Governor Adams

            Oshiomhole of Edo State says investment in agriculture will provide 25,000 jobs for youths in the state.

Oshiomhole made the disclosure while speaking with newsmen in Benin recently.

He said government was partnering with some Vietnamese to produce rice and that they have already started work.

“In Edo state, my argument is, the responsibility of the leader is not to lament what we have done wrong, but to learn the right lessons and see how we can correct.

“So right now, we are moving more into agriculture. We have gotten some Vietnamese who are currently taking advantage of our weather and the fact that we have abundant land that is suitable land for farming to produce rice.

“And they told me they can turn round three times a year and they have started already.

That’s a project that we think easily can offer easily over 10,000 jobs.’’

Oshiomhole said government had entered into a deal with the Dangote group to set up a fertiliser plant in Aganebode in Owan East Local Government Area of the state.

He said the plant would be one of the biggest in Africa and capable of employing more than 10,000 people.

He said the installation of the plant would save the nation the trouble of importing fertiliser which sometimes, was of poor quality and delivered at the wrong season to farmers.

In another development, Oshiomhole says his administration’s commitment to the provision of roads was aimed at opening up the rural areas and boosting the state’s economy.

Oshiomhole stated this while inspecting some road projects under construction in Etsako-West Local Government of the state in Auchi, Edo.

Opening up the rural areas will have more impact on the economy because it will enable farmers to evacuate their produce from the farm.

“It will also draw the elite to build houses in their villages instead of Benin or Auchi”, he said

He said that due to the lack of access to the rural areas, “people see what we are doing in Benin but cannot see what we are doing in the rural areas because there are no roads.

Oshiomhole said that the government was working for the rural people and not just for those in the state capital, Benin.

Some of the roads inspected includes the Jattu-Ibie, Aowa-Iyora, Jattu-Akpena roads, Ayoguiri-Akpena-Ogodon Okpekpe roads.

The governor also inspected the erosion site in Auchi and the renovation of schools under the UBE scheme.