Society

Urhobo Progress Union and Its Political Relevance – By Ovie Edomi

EdomiSo much have been said in the media in the last couple of weeks about the Omene-led UPU, which in my opinion is still the authentic UPU and the breakaway UPU led by five former executive members.

Some of us have absolute respect for culture, tradition and socio-cultural groups, because of the ability it has to cement diverse segments of the people together.

The 84-year-old Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, is one of the formidable apex socio-cultural groups in Nigeria. It is in the same ranking with Arewa, Ohaneze and the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group -Afenifere.

Unfortunately, UPU has been in the searchlight for some time now for the good or bad of the Urhobo people and to remain silent under the pretext that silence is golden is to my mind a disservice to Urhobo land. Clearly, Urhobo as the fifth largest ethnic group in Nigeria with 24 kingdoms/clans deserve the best in terms of leadership and direction. This is because it is a highly respected tribe that has produced the Dafinones, Onosodes, Ovadjes, Ibrus of this world and of course the new generations of Okagbares the queen of the tracks and a whole lot of respected academics and professionals across the globe. The present leadership of UPU has two prominent Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, and that gives me joy but then, like they say, “if you cannot stand for anything then you fall for anything”

I believe in the school of thought that says “if a mad man kills his mother and people shamelessly allow him to bury her, the mad man might as well roast the dead body.

I recall with nostalgia how Mukoro Mowoe, Okumagba, James Edewor, Ibru etc laboured so hard to make UPU occupy a place of honour in Nigeria and amongst Urhobos in Diaspora from the pre-colonial era to post-independence, and I am amazed that a generation of Urhobos possibly those born in the 1980s and 1990s now watch the UPU of today and probably wonder if UPU is still the same that our forefathers established and of whom every Urhobo illustrious sons and daughters want to be a part of.

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Some people no doubt, have always been irritated by the actions of some persons in the UPU but from the Mid-west era down to old Bendel State and the present Delta State in which the Urhobos occupy a prominent place, they have always played a key role in politics. Thus the recent Uvwiamuge declaration was to be expected for a group that has always played key role in the socio-cultural and socio-political arena. But then every Urhobo person of adult age knows that he or she wants much more even as they believe in the Pan-Urhobo leaders. The UPU leadership is only galvanising the people at every critical time and knows that the confidence the people reposed in them must not be betrayed.

As a concerned Nigerian from Urhoboland who have watched with keen interest the event leading to the walkout of five executive members of UPU and the continuation of the authentic UPU by ten executive members, I want to remind this generation of Urhobos to still see UPU as the highest organ of socialisation for the Urhobo, just like the Ohaneze, Afenifere, Arewa and so on. All over the world, socio-cultural or socio-political groups take decisions and sometimes are forced to take another look at it and if the group deems it necessary they change that decision especially if that is the decision of the majority.

In this case, the executive of authentic UPU said it went on a massive consultation with all organs of the union including other interest groups, stakeholders and private individuals and the UPU executive members went on to name Urhobo Leaders and Elders Forum, the 24 president-generals of all the 24 kingdoms in Urhobo land, UPU women group otherwise called Ewheya, the youth, Urhobo clergy and Urhobo Council of Traditional Rulers as the people and group that they consulted.

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If the result of the consultation meant a change of position that actually represents the majority of opinion, across the key groups whose views were sought, it is therefore not in the interest of UPU for five members to form a parallel UPU. The beauty of every socio-cultural group is that it is democratic in nature and so the majority will always have the way.

No doubt, my generation occupies a place of honour in the Urhobo nation, and indeed Nigeria, therefore, those who saw the good old days of UPU must speak out and not allow some of the present crop of leaders in Urhobo land to rubbish our highly esteemed UPU in the name of politics. In fact, our generation and most probably this generation must confront people who shamelessly killed their mothers and are prepared to roast them. To sit in the comfort of our homes and say we know them as pathological liars or aggrieved leaders etc will do more harm to UPU and in the long run the entire Urhobo land. Already UPU has been painted in bad light enough.

UPU leadership under Omene must embark on ventures that will deliver premium benefits first to the Urhobo people and then to Nigeria. The 84-year-old UPU must not be divided.

The people will be surprised if under this leadership, they twist the people and rather than do things that benefit them they go to negotiate for a pot of pottage in place of our collective interest/good. And history will not forgive such person(s).

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While the animosity seems to continue between the five members who backed out and the Omene-led UPU, the important thing to me is not the individual interest of the actors but the general interest of Urhobo people. Come to think of it, is anyone of the executive members of the UPU greater than the Urhobo nation? Has this new leadership done more than what Mukoro Mowoe did for the Urhobo nation as leader of UPU? Why do this group of executive members want to destroy our highly esteemed UPU because of selfish interest? If for nothing else, both the group of 10 and the group of five must show great regard for the sanctity of what UPU represents. Those who are not ready to work to deliver quality service to the Urhobo people in the 24 Urhobo Kingdoms should be told in clear terms that they are either traitors or not true sons of Urhobo land.

Therefore, let the true sons and daughters of Urhobo land listen to the voice of the elders and their true leaders so that the young generation and outsiders watching will describe my tribe as truly the fifth largest ethnic group with educated, principled leaders, elders and traditional rulers who at all times allow good reasons to prevail over selfish or parochial interest.

Edomi is Editor-In-Chief/Publisher of South South International Magazine.