Peace and environmental rights advocate Mulade Sheriff has called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to channel resources into critical infrastructure projects in riverine communities rather than spending heavily on the state’s 34th anniversary celebrations.

In a statement made available to journalists in Warri on Sunday, Mulade congratulated Governor Oborevwori and Deltans on the milestone, but lamented the “deliberate neglect and marginalisation” of riverine areas, despite their significant contributions through oil, gas, and the blue economy.

He said, “It is quite unfortunate that the riverine communities, mainly dominated by the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities, have been deprived despite their enormous resource contributions.

I urge Governor Oborevwori to emulate former Governor James Ibori, who constructed the Bomadi and Omadino bridges during the peak of the Niger Delta crisis.”

Mulade tasked the state government to initiate key projects such as the Ayakoromo Bridge and the Omadino-Okerenkoko-Kokodiagbene Road to link several communities in Burutu and Warri South-West Local Government Areas.

He further advised the Governor to upgrade the moribund Delta State School of Marine Technology, Burutu, converted to a polytechnic in 2023, into a university campus with a focus on maritime studies to boost the blue economy and create employment opportunities for youths.

“Celebrating the state’s anniversary with lavish spending is a waste of taxpayers’ money. Delta at 34 should mark the beginning of transformative projects, not political funfairs,” Mulade added.

The activist, however, commended the relative peace and progress achieved since the state’s creation in 1991 and urged Governor Oborevwori to write his name in gold by prioritising meaningful, industrial-driven development in the riverine region.

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