A foremost Delta State-born human and environmental justice advocate, Comrade Mulade Sheriff has called for the restoration of the state which he says is sinking economically, politically and in human capital development.
The peace and development advocate, who stated this in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) while speaking with a cross session of Deltan youths to mark the International Youths Day, said the oil-rich state is sinking.
He described Delta as the most economic suffering state in Nigeria as a result of poor leadership and bad governance over the years.
While expressing sadness over the sorry situation of Delta State, Comrade Mulade noted that youths in the state have been reduced to political sycophants and thugs, claiming that; “Deve” and “Agbero” are the major jobs available to youths due to lack of employment and economic empowerment by the state government.
On political appointments by the Okowa administration, he said the highest appointment the governor can provide for the teeming youths in the state is senior special advisers (SSA) and special advisers (SA), which place them as government political thugs, rather than meaningful professions for serving the state, lamenting that “this is really disheartening”.
Comrade Mulade pointed to the fact that the state economy has continually dropped as a result of uncalculated borrowings and loans collected by the present administration with little or no development impact to the people and called for a rescue.
“This requires the collective efforts of all Deltans to rescue the state through collaboration, support and experience-sharing to assist in restoring the state to its past glory and to be envied by other states in the country,” he urged.
The Gbaramatu Kingdom-born traditional chief cum activist also claimed that since the creation of Delta State, the state have been blessed and privileged to have had two renowned academic medical professionals as governors as well as two legal icons as deputy governors, which ought to have brought real development and professionalism into governance and as well placed the state above others in terms of academic development and as profession service providing state, but reverse is the case.
Buttressing his claims as regards the under performance of past and present administrations, Comrade Mulade said, with Dr. Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan and Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa as governors of Delta State, the state was supposed to have and be the best health services providers in Nigeria, but that is not the case, “in fact it is a big shame to the state”.
On the part of deputy governors, Comrade Sheriff said, “Prof Amos Otuama and Barrister Kingsley Otuara both as deputy governors of the state were expected to show to the world, particularly Nigerian youths, the importance of the legal profession and education in governance and how to be a law abiding state but Delta State became the most lawless state in the nation without any recourse to human rights”.
The environmentalist, while speaking on fixing and restoring the state to its lost glory, said that with the 2023 general elections fast approaching, Deltans, particularly the youths, should choose wisely by voting the right candidates with technical knowledge of community development, environmental based orientation, street leadership qualities as well as plans for youth and women development.
He said someone that has deep and sincere concern for those living with disabilities, real sense of economic, educational and infrastruc-tural development that will bring development to all parts of the state should be the choice candidate.
Mulade stressed that when all Deltans come together to vote in the right people into the various offices, Delta state would be rescued and restored from the present state of underdevelopment and be great once again.
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Delta News