By Bimbola Oyesola
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, said he is committed to turning the state to Nigeria’s best emerging industrial hub in the next 12 months.
The governor, who promised to bring his investment acumen to bear on the state’s economy, noted that the state would use its comparative advantage over others to re-invent and redirect Nigeria to the path of economic growth.
Obaseki, represented by Mr. Emma Usoh, Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Investment, Cooperative and Employment in Benin, at the opening of the 26th annual industrial seminar of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLNMPE), lamented that Nigeria lost its economic direction when it abandoned agriculture where it had comparative advantage in the 50s and 60s, for oil.
“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,” he said.
Obaseki said the state would attract investors into the state through several incentives and infrastructure that would boost investments and support massive job creation.
The governor who declared open the five-day seminar themed, “Emerging Industrial Relations Practice: Issues, Challenges and Way Forward”, said the topic was apt as Nigerians look inward to restore the battered economy.
He advised chemical and leather workers to boost their knowledge on modern technology to be able to enhance their ability and improve productivity.
According to him, workers must equip themselves through trainings to improve their work as technology has taken over the days of operating in an outdated way.
The governor commended the union for organising the programme as many state governments are presently putting heads together to defeat unemployment through such events.
“The training is a tool for industrial relations harmony. Human relations and industrial relations is anchored on trust and there is need to return to industrialisation,” the governor said.
He added that Nigerian workers were the brightest in the world since they are found in every part of the globe contributing to national development.