By Samuel Ogude(Warri)
Football experts and lovers among whom are Ambassadors Emmanuel Onyenkweli Akuba, Chuks Ken Kusi and Chief Mohammed Oghenemine Enakirakpor have said sports especially football, are veritable tools for unity and peace among people in the country. The trio stated this in separate interviews at grand finale of football match competition between Generator Bombers and Santos played at Essi College 1 which was organized by Chief Agana Sunday in collaboration with Camdevs over the weekend that saw Generator Bombers defeating Santos with one(1) goal.
According to them, the programme was organized to unite the people towards 2023 general elections and the need to vote for the right candidates. They expressed worry over the deplorable state of Warri which is occasioned by the relocation of the multinational companies from Warri, to other places, which according to them, have made the youths to lack jobs. They said, Warri used to be a commercial nerve centre but today, the story has changed. They said the state government should not take the blame for the moribund of the Nigeria Ports Authority and Delta Steel Company, Ovwian Aladja as the capacity to revive these industries lies with the federal government, not the state.
Speaking specifically, the National Convener Camdevs Collective Action Democratic Movement Values and Environmental Issues, Ambassador Emmanuel Onyenkweli Akuba said due the moribund Nigeria Ports Authority and other federal parastatals that lead to lack of jobs for people especially the youths in Delta State has made many people blame the state government whereas the power to revive the companies lies with the federal government. He said:” We should not blame the state government for the non -functional of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), the Delta Steel Company ,Aladja and others because they are exclusively within the powers of the federal government”.
While they thank the President Mohammadu Buhari for signing the Electoral Act in law, they charged the people to collect their Permanent Voters Cards(PVC) and vote for the right candidate come 2023 to enable good leadership emerge in different levels of government to give the people the dividends of democracy.
Speaking specifically, Ambassador Chuks Ken Kusi said, the rumour making round that Warri is troublesome which scares off investors is not true. He said:”Warri is now desolated because people are leaving to other places in search of greener pastures and investors are scared to invest here, because of the rumuors making the round that there is no peace in Warri.”
According to Ambassador Kusi, about 70% of the Niger Deltans are facing extinction due hunger and poverty occasioned by degradation and pollution of their environment saying, to correct this abnormally, the people should collect their PVC and vote for the right candidate come 2023 general elections. He said:”Due to the bad governance, about 70% of our people are facing extinction as a result of hunger. So we are here to let the people know that they should vote for the right candidate to rebrand the state and the country at large”. The highlight of the programme was the presentation of awards to the participants and the winners.