Popular Niger Delta environmental and development advocate, Mulade Sheriff, has called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to “adopt a pragmatic approach towards industrialising Delta State through agriculture and aquaculture.”
While stating that leaders all over the world now adopt strategies to harness the resources of their countries for more infrastructural development, job creation and economic growth, translating to wealth creation, Mulade maintained that “Delta State cannot be an exception, especially as the state is richly endowed with human capital and natural resources which are the keys to unlocking the greatness of the state”.
This was contained in a statement signed by the renowned activist, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri on Monday.
Mulade, who is also the Ibe-Serimowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area, while urging Oborevwori to industrialise Delta State using its agricultural and aqua-cultural endowments, said, “Adopting an agro-based industrialisation strategy would go a long way to creating wealth for the state’s teeming unemployed youths and women”.
By engaging them, it will reduce the rate of unemployment and food scarcity, while boosting food sufficiency and its affordability, a key to reducing the poverty index of the state,” he asserted.
Mulade said, “Delta State is greatly endowed with arable land and marine resources that can turn the State into a food basket for local consumption and create revenues via exports while also achieving the aim of diversifying from an oil-dependent economy in the long run.”
According to the development advocate, “industrialisation of Delta State through agriculture and aqua-culture would create opportunities for youths and women, and curtail the wastage of idle human resources and turn them into assets that can contribute their quota to the growth and development of the State”.
Mulade stated further, “Agro-based industrialisation will help to reduce the insecurity challenges, criminal tendencies and immorality prevalent in the society.
As the saying goes, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. When the youths and women are meaningfully engaged, this will improve peace and reduce anti-social behaviours like armed robbery, and prostitution, amongst others, and in the long run, attract more investors into the State.
Apart from crude oil, the many resources in the riverine areas of the state are greatly untapped, especially in the aquacultural sector.
The potential of unemployed youths in the creeks can be tapped, thereby turning the coastal areas into exporting zones of seafood and revenue generation.
Failure of the State government to meaningfully engage the next generation would amount to societal devastation that would be difficult to recover from as the negative impact would be disastrous”.
Mulade, therefore, appealed to the Oborevwori administration to prioritise the industrialisation of the state through agriculture and aquaculture, as Delta has a lot to benefit in the long run.
These poor areas should be strategically looked into, devoid of politics, for the interest of the future of our dear Delta State.”
