By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
As Delta State marks its 34th anniversary, peace and environmental rights advocate, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, has called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to give priority to infrastructural development in riverine communities, which he described as “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 the people of the state, Mulade commended the relative peace, unity, and progress achieved since Delta’s creation in 1991. He lauded Oborevwori’s administration for ongoing strides in governance but stressed that meaningful attention must now be given to the Ijaw and Itsekiri communities in the riverine areas.
“It is quite unfortunate that the riverine communities mainly dominated by the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities are totally deprived and neglected in spite of their huge resource contribution through oil and gas as well as the blue economy which is the mainstay of the State’s economy,” Mulade lamented.
The Ibe-Serimowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom urged Oborevwori to emulate former Governor James Ibori, whom he praised for giving the Ijaw and Itsekiri people a sense of belonging through landmark projects such as the Bomadi and Omadino bridges. He called on the present administration to commence work on the Ayakoromo Bridge and the Omadino–Okerenkoko–Kokodiagbene Road to connect riverine communities in Burutu and Warri South-West Local Government Areas.
Mulade further urged the governor to consider converting the Delta State School of Marine Technology, Burutu—politically upgraded to a polytechnic in 2023 but now described as moribund—into a specialised maritime university or a campus of existing state universities to harness opportunities in the blue economy.
He also advised against spending public funds on extravagant anniversary celebrations, describing such spending as “wasteful political funfair.” Instead, he appealed for resources to be channeled into critical projects.
“Governor Sheriff Oborevwori 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 said.
While congratulating Deltans for their resilience and commitment to building the state, he reiterated that the riverine areas must experience significant development to reflect their revenue contributions.