Sunday Okobi
The Edo State Government and the United Kingdom have
concluded plans to introduce video-conferencing in courtrooms to make it easier
for people to testify in cases of human trafficking.
This was disclosed when the Edo State Governor, Mr.
Godwin Obaseki, received the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Harriet
Thompson, on a courtesy visit at the Government House in Benin-city.
The governor, in a statement made available to
Yellowstone media at the weekend, disclosed that his administration has also increased
investment in education, digital infrastructure, job creation and power, among
other reforms to tackle illegal migration and human trafficking.
Obaseki said the creation of sustainable programmes
in areas prone to illegal migration in the state would discourage human
trafficking, noting that significant successes have been recorded in the areas
of arrest, trial and prosecution of human traffickers.
The governor, who called for synergy between the UK
and the state government to fine-tune ongoing initiatives in the state for
better results, disclosed that commensurate investment had not been recorded in
funding capacity building programmes to engage potential victims.
According to him, available verifiable data showed
that migration from the state had dropped and traffickers have started
relocating to other centres.
Earlier, Thompson expressed satisfaction with the
innovations being introduced into governance by the Obaseki-led administration
to better the lives of the citizens.
She noted that the UK Government would explore
investment opportunities currently being created by the governor in technology
and agriculture sectors to create meaningful employment for young people.
Thomson said the Commission was already in
partnership with some state government agencies such as the Edo State Skills
Development Agency (EdoJobs) to build skills for young people and create jobs
for them.
No comments:
Post a Comment