Viewpoint IN BRIEF; Urhobo ancestors

By David Okiemute

As an Urhobo, l have never in the entire 60 years that almighty God has graciously granted me felt more ashamed and totally embarrassed over any circumstances of life than the content of what was revealed in the Vanguard Newspaper of Wednesday the 30th of May, an authoritative article written by one Dr. Urhoboyovwe Ufuoma, God bless him and may his pen of truth   never dry of ink. Ironically, my attention was drawn to this article by a good childhood friend of mine who is an ljaw man based here in the U.S, jokingly touting me that in our small Delta community Association here in New York Urhobos are more and leading but at home and in fact world-wide ijaw is our leader.

I didn’t believe what he was telling me until l read the said article online which revealed that one Moses Taiga Zeze who goes by the name Olorogun Moses Taiga, is maternally Urhobo and paternally Ijaw as a son of an Ijaw man, the late Chief Joseph Taiga Zeze of Kiagbodo. He has now dispossessed the Urhobos of their most respected nationality Union the Urhobo Progressive Union which is over 87 years as a Union, and now parades himself as the President General of the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU) on the one hand and on the other hand, Chief Engr. Joe Omene, first Vice President who succeeded the late Gen.Patrick Aziza until the failed election that triggered the current crisis of leadership of the UPU.

Before going into the substance of the issues raised by the content of the article by Dr. Urhoboyovwe Ufuoma, it is very important to address the contemporary consequences of the development to all Urhobos, so that they fully grasp why the matter is one that should not be treated with levity. The Urhobo nation consists of the largest ethnic group in Delta state and the South-South with over 5 million people. This demographic strength is not new or derived, it has been a fact on record and is historically demonstrated from the archival records of the results of the Mid-West referendum, where the Yes votes recorded for the creation of Mid-west state was recorded as follows: ABOH (Yes =33,072 : No =722) AFENMAI (Yes=76,998: No=1,260) ASABA (Yes=68,637: No=365) Benin (Yes 130,562: No=2,081) ISHAN (Yes=73,088: No= 563) URHOBO (YES 150,382:No=273) WARRI (Yes=30,703: No=1,377) WESTERN IJAW (Yes=15,635: No=577).

From the above archival data of the Mid-West referendum   it can be seen that   at very important juncture   in the history of   Nigeria and the Niger Delta region, when the emancipatory democratic strength of each nationality was exercised, the Urhobo nation lent its voice as the highest nationality vote for the creation of the Mid-West as a Region and also recorded the least numbers against it. It is, therefore, a matter of utter shock, that the Urhobo people, consisting of highly educated and enligthened kings a number of whom are retired Generals, professors, doctors, engineers of all fields, administrators, scientists of local and global repute, former governor of true Urhobo extraction like General Ejoor, Gen.Dominic Oneya, Gen. Odada, respected legislators and leaders in all fields of human endevour can stand idly by as their most venerated Union, the UPU, is allowed to be rubbished.  A Union that was formed and sustained by great vision of our fore-fathers for generations of Urhobos, who burnished the glow of the Urhobo nation with their efforts   such as   Chief Mowoe, Jereton Marierie, TL Salubi and others. What a shame to all sons and daugthers of Urhobo!

In all of these, the most disturbing and pertinent question we must ask is how did Olorogun Moses Tiaga Zeze become a factional leader of the UPU?   Why should the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria that should even have its own state now in a small Delta state be runing to a small place call “Boju boju owa” to have a helper as signified by the title of “ochuko of urhobo” ?   Why should the   UPU which is 87 years as an umbrella of a people of different persuasions   be portrayed as an affiliate of political parties running after politicians when socio-cultural bodies like Afenifere, Ohaneze n’digbo formed just few decades ago are engaged daily on more serious national and nationality issues that affect the totality of their people ?

Indeed the Moses Tiaga saga compelled me to read the entire provisions of the Union constitution   and the contents of the UPU Constitution prompts one to note that there are so many questions that we Urhobos must ask ourselves. Firstly, how could a man who was not elected in the first instance according to the constitution of the UPU parade himself as the leader of the Urhobo nation? The constitution   under Article 8 states that a new President-General and other executive members can only be elected at an Annual Urhobo Congress convened for that “purpose” and a quorum of the composition of the congress   according to Article 5   must be made up of   all members of NEC, Council of Representatives, 20 members from 22 but now 24 kingdoms, Active Branches worldwide and Traditional rulers (Ivie) who the constitution says and l quote “ Can participate in decision making process of the UPU but shall have no voting right during the congress” elections.

So, how did Olorogun Moses Taiga “Zeze” become the UPU president ? He is quoted to have claimed that he was elected by members of the Board of Trustee of UPU, yet those who have been active in UPU activities who held offices since the time of the late Olorogun Felix Ibru up till the tenure of the Late General Patrick Aziza and all through the period Chief Joe Omene who served out the tenure of the late PG, all said categorically that no such Board of Trustee decision exists.

But rather, the election that should have urshered in the emergence of new UPU leadership was sabotaged and in the confusion that ensued, factional groups emerged in which Chief Joe Omene who succeeded Gen.Aziza as the president-General is asserting legitimate leadership while Olorogun Moses Taiga now confirmed to be an Ijaw man from Kiagbodo but whose mother is an Urbobo from Agbowhiame town in Ughievwen clan of ughelli south is claiming factional leadership. By all accounts from those knowledgeable in UPU matters, there have been no Board of Trustee except a veiled reference to two surviving members of the BOT during the time of late Chief Benjamin Okumagba. If these two BOT members only out of statutory nine (9) are the point of reference, can it be said that these two people elected Olorogun Moses Tiaga “Zeze” from Kiagbodo as the PG of the UPU over the entire Urhobo nation?

Assuming there was even a BOT in place, the UPU constitution states that its meeting shall be presided over by the President General (PG) currently in office. Who then was the President General in office who presided over the meeting where Olorogun Taiga “Zeze” was elected and is there a record of minutes of such a meeting? The constitution did not allow for a vacuum in the leadership of Urhobos and so an out-going leader must hand-over to a successor according to   ARTICLE 9 (a) that provide thus; “….a national officer shall hold the office until when his successor in office takes the oath of this office”. This preceding provision and others mentioned above actually put the nail on the head and removed completely the wind off the sail of Olorogun Taiga’s claim because it should be asked; who was the President General that handed-over to him and at what location on what occasion?

A true son of Urhobo land, representing the kindred of any of the 24 Urhobo clans will not soil the Urhobo heirloom in this way. What is the chairman of the council of kings in Urhobo (The Owhorode of Olomu) and the “lvie” doing about this disgraceful situation? where are the other groups like Urhobo social club and the patriots? Where are the youth of urhobo and what are they doing over this shame upon Urhobo nation now under the leadership of an ljaw man ?   Is there still a sense of collective honour and pride amongst ourselves as urhobos in our society? Why should anyone who has self-respect and personal integrity even feel comfortable to be addressed as a “factional leader” when such an individual is like someone who wishes to be part of a ceremony for the exchange of garmet yet he is not wearing garment ?

Surely, the high court of history will definitely sit in judgment over the role every son and daughter of Urhobo played to bring this calamity and shame upon the Urhobo people. If all other brothers of Olorogun Moses Taiga still alive and leaving in Warri, from what has been revealed, are proudly claiming their ljaw heritage in Kiagbodo, why should he be the only one claiming urhobo? Truly, our “ancestors must be in tears” that we have allowed the abomination to take place and persist in Urhobo land; that a self-confessed and authentic son of our good neigbour as documented in a book, an Ijaw man, Olorogun Moses Taiga, the son of Chief Joseph Taiga Zeze from Kiagbodo is claiming leadership of UPU.

To participate in UPU leadership contest, one must first be unequivocally and unarguably an Urhobo, and a qualified or eligible candidate can only become the President General of the UPU through constitutional provisions that have been in practice for over 87 years. Olorogun Moses Taiga Zeze, is not by Urhobo patrilineal society norm and practice an Urhobo man and has not emerged through the constitutional provisions of the UPU. Why should this kind of calamity befall the over 5 million   Urhobos ethnic group in the south south at a time when   all nationalities are standing up to be counted for or against restructuring because of failed federalism and who is leading Urhobos? Shameful !

Dr.David Okiemute, writes from Newyork