1. OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR
Speech Delivered by
Her Excellency Mrs. ‘Funmi OLAYINKA
Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Nigeria,
At the Opening Ceremony of the Second Batch Group B
2,500 Volunteer Corps at the NYSC Camp, Ise-Emure on Tuesday
October 11, 2011.
PROTOCOLS
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the opening
ceremony of another Volunteers training programme,
scheduled to run in this camp for the next ten days.
You will recall that we were here between June 24 and
July 3, 2011 for the first batch where 2, 500 of our youths
were engaged. This event would have being held before now
but for the need for us to allow our Muslim brothers and
sisters to observe the holy month of Ramadan.
Permit me to congratulate the volunteers, their Director
General, Board and the Management of the State Job
Creation and Employment Agency for being part of this
“Rescue Mission”.
1 | Page Speech at the Opening Ceremony of Training for the
Second Batch of the Volunteer Corps on October 11, 2011.

2. OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR
The data available about the unemployed phenomenon in
Nigeria is scary. The statistician General of the Federation,
Mr. Yemi Kale put the number of Nigerians out of job at 32.5
million.
Corroborating his assertion on the menace of
unemployment, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria,
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi put the youth unemployment
rate in Nigeria at 41 percent of the population. You will agree
with me that we are sitting on a keg of gun powder if
something drastic is not done to stem this tide. We have to
combat unemployment especially when we all realize that
there is a potent synergy between unemployment and
poverty. We must therefore tackle decisively, this menace of
unemployment.
2 | Page Speech at the Opening Ceremony of Training for the
Second Batch of the Volunteer Corps on October 11, 2011.

3. OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR
It is heart warming to note that all the first batch volunteers
have been engaged in different sectors of the state economy.
Many were deployed to Ministries/Parastatals, some as
Community Development Agents (CDA) and others as
pioneer staffs of the State Transport Management Agency.
The agrarian potentials of the state will be revolutionized to
accommodate many of our unemployed youths and
underemployed adults. Skill upgrading through collaboration
with the private sector, NGOs and international
organizations will be explored to bring life more abundant to
our people.
Gentlemen and ladies of the Volunteer Corps, “the taste of
the pudding is in the eating”, I challenge you to settle down
to serious business in the next ten days of this retreat. It is a
once in a life time opportunity if you can look beyond the
3 | Page Speech at the Opening Ceremony of Training for the
Second Batch of the Volunteer Corps on October 11, 2011.

4. OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR
surface and key-in to the intellectual template of the
programme, I assure you your life will never remain the
same.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I have the
honour and the privilege to declare this leadership training
open to the glory of God Almighty and the benefit of our
people.
Thank you and God bless.
H.E. MRS. ‘FUNMI OLAYINKA
DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF EKITI STATE, NIGERIA
October 11, 2011
4 | Page Speech at the Opening Ceremony of Training for the
Second Batch of the Volunteer Corps on October 11, 2011.