BENIN CITY: Edo State Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki has said establishing the rule of law is the focus of his administration and a strategy of his government to ensure industrial and economic growth of the state.

He made this known when he received executives members of the National Industrial Court lead by the President of the Court Hon. Justice Babatunde Adejumo on a courtesy visit to government house Benin City, yesterday.

Obaseki said it is impossible to have real democracy or industrial/economic growth without the rule of law. He said apart from working to become the economic hub of the nation, his administration is also focusing on becoming a judicial hub in the country.

“As part of our strategy to make this a judicial hub, it is in our interest to have full complement of the judiciary structure in Edo State”.

He said to attract investment and investors into the state, there must be peace and harmony, saying his administration is determined to ensure a peaceful and a harmonious atmosphere in the state to attract investors and investment.

“The rule of law is core to our strategy. We want to be a major economy of this country. We must do all to attract investment and investors to the state to grow the economic and make it a hub of the nation”.

“We must make the state attractive both in financial, social and economic activities and to ensure the court system works and give a general sense of perception that things work and are orderly”.

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Obaseki said the state was one of the four regional capitals and should have the full complement of federal, state and global investment to boost the economic of the state.

Earlier, the President of the National Industrial Court Hon. Justice Babatunde Adejumo said the struggle to establish an industrial Court in the state dates back to nine years ago.

He commended the administration of Godwin Obaseki for having the foresight of establishing an Industrial Court in the state as the administration realised that it is not encouraging for the state to take its cases to Asaba, Akure or Enugun.

Adejumo said the Industrial Court is in 28 states and the Court is ready to partner by given the Court a structure, a Court will be establish in that state.

He said the state has about 300 cases pending in Industrial Court Akure and those cases can be transfer to the state when the Court is establish in Benin. “As soon as the state government give us a building for the court and residence, we will hit the ground running to make our presence felt in the state.

“Our aim is to ensure harmonious Industrial relation between the government and the employees. If the work place is not peaceful, the governor will not perform, he needs people to work with him. What determine the success of a state are the harmonious and peaceful industrial relations” he concluded.