Buhari meets Edo governor, ex-governor in Aso Rock

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met separately with Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state and his predecessor in office, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Emerging from the meeting, Obaseki, who was the first to meet the president, told State House correspondents that he was there to discuss important issues relating to the state with the president, particularly the question of human trafficking and to seek more federal assistance for the state.

He said the state had accepted the problem of human trafficking and had decided to deal with it headlong.

He said: “I discussed two critical issues that bother us in Edo. One is the issue of human trafficking and irregular migration.

“As you know, it’s a problem with Edo which we have accepted and we have rolled out our strategies to deal with them and we want to work with the federal government and other agencies of government to end this scourge of human trafficking and modern slavery.

“It is against the ethos of humanity for us to accept what is going on with our young people today.

“So, I came to see the president to explain what we are doing in Edo State and to solicits for more federal support for our actions.”

On the discontent expressed over stipend by some illegal Edo migrants who were recently repatriated from Libya, he said, it was a challenging situation for the government as he admitted that some of them have not received any money.

According to him, “that is part of the challenge. The issues are very complex. The first set that was brought back by International Organization for Migration (IOM) were given stipend but the last wave of returnees that were repatriated nothing was given to them and they were a bit agitated.

“What we have done in Edo is that to help returnees settle and reintegrated back to their families, we give them stipend for three months.

“So, what we have done this time around is to bring them to Benin city and then give them the first stipend to go back home and then be able to attend the skills acquisition centres which we have set up to train them.”

The governor commended the federal government for carrying out remedial repair works on the Benin-Auchi road which had been in bad shape.

Also speaking with State House correspondents after his meeting with the president, former Edo governor, Oshiomhole said he came to assure the president of his loyalty in the midst of present challenges and for 2019.

He added: “I think that in moments like this nobody should seat on the fence. Our country has challenges and there are huge temptations here and there and is important he knows that he has men and women who even at this hour have huge confidence in his leadership ability.

“Everything taken to account, I believe that every Nigerian who wants us to sustain some of the renewed vigors to deal with one of the most challenging problems that Nigeria has faced namely corruption and things like that, you cannot but appreciate the president and all that has been done under his leadership this past two years and some months.”

On whether Buhari should ignore the advice from former President Olusegun Obasanjo not to seek a second term, Oshiomhole observed that Obasanjo was not among the president’s advisers.

“I’m not sure when I see the list of the advisers that president Obasanjo is one of the advisers. But I also recall with respect that the day President Obasanjo was swearing in some of his advisers, he did say that anybody who is his adviser can advise him, he will make his own decisions. And I think that principle still stands,” he said.

The former governor noted the present administration had not spent enough time in office to be able to solve the nation’s problems which he said were created in the 16 years of the former ruling party.

“I don’t think that anybody who understands the challenge of nation-building, of national economic management etc will expect that in two years you can fix in a sustainable manner all of the things that have been destroyed over 16 years before this party came into office,” Oshiomhole declared.