Mulade Links Delta Sports Event to Improved Peace

The second Africa For Peace Sports Festival closed in Ugolo, Okpe Local Government Area, with organizers celebrating what they called a major step toward ethnic harmony in the Niger Delta. The event brought together 32 teams across multiple categories, drawing scouts and spectators from within and outside Delta State.

Sheriff Mulade, Chairman of the Delta State chapter of the Nigerian Mini Football Association, said the festival demonstrated that sports can erase communal boundaries, noting that players from various ethnic groups competed side by side throughout the week. International scouts from Lagos and Abuja monitored emerging talents during the games.

Mulade, who also heads the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), said the state has benefited from talent discoveries that feed directly into the Delta State Football Commission. He added that the festival helps promote relaxation and community engagement for residents in Warri and its environs.

He emphasized that sports remain one of the world’s most reliable tools for peacebuilding, asserting that the collaborative spirit seen at the games reflects the kind of unity the region needs.