A foremost peace ambassador and the National Coordinator of the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), Chief Sheriff Mulade, has said that "there are no role models in our educational system anymore" while citing reasons that "schools have been corrupted" and that "being exemplary hardly attracts any reward".

Chief Mulade, who is the Ibe-Serimowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, made the pronouncement during the Comrade Sheriff Mulade Quiz and Essay competition that held at the Federal Government College in Warri on Thursday, February 29, 2024.

The quiz and essay competition is an annual educational event that is organised by the CEPEJ Boss to help bridge the gap between the riverine/rural schools and their urban counterparts in the State. Moreover, the 2024 edition however extended beyond the two Warri South and Warri South-West LGAs to include six additional LGAs across Delta South Senatorial District of the State, bring together participants from eight LGAs to compete for cash and other prizes.

According to the peace ambassador during his speech at the event said the primary aim of the exercise is to promote peaceful coexistence among the various ethnic nationalities as well as create scholarship opportunities for poor students

In his words, "We want to use this opportunity to promote and sustain the existing peace among the ethnic nationalities in the communities within the Senatorial District, particularly Ijaw, Isoko, and Itsekiri people.

"The primary aim of the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice is to promote educational awareness in the riverine/rural communities and to assist the less privileged but highly intelligent students to pursue their education and career in life through scholarship support," Chief Mulade said.

Speaking further the CEPEJ Boss charges both the government and companies to invest more in education so as to eradicate illiteracy and civil unrest from ignorant youths, stressing further that education remains the backbone of a developed society.

"The Center uses this medium to appeal to and charge the Delta State Government to pay more attention to the State's educational sector, while multinational oil companies operating within the area should channel more of their Corporate Social Responsibility functions to educational development that will help to eradicate illiteracy and reduce civil unrest in their operational areas in line with Goal 4 of the SDGs.

"The importance of education in the advancement of a nation cannot be over-emphasized. Education is the backbone and the life wire of any economy. Education is the bedrock of civilization. If you show me any nation that is backward in development, I will show you a nation that has less interest in the educational advancement of the people.

“If Nigeria, the most populous black race in the world, hopes to meet up with high technological advancement as seen in other civilized countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, then the country must take education seriously.”

The peace ambassador also noted that the passion behind the initiative is that "The idea that our children must be good educationally has been my goal" just as he appeal to the government that "we constantly work to improve the standard of education in the country as it will help to advance our children and make them different from what I witnessed in my disadvantageous past.

"It is hoped that, as we continue with this effort of sensitizing, promoting and creating awareness of the importance of education, through very competitive activities, other well-meaning Nigerians will join in this great desire to add value to the advancement of the youths through various knowledge-based competitive activities that will stimulate learning," he posited.

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