How a personal financial commitment, traditional rulers’ support and a wider vision for vocational skills and entrepreneurship shaped a youth-development initiative in Ijesaland.
What does it take to turn youth empowerment from a familiar public promise into a practical development initiative? Sometimes, the answer begins with one commitment, a gathering of stakeholders and a vision that extends beyond immediate financial assistance.
In Ijesaland, a significant step in this direction emerged from a meeting convened by the Asiwaju of Ijesaland, Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi, at his residence in Ilesa on September 7, 2022. The gathering brought traditional rulers and other stakeholders together around a question central to the future of Ijesa youths: how could resources be mobilised to help young people become economically productive through agriculture, entrepreneurship and other viable ventures?
The meeting produced two important commitments. Fasuyi pledged ₦12 million towards the proposed Ijesa Youths’ Development Fund, while traditional rulers indicated their willingness to make land available within their respective domains for agricultural enterprises involving young people.
But the significance of the initiative extended beyond the money pledged or the land offered. It reflected a broader development philosophy that viewed youth empowerment not merely as financial assistance, but as an investment in productive capacity, self-reliance and community development.
The pledge would subsequently be redeemed, giving the initiative a tangible financial foundation. Meanwhile, the wider vision of equipping young people with practical skills and entrepreneurial capacity would find further expression in the proposed Ijesa Youth Vocational Skills and Entrepreneurship Development Centre, for which the Ijesa Community Development Assembly (ICDA) earmarked ₦80 million in seed funding.
Together, these initiatives form an important chapter in Fasuyi’s 10-year stewardship record, illustrating how personal commitment, stakeholder mobilisation and long-term planning converged around the economic future of Ijesaland’s younger generation.
VIDEO: Asiwaju Yinka Fasuyi @ the stakeholders meetingTHE ₦12 MILLION COMMITMENT
At the September 7, 2022 stakeholders’ meeting, Fasuyi pledged ₦12 million towards the proposed Ijesa Youths’ Development Fund, conceived as a platform for mobilising resources to support youth development and productive economic activities across Ijesaland.
The commitment was more than an announcement. According to his stewardship record, the entire ₦12 million was paid to the Ijesa Youth Forum (IYF) on October 18, 2022.
The payment converted the pledge into an actual financial contribution and established a practical example of the personal commitment required to advance a collective development objective.
Within the framework of Fasuyi’s decade of service, this milestone illustrates leadership by example: taking a concrete step towards a stated objective rather than leaving the responsibility entirely to other stakeholders.
It also provided a basis for encouraging wider participation in an initiative whose long-term aspirations depended on collective commitment and the mobilisation of resources beyond a single individual’s contribution.
TRADITIONAL RULERS BRING PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES INTO THE VISION
The initiative also gained an important dimension through the participation of traditional rulers at the stakeholders’ meeting.
According to the stewardship narrative, the rulers expressed their willingness to make land available within their respective jurisdictions for agricultural enterprises to be undertaken by young people.
This commitment broadened the scope of the proposed development fund. Financial resources could provide a starting point, but access to productive land could also create opportunities for young people to engage in agriculture and related economic activities.
The proposed collaboration brought together financial support, traditional institutions and youth participation around a common development objective.
It also demonstrated the importance of stakeholder mobilisation in community development. By involving traditional rulers in the discussion, the initiative sought to draw on the influence and local reach of traditional institutions to expand opportunities for young people across Ijesaland.
The land commitment was therefore a significant part of the initiative’s intended framework, complementing the financial contribution and reinforcing its emphasis on productive enterprise.
BEYOND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: A LONGER-TERM VISION
Fasuyi’s youth-development agenda was not limited to the ₦12 million contribution. A related initiative sought to address the need for vocational training and entrepreneurship development through a dedicated centre for Ijesa youths.
Following the completion and commissioning of the Ijesaland Geriatric Centre on March 31, 2022, a surplus of ₦109,344,878 was recorded. Of this amount, ₦29,344,878 was retained in the project account for the subsequent management of the centre, while ₦80 million was earmarked by ICDA for the proposed Ijesa Youth Vocational Skills and Entrepreneurship Development Centre.
Between April 17 and 20, 2022, stakeholders reached a consensus that the Ijesa Development Council (IDC) should undertake the new project. ICDA accepted the proposal, with the expectation that IDC, as an umbrella development body, could leverage its wider network to mobilise additional funds and expand the project's reach.
In a statement dated February 27, 2024, Fasuyi reiterated that the ₦80 million remained available for the intended purpose. He disclosed that the fund, placed in a fixed deposit account, had grown to approximately ₦90.79 million by February 26, 2024.
He also announced that the Owa Obokun Adimula and Paramount Ruler of Ijesaland, Oba (Dr.) Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II, had consented to the use of land opposite the Ijesaland Geriatric Centre for the proposed facility.
Fasuyi's statement presented the project as an intervention intended to equip young people with practical vocational skills and entrepreneurial capabilities, while helping address youth idleness and associated social challenges.
The proposal thus reflected a wider ambition: to move beyond immediate assistance towards building the human capacity required for sustainable livelihoods and enterprise creation.
LEADERS OF TODAY, NOT JUST TOMORROW
Fasuyi has consistently argued that young people should not be made to wait indefinitely for their opportunity to contribute to society.
At the inauguration and swearing-in of the third national executive of the Ijesa Youth Forum on October 1, 2025, at the Oba Dr Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II Civic Centre, Owa's Palace, Ilesa, he challenged youths to begin demonstrating their leadership potential through practical action.
In his view, leadership is not defined solely by the attainment of political office or the possession of an impressive title. It is demonstrated through creativity, innovation, problem-solving, productivity, sacrifice, vision and the ability to add value to society.
This perspective connects directly with the rationale behind the youth-development initiatives. Financial support, agricultural opportunities, vocational training and entrepreneurship education can help young people translate their abilities into productive activities.
The underlying objective is to create conditions in which young people can contribute meaningfully to their communities, establish sustainable livelihoods and participate more actively in economic development.
The proposed vocational centre, in particular, embodies the recognition that academic education alone may not be sufficient to prepare every young person for the demands of the modern economy. Practical skills and entrepreneurial knowledge can provide additional pathways to self-employment and productive enterprise.
LEADERSHIP MEASURED BY COMMITMENT AND DELIVERY
The ₦12 million pledge and the broader youth-development vision also illustrate five principles associated with Fasuyi’s stewardship philosophy.
Leadership by example was demonstrated through the personal financial commitment and its subsequent redemption.
Vision was reflected in the effort to connect immediate financial support with longer-term opportunities in agriculture, vocational training and entrepreneurship.
Integrity was demonstrated, in the context of the pledge, by the consistency between the commitment announced and the payment subsequently made.
Transparency was reflected in the stakeholders’ meeting, which brought traditional rulers and other participants together to deliberate on a shared development objective.
Accountability found practical expression in the fulfilment of the ₦12 million pledge, turning a stated commitment into a tangible contribution to the initiative.
These principles are particularly relevant to community-driven development, where sustained progress often depends on the willingness of individuals and institutions to contribute resources, honour commitments and work towards agreed objectives.
The proposed vocational skills and entrepreneurship development centre represents a related ambition, although its eventual delivery requires the necessary planning, resources and implementation.
A LASTING INVESTMENT IN IJESALAND’S YOUNGER GENERATION
The youth-empowerment milestone occupies an important place in the account of Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi’s 10 years of service to Ijesaland because it brings together personal giving, community participation and a broader vision for human-capacity development.
The ₦12 million paid to the Ijesa Youth Forum provided a tangible contribution to the youth-development initiative, while the traditional rulers’ willingness to make land available for agricultural ventures broadened the range of opportunities envisaged for young people.
The subsequent proposal for a vocational skills and entrepreneurship development centre extended that vision towards structured training and enterprise development, supported by the ₦80 million seed fund earmarked by ICDA.
Taken together, these initiatives reflect an approach that recognises youth empowerment as more than a single donation or a one-off intervention. It requires resources, skills, access to productive opportunities and cooperation among individuals, institutions and traditional authorities.
For Ijesaland, the enduring aspiration is to enable young people to transform their talents into productive ventures, build sustainable livelihoods and become active contributors to community progress.
In this milestone, the central message is clear: investing in young people means investing in the future of Ijesaland, but that future begins with commitments and practical actions taken today.
No comments:
Post a Comment