BY CHARLES EMENI
The ideal leader, it is often said, is the one who is guided by reason and wisdom, prioritises the common good of his people, and makes decisions based on knowledge and justice.
On the strength of this, permit me to introduce you to our personality for this week. He is the National Coordinator, Centre For Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) with headquarters in Warri, Delta State, Comrade Mulade Sheriff.
Comrade Mulade Sheriff fits into this description of an ideal leader as he has proven to have a deep knowledge of the needs and magnitude of environmental degradation and exploitation of the people of the Niger Delta region, and has, for over two decades, remained totally committed to seeking justice for the people and making sure that they get their due.
In wisdom, he has, over the years, prioritised the common good of the people of the region, sometimes at great personal cost. And to this, he has remained resolute and focused.
He is not oblivious to the fact that the environmental degradation and exploitation of the region are primarily due to oil and gas extraction and exploitation activities. And from my regular discussions with him, he had expressed deep concerns over the damage oil spills, gas flaring, and land degradation have done to the health of the people, the soil, and biodiversity. Not left out also is the poverty in the region.
For this reason, he has consistently advocated the need for regular community engagements, sustainable practices and regulatory frameworks that would lead to the mitigation of the negative impacts of oil and gas extraction in the region, for which he deserves to be commended.
I’ve had a close relationship and interaction with him, and each moment, he never failed to reaffirm his passion/vision to transform the Niger Delta environment, through the CEPEJ, for the common good of the people.
As the National Coordinator, Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), Comrade Mulade Sheriff is not leaving anything to chance. For him, CEPEJ is not about politics or promise-making, but a vision, a commitment, a sacrifice, aimed at promoting peace, environmental justice, development, and human rights in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta region.
He is a renowned peace advocate and environmentalist who has received recognition for his good works. I recall that he was once honoured as a United Nations Peace Ambassador.
He is known and has received accolades for his efforts in advocating unity among the Urhobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic groups in Delta State and beyond. Talking to him on this, he advocated the need for the three groups to put aside their differences and work together for the progress and development of Delta State. “Don’t allow external forces to use our common wealth/mineral resources (oil and gas) to divide us”, he was once quoted as saying.
Comrade Mulade Sheriff has also gone out of his way to encourage traditional rulers, politicians and other stakeholders in the Niger Delta to give priority to peace, saying that is a sure way to create a conducive environment for the development of the region.
With passion, he had posited that the Urhobo, Ijaw, and Itsekiri have a lot in common in terms of historical, socio-cultural bond and that it was only in unity and cooperation that they can attract investors to the region for the much-needed development.
Sharing the same view with an American professor/public commentator, that “Unlike politicians who are concerned about the next election, and making unfulfilled promises so they cannot be trusted, leaders are different. They are concerned about the next generation; they are interesting humans. Comrade Mulade Sheriff, a leader in the Niger Delta region, is not one to make empty promises, but in programmes and projects that would address the environmental challenges of the region and its people, now and for generations to come.
Even while appreciating the historical ethnic rivalries and supremacy struggles that may have hindered the development of the region, he has persistently appealed to the conscience of the leaders and people to shift their focus towards collaborating and strategising to bring development to the region. Such collaboration, he has always said, could unlock investment opportunities and bring about the needed infrastructure.
Little wonder, therefore, he was quoted to have said: “We are victims of underdevelopment because of our individual and ethnic pride that is affecting our growth and development. We don’t need division, but progressive ties that will attract investors and development to our communities. If we allow peace and development to thrive, our communities will benefit from industries, jobs and modern infrastructure”.
Such is the wisdom of Comrade Mulade Sheriff, which has stood him out from among other leaders, particularly in the Niger Delta region, for which I honestly respect him.
In his view, the Niger Delta region has suffered environmental degradation and exploitation as a result of oil exploration and exploitation. The region has, over the years, also suffered an infrastructural deficit and neglect despite the huge revenue generation from the oil and gas deposits there.
In one of his quotes, he said: “It is quite unfortunate that the riverine communities, mainly dominated by the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities, are deprived and neglected despite their huge resource through oil and gas, as well as blue economy, which is the mainstay of the state’s economy”.
Recall that, in the recent past, he expressed his passion for the Niger Delta region and its environment when he said, ” I’m irrevocably committed to the vision of improving and transforming the environment of the Niger Delta communities, and there is no going back on that”; and through the CEPEJ, he has for years driven the vision through community mobilization, press conferences, media briefings and advocacy.
I salute your doggedness in the struggle for a better environment for the Niger Delta. I salute your courage and resilience, my brother. And, may history and posterity be kind to you, and your name be written in gold as one of the leaders who fought the selfless fight of giving the Niger Delta and its people a good and safe environment.
