By Rita Enemuru, Reporting
A prominent Niger Delta-born human and development advocate, Comrade Mulade Sheriff, PhD, has issued an urgent appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, calling on him to take bold and pragmatic action to halt the silent and public deaths of Nigerians caused by soaring hunger, crippling hardship, and escalating insecurity across the country.
In a statement released to journalists on Tuesday, the United Nations peace ambassador expressed deep dismay over what he described as a misplaced priority among political office holders, who he accused of focusing on re-election bids while neglecting the severe levels of poverty and hunger gripping the nation.
“We must rise above the challenges and stop the avoidable deaths of Nigerians on a daily basis because of leadership failure towards citizens’ welfare and protection,” Mulade charged.
The renowned advocate, who holds the traditional title of Ibe-Sorimowei of the ancient oil-rich Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State, noted that relative calm in the Niger Delta region is currently sustained by the substantial engagement of youths through pipeline surveillance contractors.
“It is imperative to state that the current saving grace in the Niger Delta, particularly the oil and gas sector, is because of the current pipeline surveillance contracts awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, the Pipeline Infrastructure Limited, etc., who have helped to engage the majority of the youths and create some level of economic stability in the region,” he said.
He warned that without such interventions, the security situation in the South-South could have deteriorated to a point worse than that of the North East, North West, and North Central zones, potentially plunging Nigeria into a severe economic meltdown.
Mulade strongly appealed to President Tinubu to sustain the existing pipeline surveillance contracts, arguing that doing so is essential to prevent the nation’s already fragile economy from worsening—especially with the 2027 general elections on the horizon.
Emphasising that the protection of lives and property remains the primary responsibility of any government, he cautioned against the administration becoming distracted by political ambitions.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, should not abandon the protection of its citizens and concentrate on a re-election bid,” he stated.
“It is worthy of note that Nigerians are losing trust and confidence in our government at all levels because it seems political office holders are more concerned with the syndrome of holding onto power instead of creating economic stability, citizens’ welfare, development and protection.”
He concluded with a stark warning, urging the President to act decisively to prevent the nation from collapsing.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, must act now to save Nigerians and our dire nation from collapsing; we must work to be truly the economic giant of Africa, not just in population and landmass,” he added.
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