OYC Concludes Weeklong PVC Sensitization in Oriire, Holds Final Press Briefing at LAUTECH

The Oriire Youth Council (OYC), in partnership with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Oriire Office, has successfully concluded its one-week long PVC sensitization campaign across the 10 wards of the Local Government Area. The week, marked by grassroots engagements and community-wide mobilization, ended yesterday with activities in wards 6, 4, and 1.

The delegation began at the palace of Oba Abdulganiyu Gidado, the Onigbori of Igboriland, who warmly received the team. The monarch showered encomiums on the youths for putting the interest of Oriire above personal gains and pledged greater involvement in subsequent civic activities.
“You have done well to remind Oriire that democracy begins with participation. I am volunteering to personally mobilize traditional leaders for the second edition of the #OriireFirst Stakeholders Summit, so that the shortcomings of the maiden edition held last December in Ikoyi-Ile can be corrected,”
the Onigbori assured.

From there, the team moved to Igbori Market, where market men and women eagerly engaged the youths with questions about how, when, and where they could meet INEC officials for PVC registration.

Speaking with the press after the market engagement, Ajala Oluwaseun, OYC Assistant National Secretary, explained:
“This campaign is about inclusivity. We are working with INEC to decentralize registration into at least three zones per ward, because Oriire has more than 800 towns and villages scattered across long distances. No one should be disenfranchised because of distance.”

At the Igbori Central Mosque, the congregation was addressed immediately after prayers. The Chief Imam of Igbori praised the campaign for being non-partisan and unifying.
“What you are doing is noble. You are not dividing us by party, but uniting us by responsibility. A community that registers to vote is a community that has a voice,”
he said.

Responding, Sarafadeen Owonikoko, OYC National Chairman, told journalists:

“We are concluding today with a clear message—Oriire will no longer be silent in governance. This sensitization is not the end, but a beginning toward our #Vision2034 agenda.”

The team also visited Olokoto community, before proceeding to Adafila and Kajola in ward 4. The exercise rounded off at the Ikoyi-Ile Central Mosque in ward 1, where the Chief Imam of Ikoyi-Ile welcomed the youths. In his words:

“It is rare to see young people carry a message that binds us all. May your efforts be rewarded with results that strengthen Oriire.”

Afterward, Joshua Ojo, OYC Ex-Officio I and Youth Parliament Member, emphasized:
“Young people of Oriire must move from mere complaints to real action. This exercise proves we have the willpower to act, and we will keep demanding fairness in appointments, projects, and representation.”

Also speaking, Ojo Oluwasegun, OYC PRO II, noted the importance of information in the process:

“Many of our people don’t know where or how to engage INEC. This week, we demystified that process. Our partnership with NOA is central to making sure this knowledge spreads beyond our voices to every village.”

The OYC announced that the campaign will culminate in a press briefing at LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, this afternoon, where the Council will unveil the conclusions drawn from the weeklong sensitization and outline the way forward for Oriire youths.

Meanwhile, post-#OriireFirst Stakeholders Summit engagements continue as the OYC awaits feedback from top leaders including Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi; Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala (Federal House of Representatives); Hon. Open Salawu (DG, Oyo State Project Performance Monitoring Agency); and the state secretariats of APC and PDP. Courtesy visits have also been requested with Hon. Wasilat Adegoke (Commissioner for Youth and Sports), Hon. Dotun Oyelade (Commissioner for Information), and the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ogundoyin.

Most importantly, the Council is preparing a formal appeal letter to the Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, seeking an audience to present the challenges facing Oriire and the efforts already initiated by its youths toward solutions.

For the Oriire Youth Council, the message is clear: the sensitization may have ended, but the movement for inclusivity and representation has only just begun.