Obaseki, Orbih trade words over Libya returnees

Chairman, Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dan Orbih,  yesterday, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state of causing the rising number of Edo indigenes seeking greener pastures in Libya.

He made the allegation in Benin while x-raying the high level of unemployment among youths of the state.

Orbih noted that 70 percent of Nigerians returned to the country in the last two months are said to be  indigenes of Edo state.

The PDP chairman said the state has witnessed unimaginable hardship and financial strangulation in the last nine years of the APC administration in the state.

He lamented that state had never had it this bad, stressing that empty job promises and dejection by youths are the hallmarks of the first year of the Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration.

He said: “Prior to Obaseki’s election, he promised the growing number of Edo State unemployed youths 200,000 jobs in four years, but he has not even created 2,000 jobs in his first year and has failed woefully in engaging the youths in meaningful employments.

“He has resorted to wasteful and unproductive talk shows such as the Alaghodaro summit. He has also embarked on needless and money draining trips in an unending search for foreign investors.

“It is, indeed, a shame that a government that promised employment to our youths is now saddled with the task of dealing with the embarrassing menace of the end product of its own failure by trying to rehabilitate Libya returnees.” 

The state government, through the Special Adviser,  Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, however, discredited PDP’s claim, stating that the party was desperate to reclaim power and that its leaders have resorted to rumour peddling and outright falsehood for cheap publicity.

He said the state government has started compiling qualified names from the pool of those who registered in Edo Job.

 “We have not created jobs, but I want to ask, how did they arrive at their claims? Do you just make claims? When you allege, you defend it with facts. The EDSTMA people on the streets, were they not just employed by the Obaseki’s government? 

“Were people not employed at the Edo Industrial Park to do design and layout? Are they aware that we have continued to pull out qualified names from the pool of about 200,000 people that registered on the Edo Job portal? These and many others are ongoing and the PDP leaders are busy saying we are not creating jobs.”

Meanwhile, the state government will commence payment of arrears of about 200 pensioners after today and tomorrow physical and documentary verification for batch 39 at the Imaguero College Hall, Benin.

In a statement by Permanent Secretary and Chairman, Pension Bureau, I.D.S. Juwobor, on behalf of the Head of Service, the state government said the exercise is in “continuation of the ongoing payment of pension arrears for the pensioners.”