URHOBO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

4 TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND MEETING

GOLDSMITHS' COLLEGE OF LONDON UNIVERSITY

31 ST OCT.-2 ND NOV. 2003.

LEADERSHIP AND THE FUTURE OF URHOBO: UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL.

By Wilson Ometan B.A. (Hons), Dipl. (I.T.)

Your Excellency, Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for keeping to this appointment. This is a day we should hold dear for the actualisation of our aims and objectives. A day to rekindle our common fate and destiny shunted for years. The destiny of a resourceful and vibrant Urhobo people. A nation which because of subversive activities of agents beg for true patriots who will want to live and die for their land. A nation where no agents, saboteurs, pen robbers can survive the onslaught of the well informed and educated people's vengeance.

Last year on this podium, I said without equivocation that the Urhobos are a unique people; yes we are, because I will re-iterate here that there is no where in the world where you have a people so marginalised because of their resources yet they have the tenacity to survive without recourse to killing others. We are because our land remains ours forever. Culturally, the language is a unique one because God gave it to us and only we can lay claim to it. We have skilled men and women in abundance that we can even proclaim our republic. We also have our tradition, religion, custom, history, heritage and festivals etc, for these are some of the attributes that makes a

nation to be identified and gives the people their sense of identity and belonging. It is left for us to protect this territory otherwise, others will encroach on it, destabilise it in order to exploit the resources and the people as you are all aware what is going on. It will be dangerous for me to recount as an exposé the systems and structures built in place for this purpose. My mantra here is, please be on guard for these kleptocrats and aristocrats. We should be thankful to our ancestors who toiled hard while other cultural groups are lazing about and now they want to wrestle the sweat of our forebears from us. They are fantasising with themselves while others are using them. We doff our hats for the sound leadership of our forebears. Akparobo ka ye.

The Management and editorial committee including other members of U.H.S. see something defective in how we organise and lead ourselves as Urhobos. Their worries are not borne out of malice but of good intention. For sometime time now, there had been upheavals in the land we all call homeland. Though the response to issues had been forthcoming which is commendable but these issues and other forms of response are not enough to tackle the monster which is bent on subjugating us forever. To this end, I have set out to find out some of the impediments which militate against our excelling to greater heights and the absence of liberty to steer the ship of our destiny.

The Urhobos have twenty two cultural units we call ethnic groups. Undoubtedly these 22 units have leaders before and after we left Udo in Edo . Some of these original leaders perhaps may have got no formal education in literary terms but were schooled in their cultural tutorage and were able to organise themselves, family and their civic society to the point that they appropriated and appointed statuses and roles to deserving and worthy personalities, and migrated to favourable lands with the skills of navigation, forecast of the weather, teach other various skills for hunting and to defend themselves and developed their language both in speech and divination as time goes-by. If some of these skills were to be chronicled, written down and further developed by the new generation, nobody will doubt that we too are the chosen people of God as some people claim today. I personally believe that we too are a chosen people.

In governance, they were able to develop a system of Ekpakororho (elders), Igwendjon (cabinet) which further developed into Unuevworo (Mouthpiece of the town) and his cabinet of elders and lastly Ivie (kings). We have developed just like others in the world namely the Israelites whose religion has permeated the world today. They started with elders (learned elders), then it evolved to cults like the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes. Then came the phase of Priests and Kings. You can see that our forebears were organised too like any other.

In the hamlets, towns and cities, the relationship between families were cordial. There are market places and farmlands of which the allocation of such land was peaceful but sometimes with acrimony usually settled at palaces. Produce from our endeavours were traded by batter or exchanged with a monetary unit. Their different skills have come to play in making our communal life easy. The division of labour principle have actually been set up in our communities before other people documented it. These same skilled men and women pursue their individual goals but owing allegiance to one leader. A leader whom with his cabinet represents and lead the communities to war during conflicts. How many will want to go war because of their father land? The rich will tell you, I need to protect my estate, while the average person will say, biko yanran, wo' je' rie' vunvon wani wo kpo hunre', forgetting that if you don't stand up for yourself and nation that estate will be residing in the air, and the poor or average person will be in perpetual hunger. I was listening to a report made regarding the son of an Urhobo aristocrat claiming the urhobos refused or failed to help some families during the recent upheavals in our homeland, I chuckled and thought to myself, you don't expect Urhobo to have the initiative when the likes of him is doing nothing. This being in part of the world of our forebears is what the civilised world calls a liberal society. In other words, our ancestors have been practising a liberal ideology. I will like to emphasise here that Ideology is a plan which has to do with economical, political and social road-map. It provides the basis for structural and social development of a people and their environment. It can be classified in three groups in the parliament of a nation. 1). the right, are those ideologists who does not want the status quo to change, 2). the left, are those who one can call the radicals, these are the ideologists who want a sweeping change, and 3) the centre ideologists who can be called moderates that want a little change.

But today in Nigeria , we cannot say for sure what type of ideology a country so rich in both human and natural resources is practising. Is it conservatism, is it liberalism, or socialism. 1). It cannot be liberalism because our lands had been confiscated by the government of Nigeria and refused to protect the lives and property of the people. 2). It cannot be socialism because no government in Nigeria had at one time or the other being able to design a welfare system or measures to improving the lives of the people whose wealth the governments uses to embark on frivolous projects. All you hear every October and in their budget speeches is tighten your belt and sober reflection. 3). It cannot also be conservatism because Nigeria has no existing economic and political traditions neither institutions nor blue prints for improving the living conditions for the people. Other people suggest that it is fascist militocracry which have no substance. But I believe that this militarist platform is just a façade for the Kleptocrats who actually controls the military. As I have said before, ideology is a statement and plan to improve society. You might add manifesto. But in Kleptocracy, the so called Nigerian Leaders' ideology is to exploit the ignorance and defenceless masses by their accumulation of wealth which does not derive from direct investment in modern industries.

It is therefore dangerous to remain the way we are, disorganised with lack of solidarity. It is important that an ideology entrenched in our nationality and a template or system for leadership ascension or appointment in a hierarchy of leaders is desirable for our community now. Leaders who in their time tested wisdom will articulate the political, economic and socio-cultural issues. Leaders who will represent us all without we the led having heart mispalpitations and above all, the leaders whose mode of communication is two-way i.e. top-to-bottom and vice-versa but not from top-to-bottom only so that the people can be better represented and give them the much needed sense of identity.

To be certain of what we have; when I say we, I mean all the Urhobo ethnic groups in that sub-region called Niger Delta. The Niger Delta accounts for 99% of the Nigerian crude oil and natural gas. We have good agricultural land, our fisheries is unequalled, and a rich forest, cash crops like cocoa, palm tree, rubber farms, wild life and we have also important industrial establishment like iron and steel, glass factory, Liquefied natural gas, Oil refineries and petro-chemicals. Yet in the Niger Delta and indeed in Urhobland, the area is desolate with infrastructures in decay, massive unemployment of youths after leaving Universities whom academic and non academic staff strive to impart knowledge on without their salaries being paid regularly and the parents of students without the support of the so-called government. Yet the same government and its agents instigates conflicts to disorganise the people, destroy their property and keep them under no liberty to plan for their lives, for a confused, displaced, maimed people without peace can never plan for the future to challenge the injustices. Because how can one explain the recent utterances of President Olusegun Obasanjo in Urhoboland that creating more local government councils will not change the lives of the people and stop the perennial conflicts in Warri City and its environs. Does he want the carnage to continue? It is no doubt that there is something wrong somewhere. The people whom Obasanjo appears to be protecting should have a rethink because it is rather an anomaly that a president will find it expedient for a people to continue the destruction of life and property. His utterance clearly flies in the face as a design to continuously strangulate the people, and to alienate warri means that there will be no development in education, health and water services including electricity and job creation because nobody will want to live with equanimity in a battle front and no where in the world that people at no liberty were able to think of development. Yet Nigeria spent well over thirteen billion U.S. dollars protecting the lives and properties of Liberians since their civil war began. There is something wrong somewhere. Genuine governments in civilised societies provides for the independence, stability, economic and social well being of its citizens because “a nation in modern society must preserve itself as a state and ensure its national survival so that the world community recognises that nations' autonomy and the integrity of its boundaries and sovereignty (M.Roskin, p36). Are the lives of Liberians more precious than that of the Ijaws, Itsekiris and Urhobos? I don't think so. In fact, Nigeria have not protected the lives and property of her citizens since our history began, what we have seen is a chronology of human right abuses in killing of the people and destruction of our properties, seizing of our land and polluting of the environment yet we the Niger Deltans and indeed Urhobos “Have a natural right to life, liberty and property and no one has the authority over us without our consent. Any government that violates our rights releases us from any obligation to obey it” (Terrence Ball, p75).

You will agree with me that leaving only the politicians i.e. the Nigerian leadership ( our politicians are part of the system) with all the political power spells doom to the Urhobos. The principle of derivation does not favour us and the dominant elite of our so-called democracy will never allow our minority elite the space except the crumbs of positions. It is therefore necessary for all of us to form in unity a diverse but with solid solidarity numerous interest groups that are well articulated with an apex body. The process of trade unionism in the world should be borrowed from for its effectiveness that transcends other results we have known. We can have Unions, Associations, or Clubs of Tailors, Cobblers, Hairdressers, Teachers, Mothers, Fathers, Chiefs, Doctors, Lawyers, Magistrates, Chief Justices, Ex-Governors, Industrialists, Lecturers, Writers, Journalists etc. These innovations are good ideas because they are time tested and found to be effective when properly organised and managed by properly skilled persons. We see how effective this action is when the workers stand up to companies and governments. The forces against Urhobo are so huge that one union or association will not be powerful and effective enough to fight the injustices and marginalisation, oppression and suppression we are exposed to. We have seen in our days the killings, the squalor, the poverty, the ignorance, the health diseases of lung cancer due to pollution of our environment, the skin diseases, the ailments, the kangaroo courts, the subversion and sabotage using agents or mercenaries to create civil unrests. the bad roads, the lack of drugs, the lack of medical personnel in hospitals, the lack of jobs for our youths, the present siege of Soldiers and mobile police in our towns to quell dissent caused by hopelessness and finally the marginalisation of our highly qualified elite. We should note that one or two may be picked by the ruling hegemonic group, this should not be seen as a big deal, for what are the majority to do with a token designed to give a feel-good factor.

Again, another reason for a string of well organised interest groups is that, the meagre monetary generation of one group to make an input in the politics of Nigeria usually will not be enough. The more we are in the number of associations, the more we will have funds coming from every man and woman with the aristocrats bank rolling some actions and events, because by then they will have their own group to identify with which in-turn is articulated to other associations. Also, these aristocrats, industrialists, and people of other high places may be in the position to influence the government, the state or individuals with the policies we are trying to push for. I don't need to educate us on that. And again, few membership of an organisation usually does not make much impact in lobbying a parliament but when interest groups covers the entire country from River Escravos to Lake Chad, protesting by downing tools, then the government or company will be forced to listen. For example the recent fuel strike illustrates the effectiveness of bigger association in time of lobby. The government was forced to rescind its decision.

One other reason for us to create numerous associations, unions and clubs but better managed by skilled and qualified persons is that; Urhobo have skilled, educated men and women who can handle important issues of Urhobo interest but unfortunately do not have the platform and support needed to do so. We have experts who can offer testimony at committee hearings in the national assembly to support our stand on any particular issue such as Scientific, technical, statistical, cultural and economic matters. Perhaps what is more important at this time of our development is the crucial work of kick starting the programme of creating these and more associations I mentioned above with an apex of Urhobo Council which draws persons from these associations, clubs and unions. The struggle to regain our environment, resources, position and prestige is not the battle of one elite group but everyone which should involve the grassroots of skilled and unskilled. Again, in creating these interest groups, the elite, the skilled among us should be of advice to the less skilled to associate with one mantra of the glory of Urhoboland with all its benefits. Training ourselves to do a selfless work does not benefit the individual but all of us in our nation. The leaders so chosen should be, in the words of an acquaintance of mine “The greatest leader is also the greatest follower. Leadership is sophisticated and accountable followership. A true leader does not only share the feelings of the ruled, he also has an abundance of sympathy for them. He must be able to go beyond sympathy to the state of empathy. In other words, the suffering of his people is also his suffering. A good leader is one who understands, knows, feels and also talks with (not talks to or talks against) the people he leads” (Professor Niyi Osundare, University of Ibadan ). We need this type of leaders who can handle the technique of lobbying the government and its executive branches e.g. cabinet members and the bureaucratic offices, to lobby other departments and the national assembly with persuasion and pressure, supply research and factual materials, perform public relations, publicity campaign and entertaining, letter writing campaigns, influence government of choice of appointments on TV., Radio, Newspaper, Internet, demonstrations and other forms of media.

But there is this question of where to get these selfless patriots to take us to the promised land. The Urhobo people I know of old are good patriots. In today's Urhobo I cannot say because at the moment, it is like to your tent oh Israel . We have few patriots though. An indicator is the way we conduct ourselves in meetings; the discussion of mundane issues, the petty jealousy, the fake superiority and want for domination with intent to gain are some of the bane of our culture. If it does not favour our individual selves, then it is of no use. This and other reasons illustrate a picture of a people with no pride in their identity. Perhaps some will think that our nation space have no political, economic and socio-cultural capital to die for considering the marginalised psyche in the country. But if some believe the foregoing as the cause of their lack of pride, then nobody else but them alone and those who feels concerned can change the status-quo. If we don't act collectively and individually, the system will remain the same. It may also be that some of the reasons for the lack of pride in us is that: 1). We do not tell tales of our family and Urhobo history to children, 2). Our heroes are unsung 3). We do not promote our arts and literature. 4). We have not fought great wars and won, be it physical or otherwise 5). We have not promoted our heritage 6). We don't have economic achievement 7). We don't have sport achievement 8). Lack of scientific and literary work achievements and 9). Lack of the feelings of self worth among the grassroots. These are some of the elements which creates identity. But I tell you the fact that, we have attained almost all of the above but the problem with us is the promotion for the awareness of these. Today, our history is not readily available to everybody in Urhobo land. The natural and industrial resources in our land which is the only resource of the Nigerian state is enough to be proud of even it does not translate into our lives. Occurrence in our everyday lives records our identity and we have literary and other art giants in our midst. We excel in science and technology including sports etc. Our heritage is celebrated every year in terms of festivals which re-enforces our identity. “Indeed we know who we are or think we know who we are not” (David McCrone, p2).

We know the grounds on which we base our identity as birth, our language, our ancestral lineage and of course our territory but how many will want to go to war because of our nation? I think very few . But when war which does not concern Urhobo should break out today, many will claim the identity of their fatherland. Such is the self deceit.

My sojourn with the U.H.S have seen some of the antics played by some Urhobo nationals trying to frustrate our work. There are some who for some reasons bothering on ignorance have continuously put their minds in a prison where they feel insecure for the sake of others who daily tries to rob us. There are others who for selfish interest will want to turn the U.H.S into personal enterprise. True patriots never do that.

We should be proud to re-enforce our nationality with songs, festivals, our rich history, arts, media etc. Re-enforcing our nationality will no doubt enhance our image and pride in the eyes of the world. My national identity was initially displayed to me at the age of nineteen by a fellow Edo boy; he recounts how the Edos are superior, I have been friends after that encounter to the Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa, Portuguese, Spanish and English, all of these different nationals have the same story to tell about themselves, superior. I wonder which nation is not superior on earth because Urhobo my Urhobo is also superior and I left no stone unturned in drumming it in their ears because he who is not proud of his colour, family and nation is not fit to live. But there are many who cannot react in the way I did because they may not be well equipped with our history.

Our attitudes have to change. We need to take pride in ourselves and one of the ways I have already mentioned above is re-enforcement of our culture which encompasses history and tradition. Re-enforce our nationality by creating events like sports, cultural dances, film expos, competitions and entertainments among Urhobo ethnic groups to keep especially the Youths busy and to foster unity and awareness. You never know, this could build our future leaders to be leaders with fertile imagination for ideas of national goals. Leaders whose mantra is “Our Urhobo nation has something to die and live for”. The leaders who will convert our collective struggle into socio-political and economic capital which we shall all benefit from.

For now, how can we find the selfless patriots that will be wise enough, prudent enough and skilled enough to take us on this journey.

We can get some few answers from Machiavelli, the great Roman political thinker who said that “great and good leaders are known of their virtu' and that, the possession of virtu' is accordingly represented as a willingness to do whatever may be necessary for the attainment of civic glory and greatness, whether the actions involved happen to be intrinsically good or evil in character” (Skinner, p62). This is the most important attribute of political leadership. But what is in this virtu' in all its ramifications? 1). The willingness to place the good of Urhobo nation above all private interests, and ordinary considerations of morality is less essential in the case of rank and file of citizens (ibid), now we know why soldiers kill for their fatherland. Machiavelli further advised the ruler and the ruled to be prepared to “advance not his own interest but for the general good, not his own posterity but the common posterity for the fatherland” (ibid, p63). I personally see this advice as a fulfilment of God's intention of creating Man to maintain and preserve the earth until he returns to it. For here lies the patriotism for a nation which wants to attain peace, preserve her liberty and free herself from economic plunder and exploitation. It is also in this regard that our leaders should be of good virtu' whose obligation is to correctly represent the Urhobo nation using the principles of check and balances to limit government excessive power and to reminding it of her moral obligation to serve the people and protect life, liberty and property. The antecedents of our country's rulers are enough to illustrate the scenario of the past upheavals in your minds.

We will not achieve the aims and objects we hold dear without organising ourselves into associations rigidly articulated with the same ideology, principles and one goal. A people with leaders who knows what the political, economic, socio-cultural indices are saying. Perhaps, what is important here too is to examine the culture and direction of our present leaders vis-à-vis Urhobo associations. But before I do that, let me tell you what Machiavelli told me in one of his discources while he was investigating “What made possible the dominant position to which the Rome Republic rose to great heights” (ibid, p58) for such a long time. He declared that, “anyone who considers present affairs and ancient ones readily understands that all cities and all peoples have the same desires and the same traits” (ibid, p59), and this means that if you diligently study the pass occurrences, you can forecast the future events and apply to it the remedies used by the ancients or otherwise devise new ones to suit these events or problems as the case may be. What this also illustrate is that, if we can discover the past in archives and the path to our success or failure, we can also retrace our steps to the beginning to either repeat or address our success or failures and improve on it.

Back to the issue of associations in Urhobo. It is a good phenomenon that we have Unions and clubs in Nigeria and the diaspora. In America we have more than seventeen associations, we also have a good number of unions and clubs including appendages of clans in the United Kingdom . There are certainly some associations in other countries unheard of. This is fine. Of these associations, the Urhobo progressive union is well known for its age. I have great respect for the Union . You will remember that I have said earlier in this paper that Nigeria is a country of many interest groups, these groups have one thing or aim in common i.e. for the apple pie but not for the production of wealth. The forces of whom is too great for one or two associations to have the capacity and capability to handle plus the quest to influence the government. I will be shooting myself in the foot to agree with many of our brothers who argue that the efforts of groups is enough to fight the injustices perpetuated by the conspiracy of the dominant groups. The burden will be too much for few groups with the innovation of a propaganda and research department or else, does the few groups have the much needed solidarity which embraces all Urhobos in the world. Do they have selfless leaders? Are there ideologists among the elite? Do they grapple with cultural events yearly for the re-enforcement of our nation in the minds of the grassroots and elite alike? Are they proactive with issues at short notice? How are they organised with regards to strategic, tactical and operational issues and positions? And how close are they to the grassroots and the youths? Are the elite humanist enough to know that the poor ones need help? Do they accommodate other clubs and unions in their decision making? Is unity a gospel they preach and uphold? Are they prudent enough? Are there council of wise heads drawn from all associations to make up for an executive in each country where they are represented? Big problem needs big solution. These are some of the issues which need serious attention from all the people of Urhobo. Some call it equal representation. The current associations are doing a good job but we actually have to involve everybody.

The changes are required for the big task ahead. We shall be so organised that the grassroots and elite are of easy reach in time of need for a common course. This reminds me of the tales of the grand-dad tiger advising his siblings. “My dear young ones, now that our environment has become semi arid grass land, don't go hunting on your own because the buffaloes can defend themselves against you”. This wise grand-dad was actually regretting the environmental destruction of the land caused by pollution which killed the trees of the forest that conceals the tiger when it spring surprise at its prey. In other words, he wants its siblings to move in multitude during hunting of preys. Can we learn from the wisdom of the grand-dad tiger? But then, some of us will argue that the many never ending feuds among us will not make the re-organisation work. I say it will work because the elite of deferent callings whose virtu' is selfless and pride of the nation will be involved. Again, we should learn from the indomitable ant. Whose colony is easily recognisable as a cone of earth. Interestingly these ants have only instincts but no senses. In their separate communities, they have queens, workers, soldiers, guards, food fetchers. They all work to protect the queen. During their activities, you will see them in straight lines going to and fro in orderly manner with their burdens in their mouth. Such demeanour is also displayed by some civilised societies. These people, just like the ants never undermine themselves by calling each other derogatory names. They have got goals to achieve. It is in this vein that I want my fellow Urhobos to emulate the orderly Tigers and Ants.

We can be what we want to be.

I thank you for listening.

Selected references:

1). British Social Attitudes; How Britain differs, (Edited by Roger Jowel, John Curtice et al. 1999, Ashgate)

2). Great Political thinkers; Machiavelli, (Quentin Skinner, 1992, Oxford University Press)

3). Ideals and Ideology; A reader, (Terrence Ball et al, 1991, HarperCollins Publishers)