WARRI/Nigeria: Renowned peace and environmental justice advocate, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, PhD, has called on the Federal Government to urgently link coastal communities in the Niger Delta to urban centres with viable bridges and road networks, warning that continued neglect of the region would undermine economic growth and deepen poverty.
Mulade, who is also the Ibe Serimowei of the ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom, made the appeal in reaction to the recent unveiling of a N3.8 trillion upgrade plan for the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos by the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi. He acknowledged the importance of the Lagos project but insisted that similar priority must be given to infrastructure in the oil-rich Niger Delta, whose resources sustain the country.
“While I commend the Tinubu administration for undertaking landmark projects, including the allocation of N3.8 trillion to the Third Mainland Bridge, there must also be consideration for projects that will give a sense of belonging to the people of the Niger Delta coastal areas, who continue to bear the brunt of oil and gas exploration,” Mulade stated.
He listed strategic projects such as the Warri–Gbaramatu–Escravos Bridge, the Forcados–Ogulagha Bridge, and the extension of the Ayakoroma Bridge to the Burutu–Forcados Terminal as critical infrastructure that would unlock economic activities across communities like Odimodi, Izon-Burutu, Age, and Obotobo.
The activist argued that despite hosting the oil and gas industry, the coastal areas have been left out of meaningful infrastructural development. He stressed that while Lagos has a strong internally generated revenue base, the bulk of funds for the Third Mainland Bridge project would come from oil revenues sourced from the Niger Delta.
“If this amount can be thrown into that project, then what is the fate of the people of the Niger Delta, where oil and gas is flared daily to generate not less than 80 percent of the funds? We have clamoured for a road to connect Escravos Terminal in Gbaramatu, a critical economic hub, but nothing has been done. The same applies to Burutu, which hosts the Forcados Terminal and one of Nigeria’s first seaports. Even in Brass, Bayelsa, it took the state government’s initiative to begin work on a bridge,” he lamented.
Mulade further accused some state governors in the region, particularly non-Ijaws, of neglecting the coastal areas, which are predominantly Ijaw communities. He alleged that such governors deliberately channel development to upland areas while leaving the riverine communities impoverished and underdeveloped.
“I feel the non-Ijaw governors in the region are deliberately depriving us of projects that are our right as Nigerians. Instead of executing life-transforming projects in the coastal areas, they focus on attracting investors to the upland, forcing our people to migrate there for education, healthcare, and business,” he alleged.
The activist urged President Bola Tinubu to change the narrative by ensuring coastal communities are opened up with modern infrastructure to attract investors, create jobs, and unlock the economic potential of the blue economy.
“Our people must not continue to live in neglect while the wealth of the nation is tapped from their backyard. A single road or bridge can transform the fortunes of our coastal areas and by extension, the nation’s economy,” Mulade added.
