It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, the man of passion. This is because of his enthusiasm in issues of grassroots development, youth empowerment and his clamour for sustainable green environment, free from degradation.
Comrade Sheriff Mulade was the former Chairman of Kokodiagbene Federated Communities (KFC) in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State. He held the position from 2014 to 2017. He founded Gbaramatu Youth Council (GYC) in 2004, and facilitated the completion of Kokodiagbene Secondary School with boarding facilities, first of its kind, in the coastal region of Delta State.
Comrade Sheriff Mulade is the General Secretary of Egbema-Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation (EGCDF) and the National Coordinator of the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) both of which are located in Warri and Osubi areas of Delta state.
While the EGCDF is a development-based community interface agency set up and sponsored by Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) to facilitate infrastructural development and the empowerment of Ijaw communities in Egbema and Gbaramatu kingdoms of Warri South West and Warri North Local Government Areas of Delta State respectively, CEPEJ is a non-governmental organization that clamours for the sustenance of peace, as well as propagates the message of environmental protection, rights and justice, not only in the Niger Delta region where environmental pollution is rampant, but also in the world over.
You may begin to wonder why all this information about him. Comrade Sheriff Mulade is currently vying for a seat at the Delta State House of Assembly from Warri South West Local Government Area in 2019, under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State, a position that is currently been contested for by many aspirants within the constituency. Tensions are high because of his strategic engagement of critical stakeholders which has never happened in the political history of Warri South West Council Area. His involvement in the House of Assembly race has re-gigged the political process as every contestant is now consulting and mapping out strategies to win the ticket from the party’s primaries in August 2018, and also to win at the general elections in 2019.
Why is Comrade Sheriff Mulade so special to warrant being distinguished by this write up? It is simply because among all the contestants, he is a personality with ‘passion’ that can be trusted to deliver on his mandate and promises especially when such passion is rooted on his grassroots experiences. Comrade Sheriff Mulade is an established household name; a name that is associated with passion for community development in and for development outside his territory. Indeed, when he focuses on a project, he puts in his best to actualize it. He is a man of passion who always renders services to his people; a man of the people and a great orator who loves giving a voice to the voiceless; a selfless man who only thinks about the happiness of others especially the down trodden, those living with disability, the women, the youths and the aged. This he does beyond public expectations.
His leadership journey began as a Union Executive under NUPENG onboard Mallard Bay/Parker Drilling rig operations. Comrade Sheriff Mulade later became the Youth President of Kokodiagbene Youth Development Movement (KYDM), a platform on which he attended a meeting organized by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Port Harcourt. It was at that meeting that the concept of Gbaramatu Youth Council (GYC) was initiated in late 2004, which he later used to promote the interests of Gbaramatu youths when he was privileged to attend a meeting in Aso Rock convened by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. (You can read more in another article titled: (Comrade Sheriff Mulade and the GYC).
It is therefore, not surprising that the man of passion has truly come a long way and commands respect even among his opponents who acknowledge his pedigree. No one can truly deny his achievements as his works are indisputably glaring for everyone to see and testify to. For those who are not privileged to know about his accomplishments, here are some of his leadership exploits at the grassroots level:
In February 2008, Comrade Sheriff Mulade was appointed as General Secretary of Kokodiagbene Federated Communities (KFC), and as a member of EGCDF he initiated and pursuit the Kokodiagbene Secondary School project through the Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation, EGCDF, and lobbied for the project to be awarded in late 2008, in November 2010, the project was completed and commissioned before he handed over leadership in February 2011. Unfortunately, the school could not take off after its commissioning as soon as he vacated office.
In May 2014, the man of passion vied for the chairmanship position of Kokodiagbene Federated Community and his campaign manifestoes included the following: (1) to see to the take-off of the Kokodiagbene Secondary School; (2) to make sure that the Kokodiagbene Sand Filling project embarked upon by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) since 2002, commenced; and (3) to ensure that Kokokdiagbene Federated Communities were economically viable by creating an enabling environment.
In November 27, 2014, Comrade Sheriff Mulade was elected chairman and he immediately set out to work by ensuring the take-off of the Kokodiagbene Secondary School with boarding facilities in place. In the following academic session in September 2015, the man of passion applied for the State Government’s approval for the school, and it was finally granted in 2016. In addition, when the Okowa administration learnt of such a laudable project, he awarded a contract for the construction of Male and Female hostel blocks to support the educational initiative of Comrade Sheriff Mulade.
While that was ongoing, the man of passion, in his bid to make his community economically viable, took another bold step to reconstruct the market stalls built by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) that were abandoned for about 20 years, and gave the market a facelift; the market became a prototype for other communities. In addition, in order to ease the transportation of persons and food stuff, Comrade Sheriff Mulade donated a ferry (local boat) for the benefit of riverine community traders which is the first gesture of its kind in that area. In 2016, he also saw to the sand filling project which was vigorously pursued and achieved same year.
All these he did in less than 2 years, fulfilling all of his campaign promises in an environment where abandonment of projects is the order of the day. Indeed, the man of passion has proven to everyone that anything positive can be accomplished if one sets one’s goal and objectives right and if one is focused. In addition, his performances have become reference points that now serve as a boost for governance and leadership in other communities. Indeed, his track records in community service are worthy of emulation.
How was he able to achieve these feats in an environment erroneously regarded as a cursed? These are his own words:
“I am doing this with passion. I’m driven by passion. It’s not just that I love to waste my money but I felt we must liberate our people from the lack of education. We did this because our dream was to make Kokodiagbene community politically known and educationally inclined. You must be in leadership position to enable you drive all of this. I have the flair to do these things but the position is not there for me to use. With the chairmanship position, I was able to sacrifice all my personal gains, all that I needed to enjoy my life, every single thing and did this for my people.”
It will interest you to note that because of the level of his commitment to community development, some of his supporters pressed for a second tenure for him against the single term tradition in Kokodiagbene. While a few detractors misinterpreted this as his unwillingness to vacate the chairmanship seat, it was however the joy of the majority who believed that he was the only credible and qualified person with the passion to deliver sustainable community development. This opinion differential was expected going by the slow speed of development experienced in the past due to poor leadership. It is generally known in most communities that people clamour for positions, not because the want to serve, but because of what they stand to benefit at the expense of the people. For the man of passion, the story was different as evidenced by his excellent performances.
This exposition of Comrade Sheriff Mulade will be incomplete without identifying his passion for youth empowerment and his clamour for environmental justice.
As a victim of lack of education while growing up, Comrade Sheriff Mulade discovered that education was very far from the riverine people and vowed to liberate his people through education no matter how little his contributions might be, to help the future generations better their lives. In line with his drive for education, he initiated and created the Coastal Primary School in the Jones Creek Flow Station area in 2017 to cater for the communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom.
The man of passion, Comrade Sheriff Mulade believed that the best way to empower the youths is to give them qualitative education and engage them in sporting activities to enable them discover their God-given talents so as to become independent now and in the future. He wanted them to see beyond crude oil and to see themselves as that crude resource that needs to be refined with the tool of education in order to become great. This is why he has consistently organized the Comrade Sheriff Mulade Peace and Unity Quiz & Essay Competitions and the Peace and Unity Football Competitions, every year.
The last edition of the Peace and Unity Quiz & Essay Competitions held in May 22, 2018 at Ogidigben, an Itsekiri Community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, showed that he is a detribalized man of passion determined to erase ethnic and tribal barriers that could plunder qualitative education in the coastal communities. The competitions have indeed boosted the faith of pupils and students in coastal communities to begin to believe in themselves and in their communities. It has reinvigorated in them the seriousness to study hard believing that the star shines brighter at night, instilling in them the confidence that in the midst of challenges they are never neglected and that they can succeed.
The Peace and Unity Cup competition, apart from helping to discover talents, has also helped to douse tension among the Ijaws and Itsekiris in the riverine communities of Warri South West. In the last edition which was held in November 2017, football teams from various Ijaw, Itsekiri and Illaje riverine communities in Warri South West Local Government Area, competed for various prizes. His Excellency, Dcn Barr Kingsley Otuaro, Deputy Governor of Delta State handovered the triumph to the Winners while the like of Ex-International and former Super Eagles stars, Augustine Eguavon, Edema Fuludu; former Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and Enyimba Football Club tactician, Godfrey Esu, amongst others were present to witness the competition.
The man of passion in his resolve to empower the youths educationally has also given out scholarships through the EGCDF and personally through his Peace and Unity initiatives as well as other means for the benefit of pupils and students in riverine communities.
Outside his community engagement, through his non-governmental body, CEPEJ, which came into existence in 2001 as ‘Niger Delta Re-Orientation Project’, and then metamorphosed into CEPEJ in 2010, he has continued to create awareness on issues of environment thereby reducing the level of ignorance in the society. This he has done through organizing seminars, conferences, summits and workshops on regular basis in different states in Nigeria and beyond with the aim of educating stakeholders on ways of sustaining peace, security and environmental best practices.
Of late, precisely on 22nd March 2018, CEPEJ performed the groundbreaking ceremony of its African Heritage International Academy situated in its Africa for Peace Centre in Osubi, near Warri. The concept of the Academy is to provide young ones with the opportunity to appreciate and internalize the deep values of a clean environment and justice. Owing to the vision of the man of passion, prominent guests amongst whom were HRM, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, the Amayanabo of Twon-Brass Kingdom who doubles as Chairman of Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council; HRH, Alhaji Gen. Dr. Yahaya Abubakar (rtd), CFR, Etsu Nupe, the Emir of Bida who doubles as the Chairman of Niger State Emirs Council; and HRM, Major Gen. Felix Mujakperuo (rtd), the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, were on ground to witness the ceremony.
The exploits of the man of passion, Comrade Sheriff Mulade cannot be fully exhausted in this write up. His great achievements, like wine, are intoxicating.
Going back memory lane, during his handing over ceremony on the 27th November, 2017 then as the Chairman of KFC, when approached for his comments on his aspiration, this is what the man of passion had to say:
“It is only God that gives position. As humans, we may intend. For me as an individual, I will be aspiring for the House of Assembly in Delta State to represent Warri South West in 2019. That is my aspiration and dream, so that I can be in the House to constructively contribute to the legislations that will help to better the lives of Deltans particularly, my people of Warri South West. I feel that Warri South West needs quality representation so that the needs of our people and our issues can be presented to the public. Our challenges are not on the front desk of the government… and for me, I don’t want my name to be dented, so I want to deliver on my mandate. I am trying to build a profile, a legacy that people can emulate… If I’m at the state level, I will also impact my people and the entire Warri South West positively.”
Such a man of passion is worthy to be entrusted with the mandate of representing his people; a job the man of passion has been engaging in and has been delivering for years. The mandate to deliver if he is elected into the Delta State House of Assembly will not be different from his past records of passionate and successful achievements. He is the man that the people of Warri South West can truly count on for quality representation.
