Speaking during the presentation of equipment to the beneficiaries in Benin City, Obaseki hinged irregular migration on failures of past governments to provide basic needs for the people.
Maintaining that issues of irregular migration were of concern to the state government, she solicited the cooperation of critical stakeholders to tackle the menace.
Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, who presented the equipment to the beneficiaries, said the beneficiaries have been arranged into a group of 50 with each entitled to N650, 000
Obi explained that the beneficiaries of the first batch of the programme were thoroughly selected from Benin, Auchi and Uromi.
She said the programme, under the Migration II project, tagged: Dare To Hope Project, was aimed at tackling the root causes of irregular migration by training, empowering and mentoring youths in the acquisition of various skills.
She added that the beneficiaries were trained on hairdressing, fish farming, makeup artistry, shoe and bag making, poultry, aluminium fabrication and bead making, among others.
“As part of efforts to create alternatives to irregular migration through socio-economic development, ActionAid Nigeria has empowered 1,000 persons with N32.5m, as start-up capital to support their businesses,” she said.
