The Edo State Government, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has intensified the fight against illegal migration and human trafficking in the State.

This is as they equip vulnerable persons in the area of Mental Health and Psychosocial imbalance in various communities across Edo.

The commitments were made during stakeholders’ engagement on dialogue validation involving IOM, the State Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism and Igueben Community.

Participants at the forum recommended the need to organize events such as cultural festivals that would engage vulnerable groups of communities in the State.

The stakeholders’ dialogue, which was held at the palace of the Onojie of Igueben, HRH Ehisogie Eluojierior I, was to identify goals and set priorities to address mental health issues and provide support service needs based on the result of an assessment conducted by IOM in Edo.

The outreach is to, among other goals, activate a commitment to get the people closer to their culture and seek cultural ways to solve mental health and psychosocial issues.

The stakeholders’ forum attended by the Secretary to the Onojie of Igueben, officials of both IOM and the State Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism, among others, was an opportunity for the locals to call on the Ministry to support them in organizing the Igueben Day and assist in reviving their age-long cultural practices to avoid extinction.

The Ministry on its part assured the people of technical support, with a pledge to attend the proposed Igueben Cultural Day scheduled for December 29, 2023. The cultural festival features among others moonlight stories and games, cultural songs and dances, traditional food display, quiz competition, indigenous poem recitation, beauty pageant (Mr. and Miss Igueben) and sports competition (football).