The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has reassured that his administration will continue to pay close attention to the welfare of the people, noting that the state government will not relent in creating more economic and training opportunities for residents to discourage illegal migration.
Obaseki said this in commemoration of the International Migrants Day, by the United Nations and its sister agencies.
The governor maintained that such opportunities would discourage people from undertaking risky journeys and provide the needed incentives for them to realise their dreams at home.
Governor Obaseki who also assured that his administration will continue to protect the rights of legal migrants and provide enabling environment for their businesses to thrive, said migration can propel economic growth, reduce inequalities and connect diverse societies.
“Migration has been with us from time immemorial; people have always moved either in search of better opportunities, or to flee conflict-ridden areas. A recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, Scaling Fences, highlights that migration is a reverberation of development progress across Africa, albeit progress that is uneven and not fast enough to meet people’s aspirations.
“But we cannot deny the fact that some misguided youths fled the country, despite the risks involved, as a result of the lack of critical institutions to equip them with requisite skills to survive in a globalised world.”
Obaseki continued, “That is why we as a government have taken it upon ourselves as a point of duty to provide our people with highly sought-after skills and creating opportunities for jobs and emphasising training, especially technical training and improving their chances of employment. These will guarantee a better life for our people, ensuring that they realize their dreams at home.”
“On this day of the 2019 World Migration Day, it has become imperative to reiterate that this government has prioritised providing conducive and safe business environment for our visitors and investors to thrive, so as to contribute to sustainable development of their countries of origin and destination”, he added.
