The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has dismissed the claim of creation of 250,000 jobs in the last two years as declared by the state governor, Ademola Adeleke.

The party reacting through Kola Olabisi, its Director of Media and Information, said the claim was false and criticised the governor for his failure to employ teachers and health workers in the state’s public schools and hospitals.

The party said, “Is it not funny and strange that Governor Ademola Adeleke, who could not employ teachers and health workers for three years in his administration, is now thinking it wise to recruit 10,000 Imole Youth Corps members?”

He emphasised the shortage of teachers in public schools and the understaffing in public hospitals as key concerns, questioning why the governor was prioritising the recruitment of youth corps members when basic services were lacking.

“Claim of 250,000 job opportunities in two years is a fake story. We sympathise with the applicant-teachers swindled into purchasing employment forms by the PDP-led administration in Osun State, who have been waiting for three years without any indication of recruitment under Adeleke’s government,” Olabisi added.

Governor, Ademola Adeleke, had on Thursday declared that his administration had created approximately 250,000 jobs over the past two years, attributing the achievement to local content policies and financial support for businesses.

Speaking in Osogbo during the induction of 10,000 youths into the Imole Youth Corps, Adeleke stated that the initiative was part of his broader plan to tackle unemployment.

The scheme he said engaged youths from the 332 political wards in Osun to provide services in health, security, environment, and education.

He said, “Our administration is focused on tackling the unemployment crisis. We note the widespread joblessness among the youth.

“Our first decision is to create an enabling environment for job creation by both the government and the private sector.”

He described the programme as a transitional arrangement designed to equip young people with skills and opportunities across different sectors.

“Today’s gathering is a continuation of our efforts to provide job opportunities for our teaming youth,” he added.

The governor assured the newly enrolled Imole Youth Corps members that they would receive training to deliver essential services in their assigned roles. He urged them to show dedication and professionalism in their duties.

Adeleke highlighted some of his administration’s key strategies to boost employment, including financial support for small businesses and infrastructural development. He said that over N4bn had been committed to a revolving loan scheme for grassroots entrepreneurs.

“I am happy to announce that through our local content policy, financial access to businesses, and ongoing youth agropreneur programme, over 250,000 of our population were provided job opportunities,” Adeleke stated.

According to him, job creation efforts would be further expanded as the state government launched an agropreneur project in each of the 30 local government areas and area councils.

The Commissioner for Youth Development, Moshood Olagunju, also insisted that the administration had a structured approach to employment generation and that its policies had positively impacted various sectors.

He confirmed that a performance evaluation system would be put in place to assess the success of the Imole Youth Corps and other employment initiatives.

“We are committed to transparency and results. The performance evaluation system will ensure that every initiative meets its objectives,” Olagunju said.