressing education and human capital development women and youth development sports poverty alleviation job creation and industrialisation.
He maintained that Ogun State’s development required deliberate investment in human capital stressing that young people must be equipped with the knowledge skills and opportunities needed to contribute meaningfully to the economy.
He urged participants to support and vote for All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates arguing that the party’s programmes at the federal and state levels were designed to improve opportunities for their generation.
He also referenced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda particularly initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) which provides financial support to eligible students in tertiary institutions.
Yayi said sustained attention to students’ welfare educational financing and industrial development would help create a more favourable environment for young Nigerians to pursue their ambitions.
He reiterated his commitment to working with young people and other stakeholders to build an Ogun State where education technological innovation creativity and enterprise would translate into employment prosperity and improved living standards.
The lawmaker maintained that the state possessed significant human mineral and industrial resources that if properly harnessed could drive inclusive growth and ensure that young people were active participants in its development.
He however assured the participants that his proposed administration would pursue partnerships across different sectors to unlock opportunities for youths and ensure that no sector of the state’s economy was left behind.