.Plans 150km for phase 2, permanent shelter for returnees
Reconstruction and rehabilitation work on over 90km of roads across the three senatorial districts of Edo State are nearing completion in the state’s resolve to deliver the projects before the raining season sets in.
The state Commissioner for Infrastructure, Mr. Osahon Abraham Amiolemen, disclosed this after an inspection tour of some of the roads in Benin City.
He assured that the roads would be ready for use as promised by the government.
Amiolemen also assured that the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration was committed to completing all ongoing road projects within the stipulated time as the contractors handling the projects had been duly mobilised.
“We are using the dry season to work on the roads. The contractors are doing a good job and are ready to deliver the projects within the stipulated time. The drains are well laid and the quality of the drains is commendable,” he said.
He explained that the rehabilitation-construction of different roads stretching over 150km spread across the state would commence before the middle of the year, stressing, “All bad roads will be fixed in phases.”
The commissioner noted that the dualisation of the popular TV Road measuring 2.3km and the reconstruction of Lucky Way (3km long) both in Benin City would be completed before the middle of the year.
He said that construction of Irhirhi-Aroobga-Obazagbon-Obag ienevbosa-Oghehghe road spurs to Enogie palace and Ogbekpen Community in Edo South; Ekpoma-Uhumudumu road in Edo Central; and Agbede-Anwain road, Uzzeba-Ukpoji road and Okuokphellagbe road in Edo North Senatorial districts.
Meanwhile,
the Edo State government has disclosed plans to construct permanent shelters for returnee Edo indigenes who were victims of human trafficking and irregular migration.
Secretary of the Edo State Taskforce on Anti-Human Trafficking, Mrs. Abieyuwa Onyemwense, who disclosed this in Benin City.
She said that such a facility was necessary to fast-track short, medium and long-term objectives of rehabilitating and reintegrating the returnees.
She explained that the state government already has a plan on reintegrating and rehabilitating the returnees, who the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Federal and State Governments, have facilitated their return to the state.
Onyemwense said that the approach to receiving the returnees by the state government was far-reaching, which includes medicals, payment of stipends, capacity building and provision of starter-packs, reunion with families and regular monitoring and follow-ups.
Her words: “The returnees need a lot of guidance. We have a security team that does background checks right from when we receive them at the airports. There was a recent video of a lady that was threatening to take to arms that went viral; we tracked her down and now she is working very closely with us. So, the system is so robust to spotlight issues and resolve them as quickly as possible.
“We are looking at building permanent shelters for the returnees. It is one of the initiatives of the Edo State Government to see an end to this menace. With that, we can do so much.”
