URHOBO HISTORICAL SOCIETY CONFERENCE 2002

GOLDSMITH COLLEGE UNIVERSITY

LONDON, UK

Wilson Ometan, B.A. Hons, Dipl. (IT) London, United Kingdom

Urhobos and Nigerian Politics: The Travails of Marginalization and Racism

APPRECIATION TO THE INITIATORS OF THIS EPOCH

I am delighted to be in the midst of such literary giants and academics we have here today. My special thanks to the Originators, the Editorial and Management Committee of the Urhobo Historical Society for their foresight & energy put into this Historical turn around. For the benefit of doubt; I am of diverse origin, my great grand Father is of Edo origin Mr. Ebodi of Effurun a hunter who was also Ogbu., my paternal grand mother was Itsekiri, and my maternal grand Father was Okpe. We need to set the records straight

The Urhobos are a special breed. We are because; we are a Tribe of various ethnic groups, we are because we have a territory we call our own, we are because we have a language of our own, we are because we are industrious, we are because we have our Religion, we are because we have a common ancestry, we are because we have skills, we are because the Creator made us to be so. Anybody who claims we don't exist is to be insane.

With these elements of cultures & attributes listed above, the Governments of Nigeria still find it expedient to marginalise the Urhobos. In this paper I will be guessing the reasons as to what makes the Governments tow this line. Is it because we don't exist as their stooges will make them believe or our elite cum leaders are not politicking & lobbying enough.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN URHOBO, IJO & ITSEKIRI

I shall start briefly by reminding you of the relationship between the Ijos, Urhobos and the Itsekiris of the Niger Delta. I will leave you at the end of this paper to deduce for yourself if the Itsekiris at one time in history were able to make the Urhobos who are natural born killers in self defence, greater in number and in strength subservient to them. Am saying this because most of our problems originated from the arrival of the Itsekiris in the Niger Delta.

The Urhobos, Ijos and Itsekiris have been trade neighbours who intermarried and will continue to do so. These communities have been trading since their history began using the medium or currency of trade by barter and cowries and there-after came the ages of iron and copper. I grow up in the 20 th century to see trade by barter still practised in our markets with products exchanged as fish, palm fruits, wood works, cola-nuts, tapioca, garri. There is the ugly story of the these communities also engaging in domestic human trade, the Ijos sells to the Urhobo and vice versa, the itsekiris sells to the Urhobos and vice-versa. A custom practised in the continent for the exchange of cloths, silverware, clay ware chinaware, gold, palm oil, local gin, beads and gun-powder to name a few. And there are situations where people who could not pay back loans and other forms of debt are taken in for slave labour. This is supported by G. Mokhtar in his reference that “existing evidence points to the existence from early Iron age times of a complex and extensive network of long-distance trade, thriving on local contemporary craft industries, especially (e.g. in fish and salt) between coastal peoples and inland farming peoples on the one hand, and also between the latter peoples to the south and more pastoralist societies to the north on the other. Important local products traded included iron ore and stone (for tools and weapons), leather, salt, grain, dried fish, cloth, pottery, woodwork, cola nuts and iron personal ornaments” (General History of Africa: 2ndAncient Civilizations of Africa).

Till now, I have read history extensively and have not seen a record either in text or proof in artefacts of any kind that the Urhobos were at a time collectively or in sections quarantined and tagged the serfs, slaves or servants of some weak or valiant people; instead, what I saw points to the accusers as the victims. The proofs are there. What we now know is that, this propaganda is the handwork of some powers that be because those whom they cannot steal their resources by persuasion, they get rid of by force. To achieve this; they will reduce the minds of the supposed and conceived enemy into vegetable state by propaganda. This penchant for repression and corruption was carried over to the Nigerian state with those trained by the state as judges, intelligence officers, advisers on state matters and Soldiers. Successive governments in Nigeria has used Friedrich Ratzel's writings of racist tactics of “A superior people, invading the territory of its weaker savage neighbours, robs them of their land, forces them into corners too small for their support, and continues to encroach even upon this meagre possession, till the weaker finally loses the last remnant of its domain, is literally crowded off the earth” In this manner, the Nigerian state and its cohorts has clearly gone contrarily to the principle of racism on which some western capitalists built their argument of how to dispossess the weak because;

(1) The Urhobos are not a weak People

(2) Nobody should have forgotten the Ogbu Cult for our Territorial defence

(3) The Urhobo Tribe is the seventh largest in a country of about 120 million people

(4) We are republicans who are not known for savagery.

So, what are the reasons for this racism? Is it because of the propaganda waged on us by the Itsekiri ? If it is, then it must be stamped out. We at some distant past migrated from Ife to Benin about 600 years AD, and by 11 hundred years AD began another migration from Benin to the present territory during the dynasty period of Ogiso because of the cruelty of the Ogiso kings. Let me start by saying that there are three events in my mind which corroborate these oral and written History of our race. First is the story told me by my mother; that there lived a certain Okpe King, because he was so cruel, he will ask his subjects to cut down a palm tree without letting it fall to the ground but should be supported to the ground with hands. At a certain time, the community could no more swallow this autocracy that they dug his grave for him to sit. Remember, the Okpe is the direct son of Igboze, a son of the Oba of Benin who has the blood of Ogiso running through his vains. Secondly, another corroboration is the 13 or more Royal staff of office in my Paternal Grand Mothers Town Ekpan, the two ruling houses alternates. If we have to assume that each staff of office represents each century having in mind some periods of Regents in between, then you will be looking at 11 th century face to face or a period near it. Thirdly, our Language is of cause Edoid in some semantics and phonetics, proverbs and songs. But we were not of Edo by the period of our migration but Ogisoid.

ARE THESE CAUSES OF SUBORDINATE POSITION?

There are stories of our Urhobo fore fathers going to Benin to receive staff of office and acknowledgement before assuming the position of a king; though this practise is political, it has a connotation of which effect is not good for our name. There is also the history of the Olu of the Itsekiri, who married in Ekpan, on his death as a practice even by our own Okpe royal system, the first wife was sort to be buried with him. On her way from Benin after receiving the necessary ritual objects a bird or deep throat informed her that she will be buried with her late husband. She disappeard but her younger brother was buried in her place during a period of superstition and ignorance.

I was surfing through Waado website when I stumbled on the works of the indefatigable Mr. D.A. Obiomah about the justice Omosun's report on Ekpan & Ubeji riot of 1978. Justice Omosun in his biased views notes that: “at the proceedings, the Itsekiris and councel assume an air of superiority. The Urhobo counterparts gave the impression without apparent reason that they were labouring under complex. No opportunity was lost in droning on them that they were slaves to Itsekiris in the past” This is a serious view and unwarranted provocation coming from a government functionary. But I am not surprised because Omosun is a Yoruba and Itsekiri name. Many will want to spit in the face of that Omosun if he is still alive. Does the Omosun know that:

•  The Itsekiris are favoured because he represents them?

•  The Itsekiris are backed by the Yorubas?

•  The Urhobo people in the dock men and children were incaserated for weeks while the Itsekiris were not?

•  The Obasanjo Government sent Kill and Go Mobile men to raid Ekpan town but the itsekiris were not treated the same?

•  The Urhobos were not as cohesive among its Ethnic groups as the Itsekiris with Yorubas, and lack leadership by that time?

•  The Urhobos in the dock have no one financing the trial?

•  The Urhobos in the dock were the only people tried in a two community fighting dispute?

•  That the Urhobos in the dock were Uvwie people who are the direct aborigine of Benin?

The final insult was the confiscation and naming of the vast pine apple and other mixed crops farm as Warri farm. This is the result of their provocations in raping our women on their way to the farms.

Omosun's remarks is an indication of how his tribe and any other tribe sees the Urhobos which is why some of the Governments actions towards our people is luke warm in terms of environmental development and the control of our resources. Interestingly, these people in history are the sole victims of their own design in servitude.

OUR ELITE IN THE PAST

The question I will like to ask here is that; why did our elite allow them this free rein for this lacuna of our political period with such a monstrous propaganda. Did the propaganda and blackmail got to them. There had been cases of some of our elites getting to positions in Nigerian politics but failed for not acting to correct the anomalies to restore our status viz aviz the problems in Warri and other areas of strife including the propaganda and blackmail. Propaganda is like hypnotism, it renders the psyche unable to help itself by sticking to the subconcious. It does a gravious damage to the personality of the most wealthy, educated, wise & confident person on earth. The oppressor employs it to control people by hurting, degrading, their pride, prestige so that their wealth can be taken away from them. Our elite who failed in their time could be having sympathy for the other tribe because they may be related or for fear of reprisals. Or could it be the case of selling ones birthright for a meal?

RACISM

Having received a good dose of racism at home and in foreign lands, I believe that I am one of the people who is in the best position to discuss this matter. It is imperative that we deal with it or else it will metamorphose into further encroachment in our lands. Mark my word; that we have seen a global invasion of lands for Human resources before; we have also seen invasions for the occupation of our lands before, now it is the global capitalist invasion of same lands. Tell me why history will not repeat itself for the invasion of these lands for a permanent seizure considering our mistakes before and now for lack of science & technological know how. This is the time to put all our enthusiasm and efforts in building science and technology.

Some people think that racism is only about black and white skins. No, racism exists among blacks, among Africans, among Nigerians, among Urhobos and among Ethnic groups. For those who don't know the meaning of racism, I will give a definition and short explanation here.

On one hand; racism is the discrimination by a person of the other person, group, tribe, ethnic group, union, club, class because of his or their religion, colour, language, tradition, attitude and looks without actually knowing that person or his tribe. On the other hand, racism is a specific form of discrimination usually based on membership of a minority ethnic group, a system of group dominance which is structured and ideological. It also means that it embodies political, economical and socio-cultural structures of inequality. Those who practice racism uses the processes and practices of exclusion, oppression and marginalisation. Racism comes out in the form of violence, overt and covert thugishness. But these forms are seen as actions perpetrated by the man on the street. No, these actions are actually planned, organised and executed in strategic, tactical and operational tables.

We are witnesses to the massacre of people in Ogoni land, in Benue land by Soldiers, the deployment of armed troups to Urhobo land and elsewhere in the Niger Delta with orders to kill, but this same orders does not apply to some sections of the Country. We are witnesses to the Inter-tribal wars in Warri and environs. These are strategies used to try to seize our lands and resources. I remember in 1977, the Government wrote a letter to the communities where the Ekpan refinery named Warri refinery is situated. The letter specifically named Ekpan and Ubeji (Odin) to hold their peace otherwise royalties for the land will not be paid to them. Few weeks later, war broke out. Urhobo know thyself. Of the two definitions, the latter best describes the position of the Urhobo in Nigerian Politics.

The Urhobos had been systematically excluded by those who feel that Nigeria belongs to them. But what are the reasons for this exclusion. You may be surprised that we are being excluded as a people who does not matter; a false belief which alludes to the propaganda and blackmail waged on us by the Itsekiris. If not, who can explain why a tribe with a population of seventh largest in the country are nobodies. We are excluded not only in the political and economic management of the country, but also in corruption. Just look at the individual profile of looted money discovered in foreign Banks published in London Times and culled by Body and Soul Magazine of 3 rd August 1999 , page 13 and you will find no single Urhobo name. I am not saying we should be corrupt; what that ugly scale of measurement shows is that, we are not in the politics of Nigeria. We should remember that the reason for discrimination is to seize wealth from those they feel superior to; a design by invaders using the apparatuses of religion and tribe. These elements are used by telling the other tribe and faith of its superiority to the other; and so have the divine right to own everything. Once one of the groups start exerting authority over the other, strife becomes order of the day. While you busy fighting yourselves with the invader providing arms and ammunitions, they will be helping themselves with your resources. This same scenario plays itself out every time in the third world. Urhobo know thyself.

URHOBOS ARE NOT YOUR SLAVES: HAVE NEVER BEEN SLAVES TO ANY TRIBE

Slavery is an emotional word; it denotes, hopelessness, no freedom, subservience, no paid work etc., it also connotes in today's world insecurity, fear, disgrace, lack of pride, paranoia etc. The propaganda and blackmail levelled on the Urhobos will be sticking to our pride and freedom if not repudiated. It is therefore imperative to tell in a synopsis form the tale of world slavery. I say synopsis because the story of slavery is a very large one. I shall provide some paradigms documented by whom that felt the story should be told as it is. I have read world history of slavery and am yet to see where the Urhobos were quarantined, put in camps or exiled as in the case of the accuser. How can natural born killers in self defence be enslaved by some weak and lazy aquatic persons. What the weak and lazy cannot obtain in the physical realm, he acquires with the mouth using propaganda learned from invaders.

Those who have ruined the name of Nigeria should be condemned to the dust bin of history. These people who cannot use their skills for mankind's development were quickly identified the moment the first invaders arrived and used them for a long time up to four centuries. The luxury of stealing humans and selling cheaply to the outside world is not a trade to be proud of. Since the luxury stopped, the only means left for survival is to grab other people's land using government machineries after taking over from the invaders. Which is why I agree with Aliyi Ekineh that : “As the imperial powers got ready to quit, the fear of Marxist elements taking over worried them. In some cases, they installed stooges and nincompoops who soon developed a penchant for sybaratism that led to corruption and later repression” (Nigeria; Foundation of Disintegration: Aliyi Ekineh, ( New Millennium)).

LET US GO INTO THE STORY OF SLAVERY FOR A WHILE

Slavery is not an issue for one or two nations; it is an issue of every nation on earth. In-fact, Mankind has enslaved himself. But anyone who believe that his nation, tribe and ethnic group has no link with slavery is deluding himself. But that person can be forgiven because he maybe ignorant.

PARADIGMS OF SLAVERY

From the antiquity years to the 12 th Century; the Europeans were engulfed in self slavery.

Most importantly; during and after the time of the Roman Empire including the worst years of the dark ages i.e. the 6 th & 7 th Centuries, a period when Scythian (Indo-European Tribes) slaves could be bought in Antioch (Turkey) and the Goths (Germanic Tribes) in Rome. A time also when the new masters of the Roman Empire obtained most of their slaves by capture in war and wars by this time was a common feature. There was a continuous fighting among the different Anglo-Saxon Monarchies and them against the Celts in west of Britain whom were brought back as slaves. The Franks too were fighting against Aquitainean Goths or Bretons; another group of Celts in France and bringing back slaves. Even in the post imperial period of Visigothic Spain, people were being sold for debts owed, but others deliberately sold relatives for food, better life or because of poverty.

In the middle ages, Slave markets prospered on slaves of Saxon, Wends and Avars at Verdun and Lyons with particular fairs for Slavs. Eunoch Slaves were the pride of Verdun market sold to the Moors (North Africans) who were occupying Spain. The Moors while in Spain, raided France and made away with Slaves. This phenomenon still persisted till the 8 th Century when the Visigoths fell to another superior force and the whole population of Carthage; a City in modern Tunisia were enslaved and of 30.000 sent to Damascus (now the Capital of Syria).

There was also the history of the Umayyad ( Umayyad: a Muslim dynasty founded by Mu'awiya and centred on Damascus, which wrested control of the Arab empire from Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad ) of Cordoba (A city in Andalusia, Southern Spain) acting in imitation of the Abbasid Caliphs ( Abbasid: a Muslim dynasty, ruling most of the central Middle East (750-1258) claiming descent from Abbas, uncle of the Prophet Muhammad ) in Baghdad, began to employ slaves as soldiers and by the middle of the 9 th Century, the Caliph there had a Slave army of 60.000 silent ones, they were named thus because being German, English, or Slav spoke no Arabic. Yusef Ibn-Tashufun the Almoravid ( Almoravid : , a Berber dynasty that originated in North Africa (1061-1145), and in Spain from 1086 ), favoured these Christians Slaves because they fought well against Christian rulers.

POST ANTIQUITY

Every World Power has got its own Era; So, the Christians in Spain began to regain their pride and emulated the Muslims behaviour in a re-conquest of the peninsula by killing the population of Muslims and enslaving some.. At a later date of 1287, many Mulsim Slaves from all over the Mediterranean and beyond also passed directly into Castilian ( Spanish) hands and at the same period, King Alfonso the 3 rd of Aragon (formerly a kingdom, now a province in northern Spain) was busy selling 40.000 Moors after he captured Minorca.  

And of course one should not forget the Ottoman Empire. In a siege of one year, the Turks invaded Nicosia Cyprus in the month of August 1571 and Famagusta fell to them with 20,000 people slaughtered and the remaining sold into slavery. That invasion was ordered by the Ottoman ruler Selim the 2 nd under the Commander of Lala, Mustafa Pasha. Even right from the 14 th century, there was one Thomas Vincentius of Tarragona (Eastern Spain , a port on the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia), he bought 2 white slaves, one from Crimea, 2 Turks, 1 Greek, and 2 Olive skinned Slaves. This was the same period when black slaves became numerous. What I have in History is shocking; those communities who engaged in buying and selling slaves were themselves passed through the rigour of slavery before and this phenomenon became a recurring decimal round the world, from India to China, from Indo-European to Middle East, from North Africa to other parts of Africa. So then, the first African slaves to land in Portugal on the 8 th of August 1444, numbering 235 were a combination of confused Moors, and Sudan people (Sudan: an Arab word for Black people), described as: “there were some white enough, fair enough, and well proportioned; others were less white, like mulattos; others again were as black as Ethiops (Ethiopia: period when this Country represents the black Continent), and so ugly, both in features and in body, as almost appear…the images of a lower hemisphere” (The Slave Trade: Hugh Thomas; TSP).

Thus in 1390s, the King of Bornu complained bitterly to the sultan of Egypt that the Tribesmen were always seizing “Our People” as merchandise; and indication of the yoke of raids into interior Africa by North Africans, a period of incessant inter-tribal wars when the Oyo Kingdom was having several slaves in the Palace including the exodus of mass slave shipment from the Yoruba race, a period also when the Kings on the river Senegal; trubutries of the Songhai and Mali had many slaves which were either stolen or bought from the market. Mention should be made of this trade in the Bight of Benin of Five Rivers; 1. Rio Primeiro (the fist river), 2. Rio Fermoso (the Beautiful, or the Benin river; owned by the Benin but managed by the Itsekiris & Ijos who bought their slaves at inland auctions or sold people of their own community, because the leaders of Benin stayed apart from this trade for a while), 3. Rio dos Escravos (the slave river; owned by the Itsekiris who bought their slaves at inland auctions or sold people of their own community), 4. the Rio dos Forcados (the swallowtail river; owned by the Ijos who bought their slaves at inland auctions or sold people of their community), and 5. the Rio dos Ramos (the Creek river; owned by the Calabars but managed by the Ijos and Itsekiris who bought their slaves at inland auctions and sold people of that community). By the 15 th Century; slaves obtained were either taken to Elmina or Christianburg (Ghana; with 4-5 fortresses) where they are exchanged for Gold dust or taken to Cape verde's sugar plantations for labour administered by Lancados (Portuguese exile criminals) or, taken to the Americas. We will should not forget in a hurry of the Arochukwu cult in the East of which stock is the systematic stealing of humans by way of Oracle worship and service.

While these are happening around us; the Benin Kingdom in the 19 th Century was having a tough time with the Nupe invasion of its Northern province and carting away of slaves. The Northern province later came under the authority of the Emir of Bida and from this time, tributes from the Benin Empire especially slaves were being paid to the Emir of Bida. Because of the weakness of the Benin Empire at this time, the King of Ileshia, Ogedengbe was also ransacking other parts of the Northern province of the Empire and carting away slaves.

There is an example worth mentioning; how they go stealing humans. “In 1789, some account of how the trade was managed here was given to the British Privy Council by Isaac Parker, an English Ship keeper who jumped ship in Duke Town in 1765. He told how he had gone on an expedition to find slaves with a dealer named Dick Ebro- it was a journey of kidnappers, pure and simple. His African friends armed some canoes and went up the river, lying in the bushes in the day when they came near a village, and taking hold of everyone they could see. These they handcuffed, brought down to the canoes, and so proceeded up the river, till they got…forty five whom they returned to New Town (The Slave Trade; Hugh Thomas, TSP)

At this juncture, I will ask; who owns Escravos, it is Itsekiri, who did history point fingers at for selling their own in Escravos?, It is Itsekiri. But there is another pregnant question I still want to ask. Why did the Itsekiris flee their Yoruba Province in the past? Were they driven out because of their trade or high service that borders on mercenary or they were the slaves of the Yorubas in the past? History is deep into Antiquity.

We have seen a tip of history of how slavery went on our shores. We have also seen that contrary to the propaganda waged on us to tarnish our image, there had been no evidence whatsoever that shows that the Urhobo were at one time or the other were serfs, servants or slaves of any tribe in Nigeria or elsewhere.

SOLUTION

There had been views in the press lately and if one can use these views as opinion polls of the masses, then I can predict that sooner or later, the people whom some of our elites say are the real Deltans will be agitating for something of their own. But why are we forgetting history so quickly, the chalice used to measure for us of which we detest is being used to measure for a minority in our state. Thank God that those who which to marginalize and emasculate us have been unable to fulfil their dreams; but then there are some even among Urhobo who still tow the Nigerian Government Lines. There are some Ethnic groups among Urhobo who find it expedient to drag the other ethnic group to the Courts for Land dispute settlements simply because, 1. they want to make political statement, 2. they want a piece of the action which the sued group is enjoying, 3. they have got people in government, 4. they've got legal representatives, 5. they are being used by some state functionaries to favour the Nigerian state. These are the fall-outs of a nation state of which political class has no Ideals and Idiology. In Marxi's sociology; a class is the supreme, indeed the only relevant, collective identity and the sole motor of history. There are many kinds of social classes among these are, aristocrats of various kinds, bourgeoises, prolitariates etc. who have provided bases for a decisive political and military actions and eventual formation of hegemony. We have seen the constant hegemonic change of the Nigerian Government by the North civilian and military. This is where our political class has failed. But we should not fail to acknowledge our Heros of the past. Messrs Mowoe, Mariere, Salubi, Okumagba among others. Nobody has been able to equal these men. Our new political class have failed us because we lost out big time in the hegemony of ruling Nigeria though this can be remedied if we have a common voice devoid of personal interests.

One of the reasons why our position is of no consequence in the Nigerian politics is because our elite are only imitating the Nigerian political class. Because class identities emerge from the sphere of production and exchange but same cannot be said of Nigeria's ruling class. Their aim is to plunder, plunder and plunder the national purse.

To change the course of events in our history; we need:

1. To setup a propaganda machinery for Urhobo

2. An ideology for our political class, having in mind John locke's philosophy that “the power of a political society or commonwealth is limited to the protection of its members' civil interests. The civil interests include life, liberty and property but not the private sphere of “oneself” and religious belief” (Ideals and Ideology: John Jocke in “Toleration & Government”; Terrence Ball and Richard Dagger).

3. A group of intellectual think tank.

4. An advisory council of Elders of repute modeled after the Afenifere sub-cultural group.

5. A communication Agency of which I may submit a paper for when the occasion arises

6. A socio-cultural & political body who will lead us to writing a constitution that embodies code of rights and duties. In order words, we need a concrete political body in Urhobo that knows no ethnicity. This is a time to move away from individual community of cultural nations to collective cultural & political nation. These are the elements of identities which makes the western cultures productive today.

Thank you for Listening.

References:

1. John Gunther, 1955. Inside Africa. Hamish Hamilton London.

2. Hugh Thomas, 1997. The slave Trade; The history of the Atlantic slave trade 1440-1870. TSP

3. Terrence Ball and Richard Dagger, Ideals and Ideology; A reader, 1991. HarperCollins Publishers.

4. Aliyi Ekineh, 1997. Nigeria; Foundations of Disintegration. New Millennium

5. Oshomha Imoagene, 1990. The Edo And their Neighbours of Mid Western Nigeria. New-Era Publishers

6. Anthony Smith, 1991. National Identity. Penguin Books

7. David Ovason, 1997. Nostradamus. Century London

8. D.A. Obiomah, 199. Urhobo, Warri And The Nigerian Nation. Waado.org .

9. G. Mokhtar, 1990. General History of Africa; 2 nd Ancient Civilizations of Africa. James Curry. California. UNESCO