Urhobo Historical Society |
URHOBO ACHIEVEMENTS
By Dia Scott-Emuakpor, Ph.D.
What are these
achievements
and who are the achievers? I would like to discuss these themes under
the
following headings:
Socio-political
Entrepreneurship
Education: Arts and Literature, Science and Medicine,
The
Professions
Religion and Culture
THE
ACHIEVEMENTS
I.
Socio-Political
In the field of
politics
and social awareness, Urhobo had a head start as far back as the
1930s
being one of the first, if not outright first, ethnic nationality in
Nigeria to
organize its people into an awareness-thirsty group, seeking
recognition from
the colonial masters of the day. That culminated in the eventual
founding of Urhobo
Progress Union (UPU) in 1931.This is the first recorded
well-coordinated Urhobo
achievement ever made. Who was behind this achievement? I am sure that
many of
you know too well who the anchorman behind this is. I�ll come back to
this
topic presently.
II.
Entrepreneurship
This is again
another area
of Urhobo achievement often glossed over inadvertently by many a
commentator.
The reason for this is not totally incomprehensible. On the one hand,
it is not
an easily quantifiable and recognizable achievement as judged by its
immediate
impact on a whole community as against its effect on the individual. On
the
other hand, that desirable culture of honesty and hard work among our
people is
rare to come by, especially in these days of mentality of rampant
quick-fix
approach to wealth. That not withstanding, the Urhobo nation has drawn
some
inspiration from a few rare breed of men of integrity and honour of
bygone era.
To this category again belongs, among others, a singular indefatigable
Urhobo
leader. I shall be talking about him and the others soon.
III.
Education: Science & Medicine, Arts and Literature, the
Professions
Political and
social
awareness has its groundings in education. It is in recognition of the
role
which education plays in development that an institution of learning
was
planned for and brought to fruition by our early leaders of thought.
This was
under the aegis of Urhobo Progress Union with the founding of Urhobo
College
Effurun in 1948.
IV.
Religion and Culture
Here too the
Urhobo
achievement stands out as a beacon, a candle held high on a candle
stick
to point the way to Urhobo moral rectitude, spiritual awakening and
awareness.
These combined spiritual values owe their boost to a few individual
Urhobo sons
whose high ethical outlook, rare and phenomenal in some cases,
transcended the
norm of their time. For some of these early Urhobo religious
dignitaries,
going into the priesthood was a way to establish a foothold in the
Christian
religion as a sequel to securing a sure foundation in western
education.
Education was a much sought after safeguard and a prerequisite to
climbing the
ladder of progress and recognition, especially seen in the context of
the
social political setting of those days of colonial rule.
For one
individual, in
particular, the new awakening of the descent of Christian missionaries
and
their literature was perceived as a clear call and signal for him to
proclaim
the dawning of a new era of understanding, love and peace from above,
designed
to supplant the present confused world order of hate, avarice and
outright
man�s exploitation of his fellow man. This Christian individual was
more
interested in elevating the spiritual alertness of men than in using it
as a
springboard to the glories of this world. He started in earnest from
his own
Urhobo home front. This has been an Urhobo achievement. I�ll expatiate
on this
soon.
THE
ACHIEVERS�
I
have managed to list four areas of achievements of the Urhobo people
though in
the process, I have unwittingly given brief sketches of some of the
achievers.
Let me now mention a few core pioneer individuals behind these
achievements.
Mukoro Mowoe
In
Urhobo Political Awareness
Everyone
agrees that Urhobo political struggle really started with the advent of
one man
on the scene. This man was Chief Mukoro Mowoe (Oyinvwin) of Warri and
Evwreni.
I am sure no one would be surprised at the constant mention of this
name. The
reason is simple: �Urhobo as a self-conscious nation began its common
existence
with Mowoe.� These were the words not mine, of Senator David Dafinone
in his
keynote address at the First Annual Conference of Urhobo Historical
Society
held in Canada in 2000. They succinctly sum up much of what Chief
Mukoro Mowoe
stood for. As a product of the initial consequence of British colonial
history
of
It is also pertinent to know that the UPU of Mukoro Mowoe was the successor of the Urhobo Brotherly Society, an earlier organization set up in 1931 by a group of Urhobo businessmen and workforce, designed also to give the Urhobo a united voice to work for progress. A notable Ovu merchant, Omorohwo Okoro led the formation of this movement and was accordingly the first President of the Society. He soon willingly relinquished his leadership role to Chief Mowoe as the Society gathered momentum. Reorganization under Chief Mowoe saw the change of name from Urhobo Brotherly Society to Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) and Mukoro Mowoe became the first President-General of the new Union and thereafter the Life President-General, the only one on whom that title had been bestowed and probably ever would. From then on, the UPU became the rallying point for the Urhobo nation. With the Union�s President-General fast emerging as the virtual most acclaimed individual in Warri Township and in the entire Warri Province, the stature of the UPU which he headed gained ascendancy and with it, the future and fortune of Urhobo.
T.E.A. Salubi
Chief Thompson E. Adogbeji Salubi was in more ways than one, a
remarkable
Urhobo son and patriot. He was a self-made man: self-trained historian
and
writer, self-disciplined and very much self-cultured. Chief Salubi was
a
prolific writer. His amazing chronicles of the Urhobo nation throughout
the
colonial era and thereafter are living testimonies of his literary
versatility
and incomparable flair for literature and the arts. Salubi�s solid
publications
are many.
My earliest
memory of him
was during some of his visits to my father many years ago. He was a
labour man,
a civil servant, working in the �Labour Office� as we knew it then. In
these
present times, the Labour Office would be called the Ministry of Labour
where
he was much involved with employment issues. Chief Salubi�s interaction
with
people and his ability to offer solutions to problems in the Labour
Office made
him a consummate leader of men and matters which prepared him for his
subsequent successful tenure as the President-General of the UPU. Chief
Salubi
cherished the UPU, tended and sustained it over many years. To my mind
Chief
Adogbeji Salubi stands high with the greatest patriotic minds in Urhobo
history.
It is not my wish
to forget
the contributions of other Urhobo eminent leaders, like Chief
Jabin A.
Obahor and Chief Okpodu both of whom also
attained the
exalted position of President-General of the UPU.
Agbontanren Udih
Besides those who
held high
national positions in the UPU, there were others who quietly laboured
behind
the scene, everyone playing his own little but significant role in the
early
development and growth of the UPU. One such worker was Chief Agbotanren
Udih,
one of the earliest national Trustees of the UPU at its incorporation.
Chief
Udih�s patriotism extended outside the confines of Urhobo country. He
lived and
worked in
Samuel Jereton Marhiere
Chief Samuel Jereton Marhiere,
like many a
young Urhobo, was a prot�g� of Chief Mukoro Mowoe to whom he was
particularly
close. Jereton Marhiere looked up to Chief Mowoe like a son would and
was
accordingly so regarded. Marhiere got much of his expertise of
entrepreneurship
and politics from Chief Mukoro Mowoe and became, not surprisingly the
sole
administrator of his business set-up in Agbor for many years. The
shrewd
political ideology and other leadership attributes which young Marhiere
imbibed
from his mentor equipped him for his later governorship role of the
Midwest Region
of Nigeria in 1964 with headquarters in
Omoghwaren
Chief
Moghwaren (Mowarin, to the British colonial administrators) was a
businessman,
politician, and statesman from Agbara-Otor. In an era when it was
almost an
anathema for Urhobo elite to belong to a political party other than the
NCNC,
Chief Moghwaren had the courage of his conviction to go against the
popular
grain to declare himself an Action Group
member and
represented his Urhobo constituency in the Western Region legislature.
Chief
Moghwaren�s only motivation was to put a break to the seemingly
self-inflicted
disservice (so he saw it) by the Urhobo nation whereby Urhobo continued
to play
the role of the underdog, marginalized, sidetracked and starved of
amenities by
the party in government. Rightly or wrongly, he saw little sense in
Urhobo
backing the wrong political horse all the time. In throwing his weight
behind
the Action Group, the party in power in the Region, he succeeded in
paving the
way for development near to Urhobo homeland of the Midwest Region.
Marketing
Boards for rubber/palm produce were established in the Midwest Region
which
paralleled the Cocoa Marketing Board set up in the Yoruba West.
Government-run
rubber and palm oil farms were established for a start in Uronigbe
which
employed many Urhobo youths. Chief Moghwaren was progressive in his
thinking.
He was almost completely self-educated and self-made like many of his
generation. He understood the cravings of the Urhobo for advancement
and recognition
and his patriotic actions were designed to actualize this desire.
It is not going
out of step
to mention that Chief Moghwaren�s wise counsel was always in demand by
young
entrepreneurs like the late Barrister Chief
Ogbemi N.Rewane, the co-founder of
David A. Ejoor
General David
Ejoor belongs
to the onset of an unsettled era in the politics of
.
In
Entrepreneurship
As I earlier
mentioned, Chief
Mukoro Mowoe was a pioneer businessman and entrepreneur, a notable
government contractor, motor transporter and a trader in rubber. Such
traders
in raw produce materials were called �factors� in those days. Chief
Mowoe
influenced many of his generation to do the same. His breakthrough into
the
politics of the day owed much to his success in this area as this gave
him the
leverage and eventual political clout to interact with the colonial
powers that
be.
Chief Mowoe was
not alone
in this field and indeed, in the political struggles that were to
follow. He
had quite a few contemporaries, like Chief Omorohwovo Okoro
a
notable successful businessman from Ovu and others who
constituted the
core members of an emerging political union, called the Urhobo
Brotherly
Society. This society was the forerunner of the now familiar Urhobo
Progress
Union (UPU) as I stated earlier.
Michael Ibru
Happily, there
are today�s
parallel runners-up in this area of entrepreneurship. Chief Michael
Ibru, the
doyen and present patriarch of the Ibru family is one. Michael started
small alone
on leaving Igbobi College in Lagos. He was a brilliant student and
could have
easily gone to university like many of his contemporaries, but opted
instead
into the business world. By sheer pluck, driven by grand lofty vision,
he has
been able to build and sustain a chain of business which today employs
many
hundreds, if not thousands of people from our own Nigerian ethnic
divide and
from abroad. Many an Urhobo youth is known to be beneficiaries of the
hard work
of this astute Urhobo business tycoon.
It runs in the
family.
Chief Michael Ibru roped in virtually all his siblings into business
pursuit,
thereby making it a bigger family business conglomerate. One of these
siblings
is Olorogun Felix O. Ibru, a prolific writer, consummate
politician and of course, a businessman. We all know that the Nigerian
Guardian
newspaper is the brain child of Felix Ibru who, as its Managing
Director,
with ardent organizational prowess made the Guardian newspaper the
outstanding quality newsprint that it is, in Nigeria.
Chief Felix Ibru
is an
intrepid politician and a wise administrator, qualities which have
endeared him
to the upright and best and also earned him envy and bigotry from the
sick and
disgruntled. All in all, his excellent record of diligence and love for
selfless public service earned him the exalted position of the first
elected
governor of
Gamaliel Onosode
I want to add
another
gentleman of note here, not because he happened to be a childhood
friend, but
because of his well-deserved widely acclaimed business and boardroom
expertise.
A brilliant student of classic, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode is an Urhobo
business
sage who has greatly influenced the ideas and aroused the intrinsic
business
management skill of many a Nigerian youth, nation-wide. Deacon Gamaliel
Onosode�s accolades are many.
In
Educational Awareness:
i. The
Sciences
Urhobo College
Effurun was founded
to provide the opportunity for Urhobo youths to acquire the necessary
education
that had become the yardstick to measure progress and supply the
springboard
towards recognition and acceptance in Society. Again, the seed for
this
was sown by Chief Mowoe and the UPU. This is Urhobo achievement. Here
is how it
happened.
M.G. Ejaife and E.N. Igho
The challenging
role of
administering and running the new college was undertaken by the very
first and
second Urhobo graduates, Messrs M.G. Ejaife and E.N. Igho, in that
order. They
became the principal and science teacher of the college, respectively.
Between
them, together with other teaching personnel like Chief Daniel
Okumagba,
Chief Ejaife
contributed to
Urhobo achievement in another area. Not many know that he was also a
shrewd
politician. He was and became the first Urhobo senator in the Nigerian
Upper
Chamber during the
F.M.A. Ukoli and contemporaries
Let me now bridge
the
generation gap by stepping into the present and this is taking me
straight on
to other stalwart educationalists like Professor Frank M.A. Ukoli, the
first
Urhobo PhD holder and the first to have attained a professorial rank. A
gifted
scientist, Frank Ukoli (FSA) was Head of the department of Zoology in
the
Professor
Matthew B.
Scott-Emuakpor, another
Urhobo
son could be said to share a parallel scientific inventiveness with
Professor
Frank Ukoli. Matthew became the second Urhobo PhD holder in the pure
sciences.
He held the Chair of Botany in the
To this list of
academics,
I am adding Professor Onigu Otite, the eminent
anthropologist and
sociologist in his own right. Then, there is Professor Peter P. Ekeh,
the
dynamic organizer and prolific chronicler of many a historical profile
of men
and founder and coordinator of the study group, Urhobo Historical
Society. There
is need to mention Professor Andrew Onokeroraye,
Professor of
Geography and Town Planning in the University of Benin and later
becoming the
University�s Vice Chancellor. Andrew is the third ever Urhobo son to
rise to
the enviable academic pinnacle of vice-chancellorship of a university,
coming
behind Professor Phillip Kuale, the first, and Professor
Frank
Ukoli, the second. Professor Phillip Kuale was the Dean of the Faculty
of
Engineering in the
Rex Akpofure
Chief
Rex Akpofure, the articulate debonair
school master
and accomplished sportsman, was an Urhobo through and through who lost
nothing
of his native Urhobo airs and culture despite his exterior �oyibo�
trait. Dr
Akpofure could be said to be a bridge between what was virtuous in
British
colonial administration in
In
Educational Awareness:
ii. The Arts and
Literature
M.O. Ighrakpata
Let me return to
the 40s
again to find another veteran Urhobo educationalist, elite among a few
of his
time. He is Chief M.O. Ighrakpata of the era of Chief Mukoro Mowoe,
Chief Scott
J.M. Emuakpor, Chief Jabin A. Obahor, Chief
Okpodu and others. Chief Ighrakpata was a
traveling teacher
in the government service, a position that equates today with that of
inspector
of schools. Such was the standing of the man and his passion for
learning and excellence
that made him the vanguard for the establishment of the first standard
Urhobo
orthography.
Ben Okri
The Urhobo nation
has not
lagged behind in the Arts and Literature either. The name Ben Okri
comes to
mind easily. Ben Okri occupies a foremost position among past and
present
generation of novelists and poets in
L.E. Scott-Emuakpor
In the earlier
years as
Information Officer, Chief Scott-Emuakpor was posted to the Nigerian
Police
Force as the Forces� first Public Relations Officer and covered the
Nigerian
Police action in the
Bruce Onobrakpeya
Speaking about
arts and
culture, mention should be made of Bruce Onobrakpeya,
a
reputed Urhobo visual artist. It is fair to say that Bruce ranks with
the best
artists on the African continent and his works are attracting a
clientele that
stretches beyond
Sam E. Oyovbaire
At this point, I
would like
to mention the later contribution to the publicity efforts of the
Federal
government to project its international image. The man, appointed to do
this
was Professor Sam E. Oyovbaire who was a professor of
political science in the
13
In
Educational Awareness:
iii. The Professionals
Who are these
professionals? They are men and women whose individual achievements
have
enriched other lives. Urhobo has her share of these people. Many were
role
models and are still role models today.
David Dafinone
Senator David
Dafinone is a
renowned accountant, an outspoken politician and a respected Urhobo
elder
statesman whose successful accountancy firm can be said to be one of
the first
large corporate accounting partnership in
Our
Law Men and Women
Ayo Irikefe
Justice Ayo
Irikefe was an
Urhobo who exemplified the courage and stark determination to achieve
and so he
did. He rose from the ranks and proceeded
to the
There are other
legal
luminaries both on the bench and at the bar. We had
Justice
Aghoghovbia who was the first Urhobo judge in Warri and for a
long
time, the only one. Then came Justice V.E.
Ovie-Whiskey
followed by Justice (Mrs.) Marceline Okungbowa
(nee Menta),
both of whom rose to the enviable height of Chief Judge of the old
Midwest
(Bendel) State and Delta State, respectively. Justice
Ovie-Whiskey
was also appointed chairman of the Federal Electoral Commission, the
famous
FEDECO of 1983.
That
the current Chief Judge of
Our Medical Men
Here
again the list is growing fast with quite a number, along the way,
reaching
heights of prominence that are doing Urhobo proud.
F.E. Esiri
Dr Chief F.E. Esiri is the first Urhobo medical practitioner
that I know
of. The successful completion alone, of his medical course was enough
stimuli
in those days to any Urhobo youth with an appetite for the medical
profession
to want to become a doctor. I was a school boy in
Added to this
achievement,
Chief Dr Esiri has been a dedicated member of Urhobo Progress Union and
functioned as secretary in various branches of the organization.
He rose from the ranks to the national
stage to become, first,
the Deputy President-General and later, the President-General of the
UPU. His
dedication as a leader and Urhobo patriot was highlighted by the way he
steered
the UPU ship from the rocks which threatened its existence in more
recent
years. His calm leadership earned him the Urhobo leadership award
recently. His
is a legacy of selfless service which the younger generation in Urhobo
should
take on board in order to restore the much needed calm and trust to the
Urhobo
Progress Union of today.
Moses Mowoe and others
Dr Moses Mowoe,
the second
son of the evergreen Urhobo leader Oyinvwin, Chief Mukoro Mowoe and the
second
Urhobo Medical doctor completes the list of first generation doctors in
Urhobo
country. Dr Mowoe was the first Director of Medical Services in the
Since that time
many Urhobo
youngsters have walked the path these early masters have trodden. I�ll
mention
just a couple, not because they are necessarily the most illustrious of
them
all, but because of their passionate demonstrable zeal in other Urhobo
affairs.
Jackson Omene, a professor of paediatrics and Ajovi
Scott-Emuakpor, a human geneticist and also a paediatrics
professor,
are two names that readily come to mind. The duo-partnership epitomized
selfless to duty. Together, with the
cooperation of the
team they fashioned and led, the teaching hospital of the
As I speak, I am
keenly
aware of the wide remit I had to contend with, which is, Urhobo
Achievements by
Urhobo indigenes of note. I would like to crave your indulgence if I
end up not
quite meeting all expectations.
Urhobo
Religion and Culture
I am now moving
quickly
from the mundane to the sublime. I promised to return to this theme. I
want to
begin by confessing my ignorance of the subject of Urhobo Traditional
Religion
which is often tied up with our culture. I am no authority on this.
Speaking
for myself though, I am not so sure how Urhobo development and demands
of the
21st Century in Science and Technology have been enhanced by
our
traditional religion. This could well be a topic for a different paper.
I have
therefore chosen to vacate this area of expertise to more knowledgeable
advocates of our primeval past and focus, instead, on the so-often
dubbed �new
western� or �white man� religion, that is, the Christian Faith on which
is predicated
present day civilization and progress as we know it. Understandably,
the
Christian religion constitutes the hub on which rotates the wheel of
progress
which the Urhobo nation had from time clamored for, if we are not to
face
complete elimination from this race for advancement of the human
race!
Agori-Iwe
Among the first
Urhobo
religious dignitaries to identify the Christian religion as leverage to
prosperity and recognition was Bishop Agori-Iwe of Okuama � Ewu in
Urhobo.
Bishop Agori-Iwe passed through the ranks of the Anglican religious
hierarchy
with a diligence which could only have been the product of
Urhobo patriotism and a visionary, propelled by an inner
conviction to
do God�s bidding. He rose to the top as the Anglican Bishop of the
Benin
Diocese in
Agambi
Another Urhobo
patriot who
altered the course of local Urhobo history, certainly for the greater
good, was
Pastor Agambi of Agbon. Agambi started initially as an Anglican but had
cause
to break ranks with the authorities. He then came into the American
Baptist
Community where he quickly became one the leaders and
was instrumental in
bringing the Baptist Mission to Eku and with it, the Baptist Hospital.
Only an
act of dedicated service to and love for his Urhobo people could have
achieved
this.
Gideon M. Urhobo
A few years
before all
this, the introduction of Christian literature and the bible to Nigeria
by
various missionaries from abroad was fast fanning the enquiring mind of
another
Urhobo man whose family had earlier embraced the Roman Catholic faith
in
Agbarra (Agbassa) in Warri. This man was Gregory Mogboruko Ukoli who had already risen to the position of a
catechist
in the Warri Roman Catholic Church in preparation to the pursuit of a
career in
the church. Gideon Meriodere Urhobo (G.M. Urhobo) as he came to be
popularly
known later, saw spiritual light in a completely different setting, a
non-conformist setting that flew in the face of the general direction
of
foreign-based Christian teachings, dogmas and practices. The continuing
agitated mind of Gideon Urhobo soon led him into meditation and before
long he
felt convinced of God�s call to change direction. He preached straight
from the
pages of the bible the message of God, in sharp contrast to the bare
moralist
instructions that was the central feature of the Orthodox Church
groups. In his
own words, �When after three and half years diligent and prayerful
studies of
he Holy Bible, Jesus Christ revealed himself to me and commanded
me to go
and preach the everlasting gospel or the gospel of peace to all nations
and kings
as the only remedy for all human sufferings��� This was in 1934 and the
group
of Christians which he organized, starting in
Others
Quite a number of
latter time
churchmen abound today who have in their various ways enhanced the
spiritual life of the Urhobo and enriched their psyche. Professor
Sam
Erivwo, the biographer of the Life and Work of Bishop Agori-
Iwe is one
of these.
Urhobo
Culture in Sound and Music
Two famous names
feature
prominently here, Messrs Omokomoko Osokpa of Orogun and Ogute
of
Udu. They were reputed great maestros, teachers and exponents of
Urhobo
music, culture and traditions. Omokomoko Osokpa featured mainly in
Urhobo folk
dance steps and choreography and in music for modern rhythmic movements
while
Ogute Otan of Udu popularized the Udje dance
style as practised today in the entire
Urhoboland.
They stand tall in Urhobo dance culture.
In conclusion, I would like to think that I have managed to
produce
an outline of some Urhobo achievers and their achievements. They are
all
remarkable Urhobos, past and present. The list is by no means full. I
want to
beg the indulgence of one and sundry for any serious error, be it of
omission
or commission that may have been made inadvertently.
I am confident
that the
knowledge of the lives and experience of these intrepid men and women
is going
to provide inspiration to this and future generation of Urhobo to help
to find
the Urhobo Utopia which we are all sailing out together to discover.
To accomplish
this, there
is need to create the healthy cooperative climate among ourselves as
Urhobos
and to pull down the barriers to progress and facilitate growth. Our
forebears
have laid a firm foundation. Let this generation build on it, not with
straw
nor with stubble, but with reinforced concrete of diligence and
selflessness.
One way to do this is to build bridges to span across the old and new
ideas and
establish a continuum between yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Yesterday�s
experience
lives on to channel today�s energy and aspirations towards
tomorrow�s
achievements. It is my hope that your bridge, this Urhobo Bridge does
not
become a bridge too far, but one of adequate span, length and strength
designed
to help bring together the brightest and best of this and
future generation
of Urhobo youths, working together with a unity of purpose for the
greater
glory of the Urhobo nation.
I SALUTE YOU ALL. URHOBO WAADO���O!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
*Dafinone, David, O. (2000) Urhobo Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow: Where Do We Stand
Now? �
Keynote Address
at the First Annual Meeting and Conference of Urhobo
Historical
*Eke, Peter, P. (2005) Mukoro Mowoe and Urhobo Destiny. UHS website: www.waado.org
*Erivwo, Sam, U. (1998) The
Life and Work of Agori-Iwe, First Bishop of
(Anglican Communion). www.waado.org/Biographies
*Esangbedo, John. (2003) Rex Akpofure(1930-2003).
www.waado.org/Memorial/RexAkpofure
*Ikime, Obaro (1977) The
Member for
Mowoe of Warri 1890-1948.
UHS website)
*Urhobo, G.M. (1951) My Eighteen Years of
Kingdom
Service (Reprinted July 1991). GKS
*Dictionary of Literary Biography on Ben Okri. www.bookrags.com/biography/ben-okri-dlb2
*Yahoo! Search Results. ben okri nobel. uk.search.yahoo.com/search