By Francis Sadhere
The people of Kokodiagbene community in Warri South West Local Government area of Delta State were filled with joy as their leader Comrade Sheriff Mulade completed their only market which was abandoned by Shell for almost twenty years.
The multi-million naira market project, which contains 40 lock-up stores, was first started by Shell Petroleum Development Company in 1996 but was abandoned half way and since then the people of Kokodiagbene community, host to NECONDE and other oil companies had no market to trade in.
But respite came their way when their Chairman, Comrade Sheriff Mulade single handedly with the cooperation of the community completed the market project which was officially commissioned on Wednesday.
Commissioning the project, Comrade Mulade said he embarked on the market project out the community’s love for peace and progress which will impact lives and change the socio-economic environment of the community.
He said the market will encourage women and some of the youths in the community to engage in trading as way of reducing restiveness.
He said, “We believe that no meaningful development can take place in the absence of peace. Therefore we want everybody to embrace peace in order to attract the needed development and progress to our community, because development makes a developed state, and developed state makes a developed and strong nation.”
Comrade Mulade, therefore called on Deltans to support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to move the state and the country forward.
“Besides, we use this medium to appeal to DESOPADEC and Delta State Government to help the community to build more lock-up stalls in the market because the number of persons who demanded for the shops is more that the 40 there were built by the community,” Mulade added.
Mulade also assured all corporate and private organizations working in Kokodiagbene community of their continued support through engendering peace and security in their environment as well as ensuring sustainable cordial relationship.
“We are all conscious of our collective dream of a better tomorrow and sustainable development in our society, and as such we owe it a duty to sustain our efforts towards ending violence and building sustainable peace and development in the Niger Delta for the betterment of all,” Mulade added further.
Speaking to journalists, Mulade who revealed that the cost of the project was over 20 million, condemned the growing attacks on oil facilities by militants, but called on the state and federal government to do the needful by way of developing the region.
“Our call to government is that they should do the needful for peace to reign. Our gross is that government cannot continue to say that they need peace while they are not doing their part to encourage the communities to be peaceful. These communities provide the mainstay of the Nigerian economy and you cannot tell us to provide the conducive environment for you to come and exploit our resources while you refuse to develop our communities.
“We need development and this is why we are calling on government and other agencies to come to our aid because we contribute a lot to this country. 250 barrels per day is not a joke. Nobody can allow government to continue to exploit oil from its territory yet they continue to pay deaf ear to our plight. We are not supporting any violence, any vandaliasation, we do not appreciate it, we condemn it, but what we are saying is the government must do the needful to allow peace to reign.
On his part, the Delta state Deputy Governor, Barrister Kingsley Otuaro called on youths in the state to embrace peace and shun all forms of violence in their agitation for resource control, adding that peace is necessary for development.
Otuaro, who was represented by the Commissioner representing the Ijaw ethnic nationality in the board of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Chief Favour Izuokomor said youths in the region need to change their tactics of agitation, noting the current tactics violence has not helped the region.
He said, “The state government appeals and solicits for new approach to issues through non-violent agitations and through non-aggressive approach. We want to appeal to our youths to embrace peace so that development can come to our communities. We should shun all forms of illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism.”
