In his 2017 New Year broadcast titled ‘From recession to recovery, growth and consolidation,’ the governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has voiced his government’s commitment to intensify intervention programmes in the State in the New Year 2017.
“We are going to intensify our intervention programmes among the people. This year, we are going to initiate another batch of Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES).
“We are going to create more opportunities for people in agriculture, commerce and information and communications technology (ICT),” the Governor said.
Aregbesola said that since 2014, it is evident that there is no free money again, emphasizing that the way to go is to work hard and earn money.
“No one should be under any illusion about this. Oil price doesn’t look like it will spike up very soon, as we have had in the past.
“Even if it will, we should never find ourselves in a position of dependency again. If oil windfall should come, it should go into special projects and savings for the future,” he said.
The Governor envisioned that “Many developments are coming to our world which we should be prepared for and for which new opportunities will arise for the discerning, the bold and the prepared”.
For instance, governor Aregbesola said “there will be a quantum leap in technology in the foreseeable future which will produce self-driving cars, robots and automation in agriculture and construction industries, rendering jobs redundant in these areas,” calling on academics, researchers and investors to be prepared and provide leadership for this inevitable transition.
The Governor was optimistic about the year 2017, stressing that it is going to be a year of consolidation.
“We are going to consolidate on all our programmes, especially in education, agriculture and road infrastructure,” he said.
“We are not going to abandon any of our projects,” he added, enthusing 2017 is going to be the busiest year ever in the history of Osun state.