By Our Correspondent

A Niger Delta Activist, Comrade Sheriff Mulade has called on various ethnic nationalities in Delta State to shun violence, imploring them to  embrace peace and work together for the development of the State.

Comrade Mulade, who is also the National Coordinator of Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) made the call at the weekend in Odimodi community,  Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.

He specifically called on the Ijaws, Itsekiris and the Urhobos to shun ethnic bitterness and join forces to attract development to the oil rich city of Warri.

According to him, there can be no progress  in a rancorous environment enveloped with ethnic crisis and war and called on all ethnic groups in the State to live at peace with one another.

He said that the change and development being yearned  for by the people must be   created by themselves

In his words; “The unfortunate Warri crisis is still affecting the economy of the city. The crisis scared away so many companies and today our people are jobless. We need to come together and do away with bitterness. Let us work as a united people to attract investors back to Warri that is now looking like a ghost town. We should create conducive environment for investors to come back to Warri.

“Our leaders should  build bridges of  co-existence and harmony. Let us see the ethnic groups showing love to one another. All these years, we have been fighting each other, but no solution and no progress and development. We should be wise and tolerate each other. There should be no more ethnic acrimony  between the Itsekiris, Ijaws and Urhobos. Let us sink our differences and build a united Delta State”, he said added.

Comrade Mulade, himself  the  Chairman of Kokodiagbene Community, Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area of the State added that;” Our  leaders must begin to tell the true  stories and histories devoid of politics to our younger generations to avoid crisis that has been hindering our development and progress”.

According to him; “Wherever we are in Delta State, let us promote peaceful  co- existence and harmony in the State to  attract the needed development to all parts of the State. Let us put hatred behind and think about the overall development of the State. It is only peace that can attract development to our various communities in the State and so it my appeal to all Deltans to shun violence and embrace peace”.