PH Mundial – Port Harcourt Online Newspaper News Across The Region
Related Articles
… A Call to Sheathe Our Swords
By Young Erhiurhoro, Warri
Evwreni kingdom, without doubt is a great kingdom in the Urhobo ethnic nationality of Delta State and even Nigeria at large. Evwreni is a great kingdom in Urhobo land because it has produced great men and women in different human disciplines, in the likes of late Chief Mukoro Mowoe, Urhobo foremost traditional/political leader and also the founding president general of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), the oldest socio-cultural organization in West Africa.
The UPU, which was piloted by late Mowoe, was the mouth-piece of the Urhobo people during the colonial times and there were many laudable achievements to his leadership prowess. An example is the establishment of Urhobo College in Effurun.
What about the late Chief Samuel Jereton Mariere and late Chief Jabin Obahor? Late Mariere was the first governor of the defunct Mid-Western State, with capital in Benin City while late Obahor was once a commissioner for finance in his time. Continuing on the list of great men in Evwreni kingdom, we can’t easily forget the late Chief Dr. Mudiaga Odje, a legal luminary whose legal practice transcended monumental legal history in Nigeria. In fact, late Dr. Odje was the first Urhobo Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
What about the likes of Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, General Dr. Oviemo Ovadje, Evang. Dr. S.O. Olotu, Engr. Dr. Samuel Adjogbe, Hon. Samuel Mariere, Prince K.K. Kumane, Dr. Akpo Odje and host of others too numerous to mention? These are celebrities and great leaders in their chosen careers.
The story of Olorogun O’tega Emerhor is known to the world as a poor young boy that climbed to the pinnacle of success through the dint of hard work and dedication to duties. Today, Olorogun Emerhor is a philanthropist per excellent, not only to his Evwreni or Urhobo people, but to the entire nation. He is a celebrated financial expert in the Nigerian banking industry and also a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State.
In the same way, General Dr. Oviemo Ovadje has put Nigeria on the global map of medical invention and research. Dr. Ovadje, a retired Army general and also a celebrated medical inventor. The blood transfusion machine he invented some years ago is second to none in the global medical market.
What about Evang. Dr. S. O. Olotu? He is an acclaimed indigenous contractor and a thorough bred businessman. He is the chairman/CEO of S. O. Olotu and Sons Nig. Ltd, a road construction giant in the Niger Delta region based in the oil city of Warri. We have more to count but we only have limited space here.
In fact, I’m not just writing this piece to pour encomium on the above mentioned Evwreni personalities or just to sing praises of them as if it were election period in Nigeria; but to show to my esteemed readers that truly, Evwreni is a great kingdom in Urhobo land and indeed Nigeria at large. However, my major purpose of writing this short piece is to share my personal views and opinions, as an advocate of peace, with the above Evwreni personalities on how to nip in the bud the on-going fracas in the community as a result of leadership tussle.
We have observed in recent times that leadership tussles and boundary disputes are the two major causes of both internal and external crises in both Urhobo and Isoko ethnic groups in Delta State. Unfortunately, in this Evwreni case, it is as a result of leadership tussle which began in the early part of this year. In fact, those that are familiar with the history of Evwreni will agree with me that this recent fracas was not the first one that happened in the land of Evwreni.
In the year 2000, a similar leadership tussle occurred where their traditional ruler was gruesomely murdered in a broad daylight. Other great leaders of the community were also killed and properties worth millions of naira destroyed by irate youths during that crisis. The psychological trauma of that ugly incidence which many traditional rulers described as a taboo in the land is still very much present with the people, even after many years.
It was the quick intervention of the UPU and the Delta state government that brought the situation under control and finally brought peace back to the people of Evwreni. Then, after reconciliation, a new monarch was installed and the community leadership was restructured to reflect the leadership virtues of tranquility, accountability, equity and justice. And the people bounced back to healthy and peaceful living as before.
Today, after twenty years of enjoying that peaceful co-existence and robust relationship between the leaders and followers of the Evwreni community, the same leadership tussle of that year 2000 is again rearing its ugly head in the community. Since March this year, the leadership tussle has reached a height where people were allegedly silently killed and kidnapped.
Recently, the situation in the community became tensed and worsened as one Mr. Sylvester Adjogbe was gruesomely murdered in a cold blood and several others injured. As we speak, there are different media reports pointing to the fact that so many leaders have deserted the once busy community, making the community a shadow and ghost of itself. Though there is a relative peace in the community at present but all is not well with the indigenes and residents. Many leaders of the community have fled the place for fear of being arrested by the Nigerian Police or for fear of a reprisal attacks by the alleged opposition group.
At the moment, the crisis is allegedly now between the Evwreni monarch on one side and Engr. Dr. Samuel Adjogbe, a former executive director of Projects on the board of the NDDC on the other side. However, Engr. Dr. Adjogbe, to the best of my knowledge was deeply involved in the struggle for justice and equity since he had lost his younger brother in the said crisis.
Don’t forget, there is a wise saying in Urhobo that, when two elephants fight, the grass suffers. This is the situation in Evwreni at the moment. Evwreni residents are no longer at ease. All small businesses, trading activities and farming works are brought to a halt as a result of the imbroglio.
Therefore, I want to conclude this short piece with a strong appeal to all Evwreni indigenes, especially Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, General Dr. Oviemo Ovadje, Prince K.K. Kumane, Dr. Akpo Odje, Hon. Samuel Mariere and other respected Evwreni personalities to immediately wade into the matter to avoid further escalation. This is exactly how the year 2000 crisis began. It started as if it was a film show in the eyes of many of the indigenes, until when the king was murdered and the entire Evwreni community later turned a desert for over a year without human habitation, except for the chirps of birds and bleating of goats and sheep in the streets of the town.
On a very important note, those personalities mentioned above should not fold their hands to watch the kingdom disintegrate as a result of this continuous leadership tussle that have been ravaging the community in recent years. They should immediately call a meeting to settle this issue once and for all. Secondly, I’m also calling on the Delta State government under the governorship of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and the senator representing Delta Central senatorial district at the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo_Agege, to call both parties to order, now that the soup is still very hot.
And to the two warring parties, they should bite their fingers and sheathe their swords. This is where permanent peace can return to the community. They should have a place in their hearts to forgive the wrongs of others; the same way they would pray to God to forgive them their sins. Let me drop my pen here with these African wise saying, ‘A herbalist shouldn’t enter the evil forest for a second time.’
Young Erhiurhoro, Kjc is a reporter and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society.
