At a time pensioners in Edo State are gnashing their teeth over pile up of unsettled pension and gratuity arrears, the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has given his commitment to turn the state to Nigeria’s best emerging industrial hub in the next 12 months.
While assuring to bring his business development acumen to bear, Obaseki noted that the state would use its comparative advantage over others to drive the new industrial hub.
Represented by Mr. Emma Usoh, Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Investment, Cooperative and Employment at the opening of the 26th annual industrial seminar of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLNMPE), Obaseki lamented that Nigeria lost its economic direction when it abandoned agriculture where it had comparative advantage in the 50s and 60s, for oil.
According to him, “We have comparative advantage over other 35 states. As a gateway to other regions, we want to maximise it for the benefit of the people. We want to go back to where we lost it several years ago”.
The governor made the observations while declaring open the five-day seminar themed, “Emerging Industrial Relations Practice: Issues, Challenges and Way Forward”, in Benin City, the state capital.