Miffed by the poor state of development at the grassroots, most particularly in the riverine areas, a renowned human, development and peace advocate, Chief Sheriff Mulade, PhD, has challenged the chairmen of the 25 local government areas (LGAs) in the state to emulate and replicate same development initiatives of the Executive Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.

Mulade, who commended Oborevwori for his several ongoing infrastructural development projects he describes as "Infrastructural Revolution in the upland" of the state, also called on the governor to prioritise the development of the riverine areas.

He said, "It is imperative to state that most Deltans do not feel, neither experience the developmental efforts of the government at the local level, except they travel to the major city centres.

"I want to strongly appeal and urge Governor Oborevwori to consider and prioritize riverine areas development, especially the long expected Ayakoromo bridge, which many Deltans believed should be among the ongoing flyover projects by the state government, and the proposed Burutu - Forcados - Ogulagha road project, which is one of the most economically viable projects that will increase the state internally generated revenue, and lots more," he added.

Speaking further, the peace ambassador charged LG chairmen to not hide behind the achievements of the governor but to embark on transformational projects in their various constituencies so as impact directly on the grassroots.

"The council chairmen should be courageous and bold enough to embark on significant legacy economy-driven projects in their various council areas to boost economic growth rather than hiding under Governor Oborevwori's development projects.

"It is worthy of note that our councils have enough resources and funds to carry out people-oriented projects that will compliment the effort of the state government, and write their names in gold," Mulade asserted.

The call by Mulade has once again brought to the fore the autonomy of the LG council following the Supreme Court of Nigeria's July 2024 landmark ruling, which mandated that federation account allocations must go directly to LG councils, rendering state management of these funds unconstitutional as LGAs are to function independently without needing approval for actions from state governments.

However, while LGAs autonomy are legally affirmed to ensure financial and administrative independence, practical enforcement remains challenging due to political resistance. 

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