How did the Urhobo people come to this road of perfidy once again, having painfully gone through it before was the question we closed with last time.
It is necessary for us to know where the Urhobo people of the Niger Delta missed it, because correction is easily effectible only when reason for error is identified.
Until cause or causes of ailment is scientifically identified, cure can never be contemplated.
That is the only reason why cure for cancer, ditto auto-immune deficiency, remains an elusive venture for medical researchers.
Let me quickly point out the reason why the UPU has survived this long without any government prescription like its other contemporaries in Nigeria.
The UPU is getting closer to one hundred years, of none-broken continuum, second longest socio-cultural organisation in Africa, next only to the South Africa National Congress.
All other socio-cultural organisations in Nigeria, like Egbe Omo Oduduwa, Arewa Group, NEPU, Zikist Movement, etc, etc, were broken up and prescribed when the Military made its first incursion into the Nigerian polity. What therefore made the UPU escape the Military hammer of prescription?
General David Ejoor; Governor of Midwest Region and a member of the Supreme Military Council of that era marshaled verifiable facts in establishing that the UPU was never a political organization but strictly a socio-cultural entity.
It was against this background that all other socio-cultural organizations in Nigeria, except the UPU, were prescribed by the Federal Military Government. What kept the UPU afloat while all others sank was the wisdom of the founding father in ensuring that the body was insinuated from partisan politics.
It means that so long those running the UPU delve into partisan politics of wanting to nominate all political office holders, either in Delta State or at the Federal level, so long shall they lead the UPU and the Urhobo people into the wilderness of real trouble.
The reason for the present predicament is nothing short of efforts by various personae dramatis wielding political authorities that have no structural foundation.
These so-called leaders would not even know the difference between “influencing” political decision and “commanding” same. In playing the role of political godfathers where they don’t even have political structures, the first victim of their greed is the organization they represent, albeit the UPU in this case.
Before attempting proffering solution to the present problem, there is need of admitting that there is major difference between the crisis that put the UPU asunder from late Eighties to early Two Thousand and the current one. The one of the past was driven by greed to hold on to office perpetually, which of course pushed a few to embark on “a gorilla sort of struggle” of changing leadership. It was a real war that eclipsed the glory of the sun from the whole of Urhobo Land for almost twenty five years from the very day Dr Esiri refused to be “improperly disengaged” from the office of President General of the UPU.
This time around however, the cause of the problem is said to be greed for money – self aggrandizement trait of the so-called leaders.
The allegation was that Joe Omene visited Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja at a time that every political visitor to the country’s seat of power returned with lorry-load of Dollars. Allegation had it that Omene did not “see the people” when he returned from Abuja and the people became worried.
The “people” that became agitated were not the masses of Urhobo men and women but other leaders in the UPU Executive. This was how Omone, who probably forgot that he did not become President General by contesting any election on his merit but by means of “inheritance”, through the death of the elected President General – Major General Patrick Aziza, opened a Pandora box.
Time shall fail me here to go into the details of individuals’ contribution to this emerging calamity that may swallow the Urhobo nation into the next ten years if care is not taken. Most of the highly-placed persons, institutions, Clubs [both from Lagos and those at home] and a few of the royal stools cannot bear the name “Innocent” in this current drama. Which is the way out of this pending doom therefore?
One, my advice is for all to ignore Joe Omene with his empty throne, which comes to an end after three years. Two, never welcome him in any Urhobo events until his tenure shall burn itself out like candle.
Three, the Kings should genuinely [as custodian of Urhobo dignity and honour] carry out a competent search for whom the next President General of the UPU would be.
The Kings should discard this notion of anointing Moses Taiga because the later may not be the Messiah the Urhobo is waiting for. I would rather suggest that Architect Charles Majoro should be included among those to be evaluated for the future presidency because events of the past four years is proving that the man [Charles Majoro] may be a better devil’s alternative.
Finally, every patriotic Urhobo must avoid two things explicitly. One, going to court against Joe Omene must be avoided by all means because this is the most dangerous ground all enemies of Urhobo must have planned to take us to. It will dissipate and sap us to what the enemy want us to be – a blown-up balloon.
The second and last thing to be avoided with all sensitivity is floating another organization to counter the UPU as some uninitiated are proposing.
If that is tried it shall be the beginning of the end for the Urhobo nation and this is what both the enemies within and our hostile neighbours have been waiting for.
God forbid that such step is taken because if it happens, it shall be the Urhobo proverbial rain that falls in the forest which does plantain or yam any good because neither of them are planted in the forest.
Godwin Etakibuebu, a veteran journalist, wrote from Lagos.
