Obaseki made the call yesterday when he received the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who was on a courtesy visit at the Government House, Benin City. The governor also amassed in the audience former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    Obaseki, who identified insecurity and food crisis as among the enormous problems facing Nigeria, said working with the traditional institution, government at all levels “will be able to tackle these issues which will lead to the economic development of the nation.” He said, “One of the biggest challenges that we have today is insecurity, as hoodlums terrorize our lives in various communities across the country. “If we must tackle the security challenges confronting this country, the government must work very closely with the traditional authorities who are well-grounded in the grassroots and know the people well to bring to an end the security challenges facing this country. We are already doing that in Edo State and the results are there to show.

“The economy of our country is not doing well and we all have a big role to play. Without us producing more for ourselves, we wouldn’t be able to maintain our current level of imports. “It means that we will not be able to get sufficient foreign exchange to bring in what we consume. The exchange rate will begin to rise, the price of commodities will continue to go up and our people will dive more into poverty,” he said. The Ooni of Ife complimented the governor on his victory in the September 19, 2020, gubernatorial election and his developmental strides across sectors of the state.

     Commending Atiku for his contributions to the advancement of the country’s democracy, Obaseki said, “I cannot thank you enough for the leadership that you continue to provide; the counsel you gave me during my electioneering, the private conversations, and the assistance you rendered to me when we joined the party; we had challenges, but you stepped up and threw your weight behind the resolution of the issues.” Atiku said his meeting with the governor centered on governance, current issues in the country, and how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could be strengthened to take over power in 2023.