WARRI/Nigeria: A leading human rights and advocacy organisation in the Niger Delta, the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), on Tuesday launched a high-level multi-stakeholder roundtable dialogue involving the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic nationalities in Delta State, aimed at de-escalating recurring tensions and strengthening peaceful coexistence in Warri and its environs.
The peacebuilding dialogue, held at King George Hall in Warri South Local Government Area, drew a broad spectrum of stakeholders including community leaders, security agencies, market women, civil society organisations and representatives of various ethnic groups resident across Warri Federal Constituency.
Communities represented at the session included Okere Urhobo Kingdom, Itsekiri communities, Agbarha-Warri Kingdom, Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, among others. Also present were representatives of non-indigene communities such as the Igbo, Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Kogi-Igala and Isoko groups resident in Delta State.
The dialogue, themed around restoring trust, promoting unity and preventing conflict through sustained engagement, attracted participation from key security and civil society leaders, including SP Musa Yau-Kangiwa, DPO ‘A’ Division, Warri; ASP Hezekiah Okpabi of ‘B’ Division, Warri; Prof. Andrew Agboro, Chairman of Delta State Civil Society Organisations; Sylvester Okoh, Chairman, Board of Trustees of Warri Peace Community Support Initiative; and ASP Obehi Idiake, Station Officer of ‘A’ Division, Warri.
Addressing participants, the CEPEJ National Coordinator, Comrade Chief Sheriff Mulade, PhD, said the initiative aligns with the organisation’s long-standing advocacy for sustainable peace and stability in Warri and neighbouring communities.
Mulade, who is also the Ibe-Sorimowei of the ancient oil-rich Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West, noted that contemporary conflicts are often fuelled by what he described as “conflict investors and conflict beneficiaries,” stressing that while eliminating conflict entirely may be difficult, deliberate efforts must be made to de-escalate tensions and make conflict unattractive.
“We must consolidate on the existing harmony in Warri Federal Constituency. Warri Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo are one. We have lived in peace even before now. Warri is our own, and the essence of peace is to strengthen it,” he said.
Mulade commended market women and representatives of non-indigene communities for their participation, urging continued collaboration to build an inclusive and peaceful Warri.
In his keynote address, Dr. Austin Onuoha, Adjunct Faculty at the National Peace Academy, Abuja, called on all ethnic groups to embrace unity and collective responsibility as the foundation for lasting peace in the area.
A major highlight of the event was a unity drama presentation emphasising the importance of coexistence among the ethnic nationalities in Warri.
The dialogue also witnessed the inauguration of a 20-member Warri Indigenes and Residents Peacebuilding Committee (WIRPC), comprising representatives of the various ethnic groups, including non-indigenes.
According to Mulade, the committee has been mandated to deepen stakeholder engagement, de-escalate tensions, sustain dialogue and reinforce peaceful practices across communities over the next one year.
He expressed optimism that the initiative would yield measurable progress in strengthening unity and preventing conflict across Warri and its surrounding communities.
