Former Special Adviser on Youth and Sports in Osun State, Lateef Aremo, has countered the statement by Governor Ademola Adeleke’s spokesman Olawale Rasheed on the half-salary regime in the state.

Aremo said Rasheed’s statement was politically emotional, selective, and strategically crafted to erase the documented contributions of previous APC administrations to youth welfare, economic empowerment, and social development in Osun.

According to him, the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) under APC governments provided structured engagement for over 20,000 youths, giving them training, income support, experience, and transition opportunities into permanent employment and entrepreneurship.

He stressed that beyond OYES, teachers were employed to secure the learning future of young people, while health work- ers were engaged to stabilize the healthcare system and strengthen family well-being.

He said: “These are not propaganda claims; they are verifiable realities. “Youth-friendly governance is not about emotional storytelling; it is about deliberate structures that give dignity, income, opportunity, and hope.”