As Delta State marks its 34th anniversary on August 27, 2025, renowned peace and environmental rights advocate, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, PhD, has urged Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to give urgent attention to the infrastructural deficit in riverine communities, which he said have been “totally deprived and neglected” despite their huge contributions to the State’s economy through oil, gas, and the blue economy.
In a congratulatory message to the governor and people of the state, Mulade commended Oborevwori for the strides made in governance so far, while applauding Deltans for sustaining peace, unity, and progress since the state’s creation in 1991.
“Permit me to specially felicitate with Your Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on this momentous occasion of Delta State at 34. We celebrate not just our anniversary and togetherness as a people, but also the relative peace, unity and progress we have witnessed. We honour our founding fathers and the grace of God that has kept us united despite our cultural, linguistic, and environmental diversity,” Mulade stated.
The Ibe-Serimowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, however, lamented the continued neglect of the riverine population and appealed to Governor Oborevwori to emulate former Governor James Ibori, whom he praised for constructing the Bomadi and Omadino bridges at the peak of the Niger Delta crisis.
He urged the present administration to commence construction of the Ayakoromo Bridge and the Omadino–Okerenkoko–Kokodiagbene road project, linking several coastal communities in Burutu and Warri South-West LGAs.
According to him, such landmark projects would write Oborevwori’s name “in gold and in the hearts of Deltans, particularly the Ijaws and Itsekiris.”
On education, Mulade called on the governor to convert the moribund Delta State Polytechnic, Burutu—politically upgraded from the School of Marine Technology in 2023—into a university or a campus of one of the state-owned universities with a maritime focus, to fully harness the opportunities in the blue economy.
The activist also cautioned against spending state resources on “jamboree” celebrations of the anniversary.
Instead, he advised that the funds be channelled into industrialisation projects that will create jobs for youths.
“Governor Oborevwori should change the narrative of celebrating state creation with taxpayers’ money in a political funfair. Rather, he should use Delta at 34 to flag off economically viable projects such as the Ayakoromo Bridge and the Omadino–Okerenkoko–Kokodiagbene road, alongside the recently approved flyovers at Agbor and Ughelli,” Mulade stressed.
In his goodwill message to the people, he commended Deltans, past and present leaders, for their resilience and commitment to the vision of the founding fathers, noting that the state’s development and democratic strides remain a collective achievement.
