The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured migrant returnees of his administration’s resolve to create more empowerment opportunities for them and other youths in the state, as the state government expands its agripreneur programme.
The governor gave the assurance at a forum organised by the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking (ETAHT), in Benin City, Edo State capital.
The forum afforded hundreds of returnee migrants from across the state an opportunity to meet and interact with the governor on his administration’s role in reintegrating them into society after their return from Libya.
Obaseki said, “The best opportunity is to make home a home, create the opportunity for people to stay at home and give them all the basic amenities. They need to be given good education that can give them jobs. What I have seen in government is that there is money to do all these if we don’t steal the money.”
He urged the migrant returnees to organise themselves in order to benefit from more opportunities in areas of agriculture and Information Communication Technology (ICT), noting, “As a government, we have focused on a lot of programmes and next year we will expand our agricultural programme.”
Chairperson, Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking, Prof Yinka Omoregbe, said the forum was organised to show appreciation to the governor for his administration’s role in reintegrating the returnees into the society.
Omoregbe said the event also afforded the returnees the opportunity to inform the governor of their challenges, as they no longer see themselves as returnees but goal-getters.
She introduced some of the returnees who have undergone training on solar panel installation, employed as state traffic officers and working as entrepreneurs, to the governor.
One of the migrant returnees, Mr. Musa Okundia, urged the state government governor to check activities of some Non-Governmental Organisations who take advantage of the stories of the returnee migrants to make money without making effort to empower them.
