Edo forbids harming women, minors, says – Obaseki

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, said on Thursday in Benin that the state forbids all kinds of harm against women or minors across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.

Obaseki stated this during a dinner party at the government house, Benin, organised to honour the Nigerian Academy of Science.

According to him, “I feel sorry for anybody who gets entangled or accused of gender-based violence, he will know that Edo has no space for such act. You can mess around everywhere else but not in Edo.”

“So, the fact that my wife and the wife of the deputy governor had to go to court is just a signal even to the Judicial system that we take this offence seriously.

“That we forbid harm to our women or minors in Edo because you have strength and you have energy to dominate them or oppress them, I will want to assure you that Edo will continue to blaze its trail particularly in protecting its citizens.

“For us as a government, our emphasis is for our people, in creating that environment that allows our people to express themselves to be whom they have been ordained by God to be,” he stressed.

“So, when we have incidents and situations that limit them because of fear of violence as a result of inter personal relationships or as a result of fear of violence and oppression from the state, then you sub-ultimised us a people.

“Our roles as a government is to set our people free from fear, threats, free them to be able to express their creativity, weather it’s in our politics, we don’t just want the dominance of anybody as godfathers,” Obaseki said.

The governor said that his administration will create an enabling environment for women and minors to express themselves and as well defend themselves. (NAN)