The Orodje of Okpe Kingdom in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, His Royal Majesty, Major General Felix Mujakperuo (rtd.), Orhue I, CFR, mni, has endorsed the annual Delta Ethnic Peace and Unity Cup (DEPUC) football tournament organised by the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) with an assurance of extending an invitation to the governor of the State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to be in attendance at the grand finale "due to the importance of the competition to peacebuilding."

The Orodje made the endorsement and gave the assurance when members of the Local Organizing Committee, led by the National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Chief Sheriff Mulade, and the LOC chairman, Hon. Kenneth Nwaomucha, paid an official visit to his palace at the headquarters of Okpe LGA on Monday.

During the visit, Chief Mulade revealed that the monarch is the chief host as the finals will take place in Okpe Kingdom, and that there was a need to seek his support and blessings in an official setting.

He formally sought the monarch's support and presence at the finals of the competition that is scheduled for December 8, 2024, just as he noted that the games are billed to commence on the 16th of November 2024, at Ode Itsekiri in Warri South LGA.

"The monarch, our father, is a very important critical stakeholder who is an host to this project. This year marks the fifth edition of the tournament, which has now been expanded to include the Isoko, Ika, Itsekiri, Ndokwa, Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic groups.

"Delta Ethnic Peace and Unity Cup Competition, formerly known as Ijaw/Itsekiri Peace and Unity Football Tournament, is billed to commence at Ode-Itsekiri on November 16, 2024. It will last till December 8, 2024 to mark the International Day of Tolerance.

"The closing ceremony will take place here in Orerokpe. Each of the matches has its centres. Ijaw ethnic will play theirs in Ogbe-Ijoh, Ndokwa will be playing at Kwale, and Ika will play in Agbor etc. until it gets to the finals when the entire ethnic groups will gather here in Orerokpe for the grand finale," Chief Mulade explained. 

Speaking further, Chief Mulade stated that a princely N5 million with consolidated prizes is at stake in the football competition, with the winner going home with N2 million and runners up with N1.5 million, third place with N1 million and fourth place N500,000. 

Also speaking, the Chairman of the LOC, Hon. Nwaomucha, appealed to the monarch to support the competition by giving his royal blessings and help to encourage others to participate in the finals.

In his response, the monarch lauded the organizers for their noble objective of building peace and unity through the tournament, and stated that, "I am happy Mulade is organizing this competition. Over the years, people have made us fight ourselves; when we are fighting, they are busy taking our resources.

"Football is a unifying force, and it is a welcome development. I will support this initiative. I will appeal to the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to ensure that he is physically present during the finals of the tournament.

"When I was schooling in Urhobo College in those days, there was nothing like tribe or tribal conflict; everybody was living together. Football is an easy way of bringing people together. It has a uniting force," the Orodje added.

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