At least 100 young people in Osun State have completed a three-day intensive training programme in fisheries and aquaculture, emerging with a combined ₦7.5 million in start-up grants to launch their own enterprises. The initiative, led by Femi Oyetola—son of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola—was held in Iragbiji and drew participants from all 30 local government areas across the state plus the Modakeke Area Office.
Speaking on behalf of Femi Oyetola, former Senior Special Assistant on Students' Affairs and Social Mobilisation Kehinde Ayantunji outlined the strategic shift underpinning the programme. "In the past, we focused largely on distributing gifts and relief materials," Ayantunji said. "However, we have taken a more strategic direction. This initiative is about equipping young people with the tools, knowledge and financial backing to build businesses, create jobs and contribute meaningfully to the economy of Osun State. When you empower youths in a practical way, you are investing directly in the future."
The fisheries training exercise represents the fifth in a sequence of youth-focused interventions championed by the organiser across the state, with this latest iteration explicitly prioritising sustainable economic empowerment over short-term relief. Ayantunji stressed that the programme dovetails with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that grassroots-level capacity building remains essential to national development.
Femi Oyetola, speaking through his representative, expressed concern over what he described as insufficient institutional attention directed toward youth development within the state. "We cannot afford to leave our youths behind," he stated. "If we fail to engage and empower them now, we risk compromising the future. This is why we must continue to invest in their potential. Today, 100 youths have benefited from training and received start-up grants, but this is only the beginning. There is more to come."
Traditional rulers present at the ceremony welcomed the intervention as a potential remedy to rising social challenges linked to unemployment and idleness among young people. The Olororuwo of Ororuwo, Oba Kamorudeen Adeyanju, acknowledged the growing wave of social vices driven by economic inactivity, arguing that targeted empowerment schemes such as this one could address root causes more effectively than reactive measures.
"This kind of intervention addresses the root causes of many social problems we are witnessing," Oba Adeyanju observed. "When young people are productively engaged and economically empowered, they are less likely to be drawn into negative activities. It is a step in the right direction."
The Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdulrasheed Olabomi, whose representative was Saheed Adeleke, urged grant recipients to treat the training and funding as a foundation for enterprise and job creation rather than disposable income. "You have been given a rare opportunity not just to improve your own lives, but to become employers of labour," Olabomi said through his delegate. "Use the knowledge you have acquired wisely and ensure that the funds are channelled into productive ventures that will yield lasting benefits."