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Urhobo Historical Society |
URHOBO UNITY SUMIIT
July 30-31, 2009
Petroleum Training Institute,
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Business Session II
Strategies for Achieving the
Goals of
Urhobo Unity
By Peter P. Ekeh
Chairman, Urhobo Historical
Society
Comments on a draft of this paper came
from the following members of
Urhobo Historical Society: Chief S. S. Obruche (in
Strategies
may
formally be defined as the methods or plans that a group or
organization
employs in order to achieve its desired goals at the end of its
projects. Such
a definition of strategies is generally more hopeful than what emerges
as the
consequences of the organization’s projects. This is so because there
may be
unintended consequences, which may flow from the projects that a group
pursues.
Some such unintended consequences may be weightier than the group’s
planned
goals. It is therefore probably wise to characterize strategies in
terms of the
outcomes of the group’s projects. Seen in these terms, strategies may
be
regarded as plans for achieving the goals of a group and for
controlling the
outcomes of its projects.
The
outcomes of
projects may be good or bad in terms of the values and expectations of
the
group. Therefore, efficient strategies of an organization seek to
minimize the
poor outcomes of its projects while they strive to maximize the
projects’ good
outcomes. Good strategic thinking, therefore, involves some
anticipation of
the possible outcomes of projects coupled with the invention of devices
that
aim to hold down to a minimum possible bad outcomes while promoting
those
devices that will probably allow good outcomes to flourish. We will
adopt
this approach to strategic thinking in weighing the outcomes of the
projects
that Urhobo Unity Summit of 2009 has decided to embark upon.
Projects
of
Urhobo Unity
When
all the
speeches will have been made, the main vehicle for moving forward the
agenda of
the 2009 Urhobo Unity Summit will be its projects. As envisaged in the
address
by Olorogun Felix Ibru, President-General of Urhobo Progress Union,
there are
two principal projects that will emerge from this
I.
In terms of modern
political
history of
Before national independence in
1960, the
people of Benin and
The campaign for the creation
of
The
renewed
campaign for a state, this time a fresh one for the Urhobo People,
should gain
several lessons from the previous experiences. At the very least, those
previous experiences of campaigns for state creation should help us to
anticipate unhealthy outcomes that could worsen our circumstances in
Urhoboland
following the creation of an
Committee on the Case for an
In view of experiences of such
past campaigns, a well-crafted case
for an
In our previous campaigns for
state creation, the matter of state
capital was left out of public consideration, on the murky
understanding that
it was too touchy a subject to be broached in public. The result was
that
powerful individuals sought to influence the choice of the capital,
creating an
appearance of disunity and confusion among the Urhobo people. It has
been
mentioned that one reason why we lost the case for the capital of
This Committee should also have
the responsibility of consulting
with our ethnic neighbours so that our intentions are properly
understood by
them. This is particularly important in the case of the Isoko. We need
close
consultation with the Isoko people. While we should not be dissuaded
from any
campaign for an
There were few areas of
For this purpose, I recommend
an Urhobo Lands and Boundaries
Committee, mostly made up of lawyers, geographers, surveyors, and
historians who can document Urhobo possessions of their lands. This
Committee
should prepare a map of Urhobo lands that we seek to include in
Prospects
of Good Governance and Possibility of Bad Governance
We
have a lot
more to learn about the political history of state creation and
administration
of states than the campaign for them. We have experienced the outcomes
of two
created states in terms of their benefits as well as their ills for our
people.
The examples of the benefits and the ills of the creation of Midwest
Region
will provide good lessons to reflect upon as we contemplate on
embarking on a
renewed exercise. Doing so will help us to navigate our collective
fortunes
away from avoidable pitfalls.
The benefits that flowed from
the creation
of Midwest Region (later
On the other hand, following
the creation
of the Midwest Region, Urhobos experienced unexpected political
hardships that
nearly destroyed their key institutions. Urhobo Progress Union was
imperiled.
There was a brazen attempt to marginalize the
The
above
contrasts between the benefits and ills of the creation of Midwest
Region
(later,
Control of Urhobo Progress
There are some in Urhobo
leadership who canvass that the best way
of reaping benefits from the Government of the State or even the
Federal
Government is through the UPU. Then there are State officials who
believe that
it is important to control the affairs of the UPU as an aspect of the
governance of the State – even as Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh clearly
attempted in
the late 1950s and early 1960s. In these circumstances, the Urhobo
People, who
own the
Safeguarding the Institution of
Ovie. The
institution of Ovie was a creation of
Urhobo culture and is probably important in defining who we are. In
recent
years, many leaders of thought in Urhobo affairs and indeed the silent
Urhobo majority
have expressed fears that political parties, politicians, and indeed
the
Government have used the holders of the offices of Ivie in ways that
threaten
the integrity of the institution. The office of Ovie is expensive to
maintain.
It probably needs payment of stable stipends from the Government. But
that in
no way means that the Ivie are required to serve the political
interests of
those who exercise political power. Good governance in an
Protecting the Right of Vote
among the Urhobo People. Nelson Mandela spent more
than
twenty-five years in South African jail because he was fighting for his
people
to gain the right to vote. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Urhobo
People were
able to express, through free elections, their dissatisfaction with the
hostile
policies of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Action Group party towards
them.
Sadly, in recent years, that right of Urhobo men and women to vote
their free
will has been threatened by our own Urhobo politicians. Those
politicians may
be unaware of the gravity of their actions. But it is a practice that
must not
be allowed to be carried over into an Urhobo state. If denying the
masses of
the Urhobo people the right to vote becomes routine in an Urhobo state,
chaos
and pathology will settle into our affairs with disastrous
consequences.
Perhaps we should state this matter much more firmly: If Nelson Mandela
is
regarded as an archetypal patriot because he suffered in order to win
the right
of vote for his people in South Africa, then we must state that those
who
deprive their own Urhobo people of the right to vote are smeared in the
eyes of
their own people with a lack of patriotism, to say the least. It is our
patriotic
duty to ensure that such unpatriotic malpractices are not carried
forward into
an
Committee
on Good Governance in an
The
above three
issues -- concerning Urhobo Progress Union, the institution of Ovie,
and
protection of the right to vote among the Urhobo people – belong to the
realm
of good governance. We should assume that those who are elected to
govern will
do so on behalf of the Urhobo People. To ensure that this will in fact
be so,
or at least that the Urhobo People and those whom they elect will be
constantly
reminded of this principle, we recommend a Committee on Good
Governance in
an
Summary
We
have
recommended three distinct Committees to handle different aspects of an
Urhobo
campaign for a state of their own. These Committees are as follows:
(a) Committee on the
Case for an
(b)
(c) Committee on Good
Governance in an
We
further
recommend that the President-General of Urhobo Progress Union, in
consultation
with the Organizing Committee of Urhobo Unity Summit, draw up the terms
of
reference of these Committees and then select the men and women who
will serve
in them. Some consideration should be given to the idea of giving the
last two
of these Committees a standing status.
II.
Nigerian
universities face a major crisis in our times. It is clearly the case
that the
culture of disciplined learning is more or less broken in our
universities. While
some of the newer private universities offer some hope of improvement,
the
overall prospects of university education in
In
current terms,
there are four types of universities in the Nigerian academic system:
Federal Government of Nigeria’s
Universities.
Beginning with the
State Universities. Most of the states in
Private For-Profit Universities. A good number of businessmen
and former
Heads of State as well as former Governors of States have built what
appear to
be private for-profit universities, mostly in southern
Private Not-For-Profit
Universities.
Some Christian denominations have
established what appear to be not-for-profit universities about which
their
owners do not act as investors who must derive financial benefits from
their
investments. The financial gains that flow into these universities’
coffers are
retained for their further development.
The
future of the
Federal and
While
the third
category of private for-profit universities may have some future, they
are
largely untested and will remain so until they survive the lives of
their
financial owners. The strength in the Nigerian university system seems
to be in
the fourth category of private not-for-profit universities. And it is
here that
an
Model
of
Private Not-for-Profit Universities
Most
of the
private not-for-profit universities in
I am
assuming
that Urhobo Progress Union, as the proprietor of the envisaged
There
will be two
preliminary steps in the founding of an
Charter for an
Urhobo Progress Union will
build, or cause
to be built on its behalf, a complex of higher institutions (that may
be named
The University shall be a
centre of
excellence such as will allow its students, graduates, teachers and
researchers
to participate at the highest level of national and international
exchange of
scholarship.
The University shall establish
modern
libraries, including digital libraries, which will hold documents on
Urhobo
history, culture, and language for teaching and research purposes.
Urhobo Progress Union agrees to
establish
Urhobo University Foundation whose responsibilities shall be to run the
affairs
of The University on behalf of Urhobo Progress Union and the Urhobo
People.
The Urhobo University
Foundation shall
have the responsibility of managing the funds and other properties of
The
University on behalf of Urhobo Progress Union and the Urhobo People.
There shall be a board of
trustees (drawn
from public figures, businessmen, high-profile academic and
administrators) who
will set the policies of the Foundation, including appointing its
Executive
Director, on behalf of Urhobo Progress Union.
As much as possible, there
should be
representatives of international bodies (such as the
I
recommend that
the Urhobo Unity Summit, 2009, should authorize the President-General
of Urhobo
Progress Union to empanel an Urhobo University Committee that
will study
the above issues on the matter of
III. Building an Enabling
Environment
The
preceding
discussions on planning for an
Unfortunately,
in
recent years, the enabling environment for progress in Urhoboland has
been
poisoned by an outbreak of chronic violence. The level of violence has
not only
been unchecked; it has grown by leaps and bounds with the introduction
of
sophisticated guns by politicians and their hired thugs and with each
election
cycle. The consequences of this regime of violence have been
devastating for
Urhobo culture. Sacred funeral rites have been altered from their
evening and
night calendars to day-time ceremonies. Traditional evening weddings
have been
turned into day-time hurried ceremonies. Much of night-time business
(such as
evening and night University classes) has been lost to this wanton
reign of
violence in Urhoboland.
Moreover,
violence poses threats to personal safety in Urhoboland. The evidence
for this
growing threat can be seen in the behaviours of people in the huge
Urhobo
Diaspora. Few people visiting home from outside Urhoboland want to
sleep in
their own homes and in their hometowns – unless they are wealthy enough
to
provide private security. In
Combating
the Reign of Violence in
Various
communities have put up their limited defences in several corners of
Urhoboland
against this growing peril. But they are inadequate and will probably
crumble
as another election season approaches. One response, especially from
politicians, has been to say that such violence is not limited to
Urhoboland
and that it is widespread in
In
order for
Urhobo to step up and take this matter seriously as a people, a review
of the
different strategies to combat violence in various areas of
Igbo Response: Bakassi Boys. Igboland is plagued with
wanton
violence. The Igbo response has been for communities to employ
so-called
Bakassi Boys who strive to eliminate with brute force those who they
deemed
guilty. Because the system became politicized in several communities
and
because the Bakassi Boys got into conflict with the Nigeria Police,
they have
not been as effective in controlling violence as was originally hoped
by the
communities that employed them.
Yoruba Response: Traditional
Rulers and
Traditional Control of Crimes. In the face of rising
violence in traditional Yoruba cities and
towns, Yoruba Ọba and Balẹ have picked up their traditional mantle
of providing security in their domains. A great deal of the security
arrangements in Yoruba towns have been organized from their palaces
where
retired Nigeria Police Officers are often employed to help with the
management
of security in their towns. The Yoruba system relies a great deal on
intelligence gathering about criminals and their families. Community
response
seems to have been very supportive of these arrangements. The results
have been
impressive. It is striking that the growth of universities in recent
times has
largely been in Yorubaland where there seems to be a more favourable
enabling
environment than elsewhere in
Urhobo Response: Town and Clan
“Presidents-General” and Provision of Security. The response to the expansion
of
violence in Urhoboland has been rather novel. Communities have elected
public-spirited individuals, whom they brand with the lofty title of
“President-General,”
to help them to fight the violence that has come upon them. It is
striking that
the respected Ivie have not played major roles in combating the stream
of
violence in Urhoboland. Some of the “Presidents-General” have been
quite
successful in cutting down the rate of violent crimes in their areas.
The
result, though, is that violent criminals abandon tough areas for
weaker spots
in Urhoboland.
A
Comprehensive Plan for Combating Violence in Urhoboland
In my
own view,
it would be a major achievement of this Urhobo Unity Summit if we are
able to
persuade Urhobo’s two major institutions – namely, Urhobo Progress
Union and
the Ivie of Urhoboland – to pay full attention to the onrush of
violence as a
threshold problem that needs to be defeated. Such victory over the
reign of
violence in Urhoboland will allow Urhobo’s two legitimate projects --
creation
of an
Urhobo Progress Union should
expand its
menu of duties to include peace and security in Urhoboland. A Committee
on
Peace and Security in Urhoboland would be appropriate and could
incorporate
retired Police Commissioners as ex-officio members.
The Council of Urhobo Ivie
should
similarly include peace and security in its deliberations. The Ivie
should make
it clear to the Urhobo People that they regard the provision of
security as
part of their royal responsibilities.
As much as possible each Ovie
should have
an Intelligence Officer who will assist the Town or Clan
“President-General”
and his team with security information about violent criminals in their
domain.
Urhobo Progress Union should
consider
helping to coordinate the security work of the different Town and Clan
“Presidents-General” with the aim of strengthening their common efforts
of
providing security in their communities.
Before the campaign for any
election
season begins, Urhobo Progress Union should summon the political
parties and
political platforms to discuss the banning of guns in the campaigns.
They should
be told that Urhobo People will regard those who bring guns into
campaigns in
Urhoboland as unpatriotic because these guns kill Urhobo people.
Urhobo Progress Union should
consider
raising funds from Urhobo communities at home in Urhoboland as well as
from the
Urhobo Diaspora to help finance the security needs of Urhoboland. Such
fund-raising should be extended to the
All
of these
steps – and perhaps more as these are reviewed – require hard work and
a lot of
patience. But the pay-off could be handsome. We are in a crisis. The
Urhobo
People will not forget any institutions and organizations that will pay
attention to this open sore of violence in Urhoboland. Urhobo People
will
reward with great esteem the contributions of our Royal fathers to the
provision of security in Urhoboland. And the Urhobo People will forever
bless
Urhobo Progress Union if it helps to defeat this dangerous expansion of
violence. Above all else, we need to lower the level of violence in
order to
run a proper
Peter P. Ekeh
July 31, 2009