Some Libya returnees, were recently at the Edo state government house in Benin City to protest the management of their stipend accounts by financial institutions where their accounts are domiciled, and related issues.

After the protest, an open letter addressed to the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki, was received by officials of the state government for onward transmission to the governor.

Even though the protest was peaceful and the issues raised were largely administrative such as N1,100 deduction for Automated Teller Machine card, maintenance fee and sundry issues, the way and manner they went about the protests gave an inkling that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party had infiltrated their ranks and was largely the brain behind the protest unknown to some of the returnees who participated in the protest.
Ordinarily, protest is one of the ways in which citizens express their displeasure against government policies and programmes in a democracy. When taken on the face value, it is the beauty of democracy.

But very often what we find in Nigeria is a situation, where opposition political parties that have lost relevance in the scheme of things hide under all guises to cause breach of the peace with an ultimate intention of presenting the government in power in bad light. This has been the lot of Edo PDP over the years since they lost out of power game in Edo State.

Edo PDP needs to be told that it is not the All Progressives Congress in power in the state that should be their problem,after all it is the good people of Edo State that gave the PDP Red Card for woeful performance and for toiling with their destinies for 9 solid years.

Since the people tasted the honey called APC in Edo State they have chosen to blacklist the PDP. Given this clear state of affairs, the PDP is desperate at all times to pull down the APC at all cost.
This explanation is necessary because the APC-led Government in Edo State, working in tandem with our revered Benin Monarch is concerned about the plight of Libya returnees of Edo origin.

There are Libya returnees from other states and we know how they were quietly received and they found their way home. But Edo State Government under Governor Godwin NogheghaseObaseki felt that Edo citizens who were of course more in number should be given special attention by ensuring their proper reintegration into the society as they return. It announced a lot of packages for the returnees. It set up a task force under the able leadership of a Professor of Law, YinkaOmorogbe to ensure proper rehabilitation, reconciliation and reintegration of the returnees. The Governor even appointed a Special Assistant and a consistent Civil Society activist working on the issue of Libya returnees over the years since PDP held power and Edo children started running away in droves because of harsh economic conditions and massive looting of the nation’s resources. The effort of the Edo State Government should be applauded.

What the Edo PDP is doing is reprehensible and condemnable. Whenever returnees are brought back and lodged in Motel Benin Plaza, the PDP elements find their way there and begin to instigate some of them to begin protests right from the hotel where they are meant to cool off for some days before they are reunited with their families.

It is expected that when you open a bank account and you are given an ATM card, the bank is obligated to collect its charges on the card, if no other charges is made. This shouldn’t be a subject of protest in the first place except when instigated from some political quarters.

Checks with the authorities on the case of returning refugees from across Africa shows that the International Organisation on Migration and the Federal Government were responsible for returning Nigerians from Libya. This is masterminded by the European Union, which made €100 available for each Nigerians under the IOM returning programme. When they get toMurtalaMuhammed Airport or Port-Harcourt, they get N41,000 given to them in Lagos./ Port-Harcourt

The Federal Government, which signed the deal, in its programme is not giving any money to returnees. The federal government is returning migrants through Port Harcourt while the IOM is returning Nigerians through Lagos.
The Edo State Government, as it were, is only trying to provide some cushioning for citizens of the state being repatriated and has started making payment to enable them to visit their relatives.

The returnees themselves were even placed on stipends for three months. Even the Benin Monarch, OmoN’ObaN’EdoUkuAkpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare 11 also rolled out payment to some returnees who registered at the palace. His Foundation promised to also make payment to the beneficiaries for three months to help them settle down to begin a new life. This should be commended and nobody should politicise these gestures coming from Edo Government and our revered monarch.

It is important to recall that as the repatriation of Nigerians in Libya continued, Governor Obaseki approved the release of 150 hectares of land and N100million seed capital for some 150 Libyan returnees and victims of human trafficking.
The money and land were given to those who completed skills acquisition training at the Edo Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) office in Benin City, the Edo state capital. As at today, over 1000 Edo citizens have been returned from Libya alone to Edo State. We have not seen any support from the PDP members who largely looted the resources of this country to support these people.

In the first place, if the PDP did not loot billions of dollars of this nation and concentrated those funds in building infrastructures and creating enabling environment for businesses to thrive as Obaseki is currently doing in Edo State, Edo children would not have migrated to Libya and we would not have had any issue as Libya returnees today.

So, Edo PDP must bury their heads in shame and not to rear such ugly heads, by infiltrating the returnees to cause unnecessary chaos in the state.

As we inch closer to 2019 elections, the PDP is leaving nothing to chance to present the APC as the bad party and they, the good guys. But Edo people know the PDP as a party that mean evil for them that is why, a long time ago, wise and descent Edo voters have unanimously resolved that affliction would not visit the state again. The Libya returnees to Edo State should therefore beware of Edo PDP.

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Mr Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.