Delta State-born activist, environmental and peace advocate, Chief Sheriff Mulade, in a New Year message, has commended the Executive Governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on his leadership style, as well as appealed to the governor, through a seven point agenda, to give priority focus to all-inclusive governance, allocate fair share of development to the revenue-generating riverine regions of the state, initiate economically viable infrastructural projects, preservation of the environment, as well as give priority to education, agriculture and security.

Chief Mulade, who is the Ibe-Serimowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom and the National Coordinator of the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, made his New Year message to Governor Oborevwori known in an open letter the activist made available to media houses on Thursday.

According to Chief Mulade in his assessment of the nation, said: "A lot happened in 2023, a year that witnessed vigorous political campaigns and general elections; the birth of new governments at the Federal and State levels; withdrawal of petrol subsidy leading to hyper inflation because of hike in transport fares, amongst others," but added that "sadly, the recent and unfortunate massacre of hundreds of innocent Nigerians in parts of the country by terrorists, [has] further exacerbated the Nation's security challenges."

Chief Mulade, further added that, "Those who made it to the new year have cause to celebrate as life is for the living. However, it is not yet Uhuru, as the economy is yet to recover from the subsidy shocks that have caused severe hardships for many families, worsening the prevailing rate of unemployment in the country, and forcing Nigerians to flee overseas, in addition to the abysmally poor performance of the Naira at the foreign exchange market."

Meanwhile, the environmental and peace advocate, in his assessment of Delta State, first congratulated Governor Oborevwori on his election victory and emergence as the new Governor of Delta State and for his leadership style of the governor who "has been working assiduously to unite Deltans, as well as ushering in a new phase of development to Delta State."

The CEPEJ Boss went on and listed his crafted seven point agenda to the Governor as follows:

"1) Governor Sheriff Oborevwori should run an all-inclusive government, carrying all Deltans along, irrespective of political, religious or ethnic affiliations, as Delta State is for us all. To further unite the State, all hands must be on deck, while equal opportunities should be given to all Deltans to contribute their quota towards moving the State forward and be wary of political sycophancy.

"2) The Delta State 2024 Budget should provide for the neglected riverine areas of the State, particularly the Ijaw and Itsekiri areas, where about 80% of the State's resources to fund the 2024 budget will come from. This is due to the fact that for decades now, the people of the coastal areas of Delta State have been grossly neglected in terms of tangible infrastructural projects that are economically viable for sustainable development of the riverine areas. If these neglected areas were not adequately captured in the already passed 2024 Budget, a supplementary budget that will accommodate and give sense of belonging to the riverine areas is recommended.

"3) Delta State must be on the map of progressive States. It is very heartwarming that for the first time, Delta State Government has kicked against shoddy projects, and that it will no longer be business as usual for quack contractors, as demonstrated by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, who engaged the bridge and road construction giant, Julius Berger Plc, a proof that the current administration is serious about leaving a lasting legacy as far as infrastructural development is concerned. This is commendable, but the Governor should sustain the tempo and diversify the transport sector; attract foreign investors to the State; and set up a strong security architecture.

"4) Governor Oborevwori should embrace environmental sustainability and best practices for the preservation of our ecological heritage. The Delta State Government should liaise with the Federal Government and its agencies to put an end to gas flaring, create opportunities that will discourage pollution, and encourage good sanitation habits.

"5) The Delta State Government should focus more on education which is the bedrock of development in every progressive society. Quality education should be provided in all parts of the State, particularly in the riverine areas,  where there are paucity of teachers, and learning facilities are dilapidated. Quality education should be seen by government as an investment in citizens with the aim of reaping citizens' positive contributions to development in the future, after being trained and certified. Efforts should be made to reduce the number of out-of-school children to the barest minimum, while learning institutions must be strengthened to enable them make positive impacts.

"6. The Governor should focus on agricultural development in the State. In fact, the government should engage and empower the jobless youths and women so that they can contribute to food production. Government should establish agricultural schemes with palliatives to lure and encourage Deltans to go into crop farming and fishing. Delta State should not only be exporting crude oil but also be food sufficient with the surplus exported to neighbouring States and other countries. Agriculture is very important as fossil fuel can no longer be relied upon as revenue base for future development. The future belongs to agriculture which has comparative advantages over crude oil.

"7. Security should be prioritized by the Oborevwori administration to guarantee peace, attract investors into the State, and create job and employment opportunities for Deltans and other Nigerians in the State. Security is everybody's business, but the State Government must put in place the needed security facilities, and collaborate with the Federal Government's security agencies to curb criminal activities in the State to further boost confidence, and attract local, national and foreign investors."

Comrade Mulade, however, urged all residents of Delta State to "give maximum cooperation and support to the current Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to enable him implement and achieve his MORE Agenda for the benefit of all Deltans."

While wishing Deltans a very prosperous and peaceful 2024, Chief Mulade said, "I believe that this 7-Point agenda will help to boost the economy of Delta State, and will, no doubt, place the State on the world map as an investment destination."

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