By Francis Sadhere, Warri
Delta State House of Assembly hopeful, Comrade Sheriff Mulade has said that his primary aim of running for the Delta State House of Assembly race to represent Warri South West constituency in the House was to bring peace to the crisis prone area.
He said if given the opportunity he is going to unite all the ethnic groups in Warri South West constituency and ensure that lasting peace reigns in the area.
Comrade Mulade who made this promise during a visit to the monarch of Ogbe-Ijoh kingdom, His Majesty, Pere Couple Oromoni, the Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom in Warri South West coumcil area on Friday, said the unity of all the ethnic groups in the area is going to be paramount, adding that it was high time the ethnic groups in the area lived together as one.
He lamented that the constant crisis in the area has brought untold hardship and lack of development to Warri South West constituency, stressing that the only thing that can bring massive development to the area is peace.
While calling on the people of Ogbe-Ijoh kingdom for their support and prayers to achieve his political dreams, Comrade Mulade also said that if given the opportunity to represent his people he will ensure that environmental justice is brought to the people of the region, adding that as an oil producing constituency, the people have suffered environmental injustice for too long.
He said, “If am given the mandate, I will bring peace and ensure peaceful coexistence amongst the various ethnic groups in Warri South-West. Provision of qualitative education and conducive learning environment is not going to be left out. Youth restiveness must be curbed trough skill acquisition training programmes and talent hunt through sport in our communities.
“Your Majesty, as Environmental Human Rights activist, I must fight against environmental injustice through sponsoring environment friendly bills at the state house in order to tackle the multinational companies to bring justice to our bastardized environment by their oil activities.”
Comrade Mulade, who is also the National Coordinator, Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) lamented the situation whereby most Ijaw sons and daughters were unable to build houses in their communities because of the constant crisis in the area.
He said, “Like you know, most of us have houses in the cities. We don’t have houses in our communities because there have been one crisis or the other. We must stand up as one people and develop our communities so that we can have a place of our own to run to. To achieve this, we need political freedom to liberate ourselves from political slavery.”
Comrade Mulade commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for his developmental stride, saying Okowa has tried his best to make sure that government presence is felt in all the Ijaw communities in Warri South West constituency.
Responding, the monarch of Ogbe-Ijoh kingdom said that as father to all, he was duty bound to pray and support any of his subject that that comes to him for support and prayers, adding that it is God that gives power to people.
The Ogbe-Ijoh monarch said that politics is for those who have the interest of their people at heart, noting that Comrade Mulade, from what he had observed about him, had been fighting for the emancipation of his people through his activism.
The monarch said, “Politics is not for people who are looking for money. It meant for people who have the interest if their people at heart. We have good example of a good politicians in the person of Nelson Mandela. I am a man who believes in justice and equity so I will like a situation whereby political positions in Warri South West should be based on rotation among all the ethnic groups in Warri South West council area so that peace can reign permanently in the area.
“Power and leadership belong to God. It is God that give power. If God said today is your turn, nobody can stop it. I want you to put your trust and hope in God and not human being. I want to use this opportunity call on all Ijaw people in Delta State to be more united and support their own in the forthcoming 2019 general elections across the state. I pray God to see you through in your political ambition. Success is my wish for you.”
The occasion, which was well attended by prominent Ogbe-Ijoh chiefs and other prominent sons and daughters of the kingdom also witnessed the official opening ceremony of Comrade Sheriff Mulade’s Campaign Office in Ogbe-Ijoh.
