WARRI/Nigeria: A new socio-political advocacy platform, the Ijaw Political Grassroot Development Movement (IPGDM), has been launched with a mandate to mobilise constructive engagement with government and key stakeholders over the developmental challenges confronting Ijaw communities in Delta State.
Convener and Chairman of the group, Chief Mulade Sheriff, said the movement was conceived as a strategic response to what he described as persistent underdevelopment in Ijaw areas, despite their significant economic contributions to the state and the wider Nigerian economy.
He noted that the IPGDM would function as a pressure group committed to drawing sustained attention to the infrastructural and social deficits affecting Ijaw communities, while advocating policies and interventions that reflect equity and inclusion.
“It is a known fact that Ijaw communities continue to lack basic developmental needs despite our enormous economic contribution to the growth and development of Delta State and the nation at large,” he said.
Mulade stressed that the group intends to champion the collective interest of the Ijaw people through dialogue, policy engagement and strategic advocacy aimed at changing what he termed the “prevailing narrative of underdevelopment.”
“We are therefore taking responsibility to champion the cause of our people and to advocate for a change in the current situation within Ijaw communities in Delta State,” he added.
He called on stakeholders, including political leaders, community actors and professionals of Ijaw extraction, to support the initiative and participate in what he described as a collective movement for progress.
“We humbly solicit the support and understanding of all well-meaning sons and daughters of Ijaw in Delta State to join this constructive engagement for a noble cause,” he stated.
The group further emphasised its commitment to fostering dialogue and collaboration as a pathway to achieving sustainable development, urging broad-based participation in its activities moving forward.
