By Isaac Olamikan
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has expressed worry over the the prevailing hardship in the country and that it is affecting the fight against human trafficking and illegal migration.
Obaseki said this when he received members of the executive of Action Aid Nigeria, led by its Director of Programmes, Suwaiba Muhammad Dankabo, In his office.
The governor hailed Action Aid and the European Union, among others, for partnering with his administration to checkmate and tackle the challenge of irregular migration The Trumpet gathered.
He noted that the state has finalized plans to launch Edo Migration 2.0 to sustain gains recorded in the fight against the global menace.
Obaseki said, “We have a history of our youths being restless, aspirational and ready to take any risk in pursuit of their ambition.
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It’s that risk we try to mitigate by encouraging them not to migrate through the Sahara Desert.
“We accepted the problem facing us and set up a taskforce to deal with the problem. We took up the responsibility of resettling returnees, tackling the root cause of the problem, dealing with perpetrators and understanding migration in the context of development.”
He said the State was concerned that what was happening in the country, the very difficult economic situation that is emerging will put pressure on young people to want to travel again.
“We will discuss with the Italian Ambassador as we strategize on how to prepare and structure proper labour contracts, train and prepare our people to travel and do their job regularly” he said.
He appealed to the body for assistance and support in the government effort to fight illegal traveling through difficult routes and endanger their lives .
Reassuring that his government will create more opportunities to support women and build structures that will allow them to achieve their fullest potentials in the country , Obaseki further stated, “In Edo State, we will encourage our women to come up and be part of the political process to ensure we have equal female representation in the legislature.
“We are happy with the representation in the executive and judiciary. Our task is to make sure that in Edo State, our women have due representation in the legislature.” he said .
Earlier, Dankabo commended Obaseki for his affirmative action for women in his cabinet and the government’s commitment to the fight against human trafficking and illegal migration.
