Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has cautioned against sectional and ethnic politics, describing it as the bane of the country’s development and progress.

Uduaghan, speaking yesterday at a symposium with the theme, ‘The Future of Warri and its Environs’ put together by the Warri Rebirth Initiative called for mindset change that would enable the citizens to put national interest above ethnic and sectional interests.

The governor informed that his administration has embarked on concrete measures aimed at returning the city of Warri to its glory days but that those actions were being slowed down by ethnic agenda.

He explained that projects like the Federal Government-pioneered multi-billion Warri Gas City, the Warri Industrial and Business Park and other projects aimed at growing the economy of the city were trailed by litigations that have ethnic undertones.

Uduaghan recalled with nostalgia that in the glorious days of Warri the distinction among Itsekiri, Urhobo and Ijaw ethnic groups, which is a major factor today, was blurred.

The governor also called on residents of the city to appreciate government’s development and beautification programmes in the city by imbibing clean habits and stop littering public places with refuse.

He advised the Warri Rebirth Initiative and other stakeholders to embark on mindset change campaign that would help the various ethnic groups to see themselves as brothers and sisters.

Uduaghan also called on residents of the city to display patriotism and embrace programmes and policies that would promote the name of Warri to the outside world, explaining that supporting the Warri Wolves Football Club and other local initiatives could also create a good image about the city.

The governor informed that his administration has embarked on a number of projects like the Enerhen Junction, the city bus scheme, the on-going Effurun Roundabout Fly-Over, among others.

He added that work would commence on other roundabouts like Cemetery, Hausa Quarters, Jakpa Junction and Airport Junction by January as part of government programmes for Warri and its environs.

•Photo shows Governor Uduaghan (right) and Mr. Kes Agbosa, Chairman, Warri Rebirth Initiative, during a Symposium on Warri and Its Environs . . . yesterday in Warri.