Delta State-born environmentalist and development advocate, Comrade Mulade Sheriff, has issued a strong call to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to urgently adopt a pragmatic strategy to industrialize Delta State, leveraging its vast agricultural and aquacultural potential.
Mulade, who is also the Ibe-Serimowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area, emphasized that global leaders are increasingly using indigenous resources to fuel infrastructural growth, create jobs, and stimulate economic expansion. According to him, Delta State, with its rich endowment of human and natural resources—must not remain an exception.
He charged the Oborevwori administration to strategically industrialize the state by tapping into its abundant arable land and marine wealth, arguing that doing so would not only ensure food security but also diversify the state’s economy beyond its historical overreliance on crude oil.
“Delta State is blessed with fertile land and marine resources capable of transforming it into a major food basket for Nigeria and even for export markets,” Mulade stated.
“Harnessing these resources would generate massive employment opportunities, especially for the youth and women, while strengthening economic resilience.”
Mulade noted that an agro-based industrialization drive would have a cascading effect on the state’s socio-economic landscape: reducing poverty, curbing food scarcity, and mitigating the growing unemployment crisis.
“An engaged populace will naturally lead to reduced crime rates, lower incidences of prostitution, and a more peaceful society attractive to investors,” he added.
The development advocate particularly lamented the underutilization of resources in the riverine areas, stressing that aquaculture alone holds the potential to turn coastal communities into thriving seafood export hubs.
“The talents and energy of unemployed youths in the creeks are being wasted. With strategic investment, these coastal areas could become engines of economic growth,” he said.
Warning of the dire consequences of government inaction, Mulade cautioned that the failure to meaningfully engage the next generation would lead to long-term societal damage that would be difficult to reverse.
He passionately appealed to Governor Oborevwori to prioritize agriculture and aquaculture-driven industrialization, insisting that such a move should transcend politics and be anchored in the best interest of Delta State’s future.
“Delta has everything it needs to secure a prosperous future. What is required now is visionary leadership that will look beyond oil and invest where it truly matters—for the sake of generations yet unborn,” Mulade concluded.
