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By Young Erhiurhoro, Warri
The president general of Evwreni Clan Improvement Union, Mr. Bright Adjogbe, has reacted to insinuations by some Urhobo people on where to site the proposed Mukoro Mowoe University by the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU).
In a swift reaction during a media chat with our correspondent, Mr. Adjogbe said, “Actually, we the people of Evwreni kingdom are grateful to the leadership of the Urhobo Progress Union under Olorogun Moses Taiga for nursing the idea of establishing a university with the name of our late father, Chief Mukoro Mowoe, of blessed memory.
“It’s a great idea and vision for the Urhobo people. The entire Urhobo know that Chief Mukoro Mowoe was from Evwreni town. Yet, he embarked on sacrificial leadership in his time as Urhobo foremost leader. During the years he served as UPU president general, he instituted a form of leadership that could be described as servant-leader form of leadership. You will agree with me that this leadership form is no more in existence in many organizations or, even in government circles again. All what we have today is a leadership driven by self-centredness, greed, avarice and to crown it all, the all-powerful corruption. Servant-leader form of leadership had faded out for long.
“Because of this form of leadership practiced by our late father, Chief Mowoe, during his time as Urhobo mouthpiece, he refused to be driven by evil forces of self-centredness, greed and financial looting. This is why he established the Urhobo College at Effurun. If it were to be modern Nigerian politicians of today, that college would have been established at his home town of Evwreni. Therefore, if UPU really want to honour the legacies of this great Urhobo leader with a tertiary educational institution, I plead with them to site the university in his home town of Evwreni. There’s no better place to site the university than Evwreni.
“The issue of land is already settled. We have many acres of land that can accommodate the university community. Nobody should use this as an excuse to move the university to another place this time around. Land is readily available at any time they are ready to start,” the president general said.
Also speaking in the same vein, the president general of Unenurhie community in Evwreni kingdom, Mr. Peter Maison, applauded the vision of the UPU leadership in considering such a laudable proposal and project to honour the life and memories of such a great Urhobo leader, a true son of Evwreni kingdom.
He however argued that, “Evwreni as a kingdom in Urhobo land has produced and continue to produce great men and women that have been contributing to the development of the Urhobo nation in particular and Nigeria in general. Such people like these our late fathers, Mukoro Mowoe, Jabin Obahor, Samuel Mariere, Scott Emuakpor, Mudiaga Odje and many others. I think the issue of where to site this proposed university to honour Mukoro Mowoe by the UPU shouldn’t be contested by any Urhobo traditional ruler or Urhobo politicians. If you don’t forget in a hurry, this was how they proposed the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE) to be sited in Evwreni some years back. Before we know, the whole proposal was politicised by our leaders and it was moved to another place within a second.
“This very one, whether public or private-driven, shouldn’t take that same process at all. Evwreni as a kingdom is long overdue for a tertiary educational institution. Urhobo politicians should leave this one for us. Secondly, Evwreni people shouldn’t join forces with outsiders to move the proposed university to other places. For selfish interest and the urge to make money overnight, some of our people can go extra miles, to even sell their own children, let alone a project of this nature. I therefore call on our people that are well placed in different positions across the country to rise up from their slumber and follow this process to the end,” he said.