In a show of endorsement, the Chairman of Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Major General Felix Mujakperuo (RTD.), Orhue I, CFR, mni, has thrown his weight behind the Delta Ethnic Peace and Unity Football Tournament, scheduled to kick off on the 16th of November 2024, at Ode Itsekiri, Warri South Local Government Area of the state.
The tournament featuring the Isoko, Ika, Urhobo, Itsekiri, ndokwa and Ijaw ethnic nationalities of Delta State is being organized by a non-governmental organization, the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ).
Expressing enthusiasm for the football competition while endorsing the tournament during the visit of members of the Local Organizing Committee, led by the National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Comrade Sheriff Mulade and the LOC chairman, Hon. Kenneth Nwabocha to his palace at the headquarters of Okpe Local government area on Monday, the monarch lauded the organizers for its noble objectives.
He assured the local organising communities that he “will encourage the Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to be physically present during the finals due to the importance of the competition to peacebuilding in the State. ”
Mulade, who unveiled the purpose of the visit, hinted that the monarch is the chief host and the finals will take place in his kingdom, and there was a need to seek his support and blessings in an official setting as such.
He formally sought the monarch’s support and presence at the finals of the competition, scheduled for December 8, 2024 just as he noted that the games are billed to commence on the 16th of November 2024, at Ode Itsekiri, Warri South LGA.
Mulade said, “The monarch, our father is a very important critical stakeholder who is an host to this project. This year marks the fifty edition of the tournament, which has now been expanded to include the Isoko, Ika, Itsekiri, Ndokwa, Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic groups.
“Delta Ethnic Peace and Unity Cup Competition, formerly known as Ijaw/Itsekiri Peace and Unity Football Tournament is billed to commence at Ode-Itsekiri on November 16, 2024. It will last till December 8, 2024 to mark the International Day of Tolerance.
“The closing ceremony will take place here in Ororokpe. Each of the matches has its centres. Ijaw ethnics will play theirs in Ogbe-Ijoh, Ndokwa will be playing at Kwale, and Ika will play in Agbor etc until till it gets to the finals, and the entire ethnic groups will gather here in Ororokpe for the grand finale”.
Speaking further, Mulade stated that a princely N5million with consolidated prizes is at stake in the football competition, with the winner going home with N2million and runners up with N1.5million, third place with N1million and fourth place bagging N500,000.
The Chairman of the local organizing committee, Hon. Kenneth Nwaomucha, also appealed to the monarch to support the competition by giving his royal blessings and even encouraging others to participate.
The monarch, while endorsing the competition said, “I am happy Mulade is organizing this competition. Over the years, people have made us fight ourselves; when we are fighting, they are busy taking our resources.
“Football is a unifying force, and it is a welcome development. I will support this initiative. I will appeal to the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to ensure that he is physically present during the finals of the tournament.
“When I was schooling in Urhobo College in those days, there was nothing like tribe or tribal conflict; everybody was living together. Football is an easy way of bringing people together. It has a uniting force”.
