FURTHER REACTION TO TONY ELUEMUNO’S Exposed: UPU’s False Claims…. As Urhobo Threat Over Jonathan, Okowa, Evaporates

Dear Emmanuel,

Thanks again for your well-elaborated informed response and patriotic stand on the UPU crises and the Urhobo Nation progress. But I will like to come from this angle and note some vital things to help us understand where we are right now.

If you look very carefully and observe the happenings in the Nigerian polity over the years, you would realize that with the way the country is right now, all the ethnic and socio-cultural groups are becoming more and more ‘political and getting involved’ one way or the other in the Nigerian political structuring. Examples are Afenifere, Arewa Consultative Forum and so on.

In fact, recently, after what had appeared as a group's indecision,  Afenifere (the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural ‘publicly’ endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election. Even when it appears not every member of the Afenifere were in agreement with such endorsement, no one went as far as creating another ‘faction’ or publicly declaring that they are going the opposite direction from what the group has done. The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) have also tilted their endorsement tent in support of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) as their choice candidate that can return political Power to the North. We have not seen or heard any member of the ACF dividing their group with another faction. 

The Ijaw National Congress have also reiterated that “no Jonathan, no 2015”, declaring the body’s endorsement and support to President Jonathan. But no one was heard of forming another faction or towing the opposite direction, even when we know that not everybody in these socio-cultural groups are in total agreement with their various group’s stands. You can see that the present Nigeria, everybody wants to have their voice heard in the political scheme of things.

And in my own opinion, the UPU has been quite docile and dormant in recent years. It is as if we are only known for “traditional issues” and nothing else in the political trajectory of the nation’s government. This was not the case in the past. The Urhobo nation has unwittingly lost its position as the nation’s fourth largest ethnic group to the Ijaws that are practically trying to swallow us up in the scheme of things. Whereas, when it comes to “actual population strength” (not political population), the Urhobo nation are far greater. In fact, the real physical Ijaw population is nothing compared to that of the Urhobos. 

They are only scattered all over the region, especially along the river banks. But in their villages and shanties, you hardly see any significant population. Sorry for digressing a bit, but the population in Ughelli South where I come from, is far bigger in size and more physically populated (and I do not mean political population), than the entire Bayelsa State. In fact, the physical population of the Urhobos in Yenegoa (Bayelsa State Capital), is far greater than the physical population of the Ijaws there. Yet, and perhaps by virtue of the fact that we have an Ijaw President, the Ijaws are ‘aggressively’ trying to scheme the Urhobos out of the political scheme of things.

Now back to what we are looking at. It might interest you to know that the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) has been politicized right from the Second Republic (1978-1983). Even during the First Republic (1963-1966), the Urhobos were largely in alliance with some leading and powerful political elements in the North, who belonged to the NCNC through Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh (Sam Festus Edah) who had become a Federal Minister, as well as with Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe’s NCNC in Eastern Nigeria.  This tripod alliance with the Northern People’s Congress (NPN) led to the successful carving out of the Midwest Region from the original Western Nigeria as the Urhobos teamed up with the Edo people in the struggle for the minorities to free themselves from the grip and the oppression of their bigger ethnic neighbours in the Western Nigeria.

Much politicizing and advancement was made by the Urhobo nation during the Second Republic. I can still remember names like Chief Daniel Okumagba (of blessed memory), who was a Leading Executive Member in then UPU. Dr. Esiri was the President General of the UPU then and the Urhobo nation at that time, adopted Chief Daniel Okumagba to contest the Governorship election then for Bendel State under the NPN. Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the NPN, was also adopted by the Dr. Esiri then led UPU as their Presidential candidate. Though, Daniel Okumagba lost the election, the Urhobos largely aligned themselves politically with the NPN which produced Alhaji Shehu Shagari as the President of the Federal Republic.  And because of this closely-knit relationship the Dr. Esiri led UPU had then with the Presidency, it led to a lot of open doors for the Urhobos. In fact, back then, former President Shehu Shagari, Senator David Wayas and Akinloye were always coming to Warri to see the then UPU President General Dr. Esiri to discuss on national issues.

It was also during this period that some important federal government-owned industrial enterprises were established or implemented within the homeland areas of the Urhobos, e.g. the Delta Steel Complex, Oghareki Salt Industries, National Shrimps Company, Oghara etc. all under the Shagari regime. Though, most of these companies are no longer in existence, they had people like Chamberlain Akarue who became the Chief Executive Officer of the National Shrimps Company for years, and it also had some Urhobos as its Directors. Late Chief (Barr.) Akpedeye was the Chairman of Oghareki Salt Industry while late Chief Daniel Okumagba was the Chairman of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant.

So you would see that it is not today that the UPU and the entire Urhobo nation have been politicking in the affairs of the Delta State and the nation at large. We also had people like Chief Ogigba (of blessed memory) who was a Director in DSC. Fred Brume, who was first Project Coordinator of DSC, was later converted to become the first Chief Executive Officer of DSC. We also had people like P. B. Djebah who was the Chairman of Nigerian National Supply while Senator David Dafinone, Dr. Sohwo and late Chief Gbinijie were very vibrant in the National House of Assembly then, and so many others, all of whom were very involved in politics. And they negotiated a ‘good deal’ for the Urhobo nation.

Even in the Third Republic (1991-1993), majority of the Urhobos joined the SDP (Social Democratic Party), a nationwide party.  And an Urhobo son, in the person of Chief Felix Ibru, became the first Executive Governor of Delta State.  At the national scene the SDP which presented Chief M.K.O. Abiola as Presidential Candidate and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as his running mate were heading for electoral victories when the elections were stopped by the military and subsequently, a military head of state took over power.

The whole ‘political awarenesss and involvement’ started dying down in the Fourth Republic (1999-to date), Though, the Urhobos were largely aligned with the PDP from its formative stage, which saw the emergence of Chief James Onanefe Ibori, that served for two terms, however, as rightly noted by Dr. Fred Brume in a public address: “No major significant breakthrough were realized in Urhobo land or even nationally under the PDP rule to date, other than the fact that we have had the longest period of democratically elected governance in power for over 13 years.” The former Delta State Governor James Ibori is part of those that laid the foundation of the problems we are having today regarding the goals and aspirations of the Urhobo nation. 

I do not want to go into other so many issues but I believe you get my point. In this modern day and age of Nigeria, any ethnic group that does not come out and get involved in the ‘politicking’ process of the country (whichever they see please), will obviously lose out in the scheme of things. It is left for the Urhobo nation to get their home in order and come out, and not to create factions and disunity amongst themselves.

I am not siding anybody in the UPU, but we cannot deny the fact that after the death of the immediate past UPU President General, Maj-Gen. Aziza (rtd), Chief Joe Omene was duly elected by the congress of the Urhobo Union. He did not put himself there, neither did he come through the back door nor can he do anything in the Union’s name without the backings of majority of the stakeholders. But Chief Onoge elected himself as another faction of the UPU. There was no Congress that brought him in or gave him the right to be doing what he is doing presently.

The truth is that this sort of issue is not something that is only peculiar to the UPU. It happens to other ethnic and socio-cultural groups. What matters is the manner in which it is addressed. However, it does not warrant anyone to form a parallel government or create a faction in the Union. People should be bold enough to tell Chief Onoge and his group the truth. If he has anything against the leadership of the Union, or he does not like the way things are handled, one would have expected him to wait till there is a general Congress of the Union to raise the issues of contention. As it stands at the moment, nobody has approved or shown support to what he has done. But like I said before, let us hope that things will turn out well for the good of the Urhobo nation and not the interest of any particular individual. 

Zik Gbemre,JP.

National Coordinator

Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC)

No.28,   Opi Street Ugboroke Layout, Effurun-Warri,

P.O. Box 2254, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria.