Federal Govt Approves Joint Security Patrol to Combat Crime in Edo

Vincent Egunyanga - 16 October 2009
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Benin — President Umaru Musa Yar'adua has approved a joint military/police patrol to combat crime in Edo State.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole disclosed this in Benin yesterday at the second quadrennial delegates conference of the National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees (NUSDE).
He said with this development, the armed forces would be deployed to join the police to improve the firepower of the Operation Thunderstorm security outfit in the state.
"The idea is to develop capacity for round-the-clock protection of the entire state and stamp out kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes," he said.
He added that the mass employment programme in the state remained operational, stressing that with the formal lifting of the embargo on employment by the State Executive Council government would now take steps to fill critical vacancies in the public service, especially in the health and education sectors.
Oshiomhole solicited the continued partnership of organized labour in the effort to improve the quality of life of the people. The governor also used the opportunity to lay to rest, speculations that government tends to favour the public sector unions over those in the private sector. But he said, "Of course, as an employer, the government of Edo State has responsibilities to its employees and their unions, however as a government our policies do not discriminate between public and private sector unions. We appreciate that the labour movement in Edo State is one entity, one family and an indivisible development catalyst.'

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