The Pioneer Director-General of the Edo State Diaspora Agency, Dr. Loretta Ogboro-Okor, has dismissed speculation that Governor Monday Okpebholo and top Edo government officials traveled to Scotland for leisure, insisting that the trip was for an official investment summit aimed at attracting global investors to the state.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday, Ogboro-Okor clarified that the visit was part of Edo State’s strategic plan to engage credible foreign partners through the Edo Global Investment Summit, which will now hold annually.
“I’m here to set the record straight. We went to Scotland for a summit. To say people assembled two days before the trip is untrue,” she stated.
According to her, the government had sent letters to the Scottish Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs months ahead of the event, affirming that all due protocols were followed.
“Investors came to the summit, and one of our mandates as a state is to attract global investors for economic growth. The first edition of the Edo Global Investment Summit was held in Scotland, and the European-African Chamber of Commerce and Industries was one of the investors present,” Ogboro-Okor said.
The clarification comes after a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor, alleged that Governor Okpebholo and his aides were on a vacation disguised as an investment mission.
Ogboro-Okor dismissed the allegation as false, noting that the summit was a formally registered event attended by reputable investors, diplomats, and business stakeholders.
She further stressed that Edo State remains committed to driving economic growth through diaspora engagement and international collaboration, emphasizing that the Scotland summit marked a milestone in the state’s quest for sustainable development.
“The Edo Global Investment Summit will continue annually to position our state as an investment hub,” she added.
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