… assures partnership on food security, health care, cultural preservation
By Isaac Aimurie and Henry Oqua
The Government of the United States of America has extolled the initiatives of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government in tackling human trafficking, particularly the Edo State Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law.
The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, conveyed the commendation to Obaseki on Tuesday, in Government House, Benin City, during a courtesy visit.
The Ambassador who was accompanied on the visit by high ranking officials of the embassy, assured that her government was committed to deepening conversations around the preservation of cultural assets like the prized Benin bronzes, stronger partnership with the Edo State government in healthcare and the development of economies of both governments.
“We commend the Governor for the Edo State Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law and the efforts against trafficking in persons,” Ambassador Leonard said.
She added that “trafficking is an intense subject of focus for the United States, it is great to be able to exchange ideas on how State governments are able to contribute against the scourge.”
Expressing worry about the lingering economic impact of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the Edo State Governor and the United States Ambassador agreed to deepen conversations on how to ensure food access and security in the coming months.
On food crisis, the Ambassador said: “It is a huge problem and something that the United States is focused on and we need to coordinate quite closely on how to mitigate it, it is really such a perfect storm, already with covid19 impact, it is a tough time that requires a lot of partnerships.”
She added: “A big part of the United States’ administration is economic development, in particular, extending agricultural production, its transformation, and I am so pleased that there are some American companies here that are working on expanding oil palm production.”
Speaking on the recent agreements on cultural preservation and combating trafficking and precious objects, the Ambassador said that many important discussions were ongoing “about the return and the exchanges, and we are looking forward to engaging with many actors on that front.”
According to her, the health insurance law in Edo State is one of the ways to address disease management and control.
Describing the United States as a friend, Obaseki said: “You are coming at a very crucial time for our country and the world. We have always known that the United States government is our friend, some of our people have worked and lived there and have just returned, there is that affinity and history we share as a people.”
The Governor stressed that development for his administration is about people and the economy.
“For us it is about the economy and that we are able to grow our economy in line with its potentials. We are addressing a lot of the other issues particularly security, health care, we are trying to see how we can fire the economy, to the extent that we utilize the potentials that are available.
“One key driver for us is agriculture, food, and I can’t recall at any time in our history that food was the issue, we took food for granted throughout life, we never thought a day would come when children cannot eat because their parents cannot afford the price of bread.
“For us the number one issue on the agenda today is food availability and security. It is one of the conversations we will be having with you, to make sure we focus on food in the immediate, and into the medium to long term, and also engaging with our young people to try to prepare them to take advantage of the opportunities available globally, particularly in the area of technology, entertainments, arts,” Obaseki said.
On his administration’s investment in education, he said: “In order to be competitive, the key asset you need is the people, they have to be educated and skilled, and in the last five to six years, we have continued to emphasis education, particularly foundational education, we have made some strides, there is a lot more work to be done, we are rethinking our education to align with the kind of success in America, so it is about people, and we have moved quite some resources in that direction. It cannot be about degrees only; it has to be about skills and vocations.”
According to the Governor, “We realized that it is the lack of hope and poor education that serve as fuel for illegal migration, so in the last six years we have stemmed the tide of irregular migration from Edo, not just through legislation, but by creating opportunities and hope for young people, and make home like home, as nobody wants to leave when home is comfortable.”
He further said that his administration is rethinking the current migration policy to create pathways for legal migration, and shared the success story of the State government’s partnership with 67 American physicians that were in Benin City on a medical mission to treat over ten thousand people.
