The Oyo State Government has trained some selected permanent secretaries in its workforce to achieve optimal results in planning against challenges facing women and children.
The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, said this in a statement he issued to newsmen in Ibadan on Sunday.
The statement quoted the state Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr Adeniyi Farinto, as saying that the training focused on the major thrust of governance such as : security, health, education and economy; which would be anchored on Agribusiness.
Farinto added that the state government was generating data that would help in formulating policies for proper planning in those areas.
“The training will foster more interest on issues relating to the welfare of women and child’s rights, rape, incest among other social vices that directly affect womenfolk and children.
“It is geared toward making policies that will affect women and children in the areas of health security, child survival, child’s rights and women’s rights because they are the most vulnerable in the society.
“The state government totally condemns the incessant cases of rape, child trafficking, incest that are constantly reported in the news in our state.
“As you can see that women are at the receiving end, thus there is the need to have a clear understanding of the key challenges affecting them for sustainable and equitable solutions.
“The exercise is meant to promote and contribute to the building of progressively stronger evidence, based on the current state of the rights of children by improving the understanding of decision makers, support planning and development process.
“Also to strengthening capacity to monitor, contribute to research and increase the knowledge base to enable assessment,” he explained.
Farinto also said that the Gov. Seyi Makinde-led administration was committed to focusing on impactful projects that would improve the welfare of the citizens.
“One of such evidences is the approval to commence the development of 20 years long term development plan that will run from 2021 to 2041, based on the aspirations and the desires of the people.
“The plan will provide a sense of direction, geared toward identifying challenges and proffer sustainable solutions through a participatory approach” he added.
The commissioner promised that the state government would mainstream the aspirations of the data document into the State Development Plan and other medium-term plans at both the state and local government levels.
The statement also quoted Mrs Mofoluke Adebiyi, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Planning, as saying that the essence of the data collection was to create a baseline for issues relating to women and children in line with UNICEF’s plan.
She said that the expectation from the data gathered was “to evaluate where the state currently stands, so as to plan for women and children.
