Edo Deputy Governor, Hon Dennis Idahosa, has attributed the state’s economic growth to the implementation of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s security policies.
Idahosa said the security policy has restored confidence and created a safer environment for investment and agricultural production in the state.
The Edo Deputy Governor spoke in Benin City while receiving members of the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), led by its Programme Director, Dr Effiong Essien.
Idahosa said Governor Okpebholo’s people-oriented policies, programmes, and legislative reforms helped reduce crime and strengthen the justice system, particularly in dealing with criminal elements.
He said the administration remained committed to its SHINE Agenda, which has helped position Edo as the most peaceful state in the Niger Delta.
According to him, ‘Security remains critical to the state’s economic development. Investors and farmers can only operate effectively when they are confident about the safety of their lives, businesses and farmlands.
‘In any nation where there is security, investors and transformation would come.
‘It is only when it is safe for our mothers to go to the farm that they can go to the farm and be productive.
‘Security is number one in the SHINE Agenda. It shows the Governor’s emphasis on security and even agriculture,’ he said.
The Deputy Governor cited several corporate social responsibility interventions impacting rural communities, implemented through partnerships involving PIND.
He described PIND’s interventions as needs-driven, saying its projects were designed around the specific needs of communities and beneficiaries while strengthening relevant value chains.
On his part, Essien said PIND’s interventions focused on reducing poverty, strengthening coastal communities, promoting youth employment, fostering stability, and supporting sustainable development across the region.
He appealed for the state government’s collaboration in establishing safe farm corridors, strengthening agricultural value-chain actors, and reactivating the Udo Skills Development Centre for practical training, entrepreneurship, and youth employment.