PH Mundial – Port Harcourt Online Newspaper News Across The Region
Related Articles
By Young Erhiurhoro
Being part of the memorial lecture delivered during the 8th years anniversary of the Late HRH, Dr. Charles D. Ogodo, JP, past Odion’Rode of Unenurhie Community and the Osu’Urhobo III of Lagos State.
Preamble:
This short piece is written to honour posthumously a departed hero and a highly respected traditional ruler of this great community, His Royal Highness (HRH), Dr. Charles D. Ogodo, Osu III, JP, the Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community and the Osu’ Urhobo of Lagos State. This great patriotic Nigerian and selfless and dedicated monarch peacefully joined his ancestors eight years ago. Yet, his laudable achievements during his reign as Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community and Osu’Urhobo of Lagos State are still very remarkable and worth celebrating in our lives as indigenes of Unenurhie community. His legacies and memories are always refreshing in our minds whenever his name is mentioned in retrospect to the struggle for the recognition of the traditional stool of the Odion’Rode as our paramount traditional ruler and also for the approval and recognition of Unenurhie kingdom, all by the Delta state government. The struggle for Unenurhie kingdom is incomplete without mentioning the name of the late royal father.
More importantly, my major purpose in this memorial lecture is not just to present the biography and historical background of our celebrant (posthumously) – Late HRH Dr. Charles D. Ogodo, JP, but to highlight some of his contributions and efforts in this struggle since it started. This is why, I won’t delve much into the historical background of our celebrant (posthumously) in the course of this memorial lecture. However, late Charles Ogodo was a household name, here in Unenurhie community and also in Lagos State where he spent much of his life in running his professional career and also as an Urhobo paramount leader. In fact, late Charles Ogodo was a full fledged indigene of Unenurhie community. He was a patrilineal male child of Unenurhie community and this granted him the rare privilege and traditional right to ascend the throne of the Odion’Rode traditional stool. This is because, it’s a traditional norm and practice in regard to chieftaincy affairs and traditional institutions in both Urhobo and Isoko ethnic groups that, matrilineal children are not always accorded the rights or privileges to become traditional rulers, heads of families, oldest men in communities etc or holding other vital traditional positions in such communities. All these traditional positions mentioned above are only meant for patrilineal children to occupy. This practice is also the same in Unenurhie community.
Immediately the late Ogodo knew that, he was a patrilineal male child of Unenurhie community, he quickly developed the desire and interest to fight for the pains, injustices and the general needs of his community. He started this struggle first in Lagos by identifying with his kits and kins from Unenurhie community in Lagos State. It was even reported that time by some Unenurhie indigenes in Lagos State that, late Ogodo was one of the architects of unity and also contributed to the growth of the Lagos Branch of the UCDU.
Remarkably, the preparations for ascending the Odion’Rode throne came as soon as late Ogodo retired from active service and decided to relocate to his home town of Unenurhie. Though late Ogodo was not born and brought up here in Unenurhie community, but as a highly educated and civilized person, we can described him as a great historian and elite. He was able to trace his historical lineage as a true patrilineal male child of the community and his linkage to the Odion’Rode traditional stool through the Ukoro royal society before the very eyes of the community elders and traditional chiefs. This was how late Charles D. Ogodo ascended the Odion’Rode traditional stool of the Unenurhie people and became the Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community.
As soon as he became the Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community, late Ogodo was moved with passion to make the traditional stool of the Odion’Rode known to the Delta state government by first, seeking for a gazette to recognize him as an independent and a paramount traditional ruler and secondly, to parmanently separate Unenurhie community as an independent and autonomous community/kingdom from the present Evwreni kingdom. Immediately this was voiced out to the hearing of some Evwreni people through his different media reports and publications mainly through the Urhobo Voice Newspapers, late Ogodo was brandished as an “enemy of progress” and someone bent on creating divisive tendencies in the minds of the Unenurhie people and destroying the already established peaceful co-existence and cordial relationship between Evwreni and Unenurhie communities. This was the beginning of his woes and troubles with the Evwreni traditional ruler and his council members and other interested Evwreni people. This at the end, led to several internal crises at different times in Unenurhie community, killing some persons and also destroying properties worth millions of naira. They used the Unenurhie people to fight the Unenurhie people. No wonder, Jesus Christ said in the Bible, “A prophet is not honoured in his home town.” This was a replica of the life and times of this our departed hero. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace!
The Struggle So Far
The struggle for freedom and independence by the Unenurhie people is not something of today or two years ago. It’s a struggle for years now. But for the fact that, it’s a habitual and attitudinal process in Nigeria, that if you don’t have “Abuja Connection” you will continue to suffer and nobody or government is ready to attend to you or listen to your cries and pains, the Unenurhie people have continued to languish in their own inheritance because they have no helper or saviour to remove them from the broad day slavery in this modern world.
This is why we must be bold enough to fight for justice and for our civil rights as citizens of this country in the case of Unenurhie community seeking for autonomy and independence from the present Evwreni kingdom to be recognized by the Delta state government as a “kingdom” of its own.
We should be fearless and determined as full indigenes of Unenurhie community to say the truth and present facts surrounding the history, origin and identity of the Unenurhie people. In this case, I have not seen or read in any legal document or law book that, it’s against the Constitution of Nigeria or the laws of Delta state for a community or communities in a particular kingdom to seek for their own separate kingdom from the parent one. But unfortunately, when some of us will gang up to fight this noble cause in a community that is completely being oppressed in every aspect of human existence and social stratification, then such evil people are worse than slaves in this modern world.
I referred to this struggle as a struggle for reformation, reclamation, restructuring and finally, a struggle for freedom. This is why every Dick and Harry in the community must key into this vision and mission by throwing their support behind the present UCDU leadership who are fronting the struggle in line with legal process at the moment. But if some of us especially the youths who supposed to take this struggle with all their strength because they are the leaders of tomorrow in the community; as a result of selfish interests therefore decided to thwart the efforts of the UCDU leadership by joining forces and voices with those we perceived as enemies of the community; then such people have only sworn with their blood to perpetually remain as slaves before the Evwreni people till eternity.
In fact, I can’t be afraid of darkness to urinate inside my bedroom. It’s now time to speak the truth to the world. As the rightful indigenes of Unenurhie community, are we really happy that at this time, Unenurhie is being classified as a quarter in Evwreni kingdom? Are we really happy that since the creation of Evwreni Ward till date, no Unenurhie person has ever become a councillor? If it’s really true that, Unenurhie is part of Evwreni kingdom as they alleged, how many times has Unenurhie person become the president-general of Evwreni Clan Improvement Union? Are we really happy that, out of the four polling units we originally have in the community before now, Evwreni forcefully took one from us by shortchanging us with census figures and voters registrations? Are we really happy that, the Odion’Rode whose royal stool and traditional seat of leadership is in Unenurhie community and also regarded as the second in command in traditional hierarchy in the kingdom has no recognition, allegiance and homage from either the Evwreni people or the government? In fact, the questions are endless. Considering all these political, socio-cultural, traditional and economic sabotage on the entire Unenurhie community, is anything truly wrong as Unenurhie indigenes to have our own kingdom? If not for power intoxication and jealousy on the part of the Evwreni king, I think it is even more beneficial to them and to us if we have our own kingdom. But for the fact that, they want us to perpetually remain under them and to continuously silent our voices anytime we dare to shout, it is the reason they never want us to grow and become responsible people in life. This is never accepted in a civil and democratic society. This is why we shouldn’t relent in our oars in pursuing this struggle to achievable end.
Since the beginning of this struggle, I have observed and said time without numbers to the gatherings and meetings of leaders and elders of Unenurhie community that, our major challenge and problem to pursue this laudable goal to achievable end is not from the Evwreni people per se; but from the same Unenurhie people. We are the ones washing our dirty linens in the public. The Evwreni traditional powers right from the time of the late HRH, Dr. Charles D. Ogodo, JP till today continue to use Unenurhie people to fight Unenurhie people in order to scuttle and thwart the struggle to become our own kingdom. The Evwreni people usually achieve this by enticing and influencing our people with power, wealth and wine. These are three sociological tools that autocratic leaders are using today to weaken the voices of the masses in order to continuously and perpetually remain in power. This is very prominent and pronounced in the Evwreni kingdom traditional hierachy. Many of them are power drunk and highly intoxicated with wealth and wine. This is not actually the issue of Unenurhie not having a big man or woman in the community or having “Asaba or Abuja connection”. The first question we need to ask ourselves in regard to this struggle is, are we really tired of this marginalization and oppression from the Evwreni people? If we are tired, then the determination and courage to voice our pains and suffering out will also be there with us at every time when the trumpet is sound without fear of intimidation or negative influence of weath or wine from the Evwreni people.
In advanced societies which Nigeria claimed to be, things are rightly done by following the legal processes. If this is true, then we are not out of place if we cry to the Delta state government that we are tired of the co-habitation and co-existence with the Evwreni people as a sub-clan in Evwreni kingdom and that, we want to go on our own separate and independent kingdom. So many communities in Delta state and other parts of the country have done it before. Unenurhie community is not the first, and it will definitely not be the last in such struggles as long as human beings will continue to be exposed to the gimmicks of oppression, marginalization and humiliation by bad and autocratic governments or leaderships in Nigeria.
More seriously, some of us in Unenurhie community, both home and abroad have continuously accused those of us at the forefront of the struggle time without numbers, as being enemies of peace and consequently bent to cause division and chaos in Evwreni kingdom like as it was done to the late Ogodo in his time and reign as the Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community. Like what I said earlier in this discourse, in such struggles in civilized societies, there is no need for violence or carrying of arms or weapons. It’s a legal battle and we have to use the legal weapons available to us. This is what we are doing right away and not the other way as some assuaged. Even though a man is poor or not, he should be able to identify the picture of his dead father whenever he sees it.
Sorrowfully, in the course of this struggle in respect to my numerous publications as a media practitioner which I think have helped a lot to push this struggle forward, I received from some Unenurhie people embarrassments and harassments to that extent of telling Evwreni wealthy and political class of not how, “I’m not an indigene of Unenurhie community, but only helping to cause division and chaos and later to run back to my hometown of Uwheru.” If you were in my shoes, how will you feel as a person? This was exactly what some Unenurhie people also did to the late Ogodo to thwart his efforts, cut short his vision, frustrate his dream and later sent him to his early grave. How foolish it’s to kill our own saviours and liberators? However, like the gallant style and the raw determination of our late royal father, in all these humiliations and embarrassments from our people, I’m most determined to pursue this laudable dream to a reality in my time as one of the committed leaders of this great community and also as a social crusader and a political activist.
Conclusion
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, dignitaries of high repute, community leaders that are present, the beloved children and family members of our departed royal father, late HRH, Dr. Charles D. Ogodo, JP, the Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community, once again, I want to happily express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for giving me your full and undivided attention with an esteemed audience in this memorial lecture. I want to plead with all of you at this time especially the UCDU leadership to immortalize this our great hero and traditional ruler by either naming a public property in the community after him or establishing a foundation in his name to help our youths in the areas of their educational development and skills acquisition in the community. First, I think, this should be the most cherished posthumous award the Unenurhie community can ever present to the Ogodo’s family. Secondly, it will yield the practical benefits or positive realizations of this yearly memorial anniversary celebration of the late HRH, Dr. Charles D. Ogodo to the entire Unenurhie people especially the less privileged ones amongst us. It should not just be a social function where only drinks and foods are served.
On the other hand, only one finger can’t remove the louse from the hair. We must join our efforts and forces together to achieve the struggle for our own kingdom faster now that the sun shines. In whatever capacity or position you are placed as a son or daughter of Unenurhie community either in business or in government , have it at the back of your mind that, our joy is full when we are free as a people on planet earth. And God can use you to achieve this noble service in the lives of Unenurhie people. We must also know that, Evwreni people are never our enemies. We still remain people of the same ancestry and lineage. All we are fighting for is to regain our dignity and respect as a people. There is nothing wrong if we have “Evwreni kingdom” and “Unenurhie kingdom” separately. Today, I’m one of the perceived enemies of some Evwreni heavyweights especially the king for carrying this struggle on top of my head through my numerous publications and featured articles in various newspapers. Yet, I know without being told that, I will be happily remembered one day, the same way we are all remembering the philanthropic works and humanitarian services of late Ogodo, if this race finally become successful. I will also be happy for the achievement because it will obviously embrace my children and other generations yet unborn in the community.This is my joy and happiness despite the predicaments I have suffered from the struggle till now.
I want to conclude this short piece with the words of Sir Wiston Churchill. He said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” I rest my case. Thank you for listening!
Young Erhiurhoro;Kjc is a reporter and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society.
