The Oyo State Government has concluded its youth summit where it awarded young minds for their contribution to the state. The award turnout has drawn heavy criticism amid allegations of irregularities and misconduct from participants of the ceremony.
One of the contestants in the election, Olaoye Kehinde Hassanat took to her social media page to express her disappointment. According to her, she should have won the category of youth state entrepreneurship given to Yetunde Folashade Moradeyo.
Hassanat expressed that she blamed herself for coming to the summit, claiming that she was leading her opponent with 700 votes. Also, one of the nominees in the governance category has accused the award committee of misconduct in the results. Adediran Sunday, in the governance category, noted that the committee deliberately sabotaged the will of the people.
Sunday stated he earned 36 percent of the votes, while his contender had 27 percent as of April 18. He added that the portal was affected by technical issues but his supporters voted massively for his position.
The controversy intensified as Sunday disclosed that top governmental officials tampered with the award results. He noted that the result is a dangerous message as favoritism and political influence take over merit and popular support.
Recall that the government opened a public voting platform, allowing citizens to participate in selecting the award winner. The award is the final stage of its youth summit which focuses on addressing youth potentialities and youth dreams.
The Commissioner for Youth and Sport, Wasilat Adegoke disclosed that over 80 nominees have advanced to the finals. She then urged the public to participate in voting the winners across various categories.
Some of the categories for the award are the Art and Craft Award, Community Service Award, and Creative Industry Award, among others. There are also special award categories like Student of the Year Award, Youth of the Year, and Corps Member of the Year, among several others.
Adegoke concluded that the award tends to transform individuals between the ages of 18 and 40 who have exceptional work impact. The Ministry has however not issued any statement concerning the irregularities between the voting results and the eventual winner.
