Governor Dapo Abiodun speaking during the launch of the job portal in Abeokuta

Adejoke Adeleye,Abeokuta

Twenty unemployed graduates were lucky on Thursday as they got instant employment into the Ogun public Service during the launching of the much talked about job portal for the state.

The beneficiaries were selected based on their performance in the aptitude test conducted at the venue of the launch of the job portal.

The state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun while speaking during the launch of the Job portal at the cultural center, Abeokuta, urged unemployed youths in the state to register on the  job portal .

He said, ”The official launching of the Ogun Job Portal, today, is another milestone in the successful implementation of our Administrations Building our Future Together Agenda. Let me state that this job portal will register, on a continuous basis, employed and unemployed youths in the State with a view to providing them jobs and training opportunities suitable for their trade and academic qualifications. For those who care, a country with 23.1 percent unemployment rate or 20.93 million young people out of job is sitting on a keg of gunpowder”

”To underscore the severity of this challenge, you all will recall how many of our young people died looking for Immigration jobs in 2014. Also recently, when the Customs Service called for employment, 525, 215 applicants applied online for the less that 2,000 vacant position”

”We cannot sit and watch this situation degenerate any further hence this is a way of thinking out of the box. Not all of us will do white collar jobs and not all white collar jobs increase GDP.

”This portal will, therefore, provide a platform for readily available and updated information of our graduates and those with vocational skills across the State with the aim of matching them with potential employers, training opportunities, not only within the Public Service but also with the Private Sector, as our partners”

“I want to assure the citizens and residents of the State that they will not be short-changed. We are preparing a Local Content Bill which will be sent to Ogun State House of Assembly. When this Bill is passed into Law, it will make investors to first look inward to availability of workers in Ogun State and make our youths their primary catchment area when they site their companies in Ogun State”

The governor also noted that the state government will provide a database to allocate the Ogun State youths to the appropriate sectors where they will be most productive for themselves and the State.

”More significantly and it is my belief that the interface with active industry players would positively shape economic growth by enhancing the capacity of small and growing business”

”My administration is committed to provide a viable platform that gives optimal job opportunities. Our belief is that a gainfully employed citizenry will also contribute in no small measure to the socio-economic development of our dear State.

”We are also working assiduously towards restructuring and reorganizing all sectors of our dear States economy for more opportunities to our people by consciously nurturing their potentials”

”We are also putting a measure in place to prepare and situate our people to fit adequately into all sectors of our dear States economy where we all can individually and collectively aspire for uncommon prosperity”

”Permit me to also emphasize that our dear State is now an investors destination of choice. We now have more industries in our dear State. We should take the advantage to have more of our people employed, employable and as net employers of labour”

”The fact is that, as more industries continue to berth in our dear State, there will be improvement in our trade and commerce, food security, poverty alleviation, and more employment opportunities for our people”

”We are providing a database to allocate our people to the appropriate sectors where they will be most productive for themselves and the State. More significantly and it is my belief that the interface with active industry players would positively shape economic growth by enhancing the capacity of small and growing business”

One of those who was employed at the venue, a serving corps member deployed to serve in Ogun from Oyo, identified as a Olalekan Olayode Oluwasegun said he never knew he could get this opportunity.

”I feel being on top of the world, because am so lucky to be one of the beneficiaries, I was not expecting this, in fact I am so happy, the Ogun State governor has done well, despite the fact am not an Ogun State indigene I still get opportunity here”

Meanwhile, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo commended the state over the creation of job to 20 unemployed youths in Ogun State.

”The governor has really done well, this is part of what a state must ensure in the state, I want commend him for this initiative.

“I am sure with this that the governor has done other state governors would emulate this act and create opportunity for youths.”