The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his government is discouraging illegal migration and making it unattractive by creating better opportunities for youths in the state.
Obaseki said this while delivering his goodwill message at the Edo MEGA Summit 2022 with the theme, “The Role of Returnees’ in Migration Management and Development, held at the Daisy Danjuma Returnees’ Shelter in Benin City.
The governor noted, “As government, we are making migration unattractive by giving our people more opportunities at home. So, we have done quite a bit in the last four to five years and would continue to make the investment needed in this regard. First, in education, we are working to ensure that the children who go through our educational system will learn from a very early age and will be very confident in themselves.
“Again, we want to make sure that our people focus on technical and vocational training so that they can get work. We are moving our education from the one of just acquiring certificates to one where you learn for work. We will also train you in areas of technology, agriculture, health care and many more so that even if you still decide to travel, we would have trained you and helped you get a proper work permit so that you can go out properly and come back when you choose.”
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking, Professor Yinka Omorogbe, commended the returnees for taking advantage of the several initiatives and empowerment programmes by the state government to discourage illegal migration.
