The Battle Of Ideas In Okpe Nation 3
Introduction
It is recognized in Political Science that a polity gets the leadership it deserves. This is a harsh statement when it is applied to a corruption and poverty ridden country where poor governance is accepted as the norm and autocracy/dictatorship is embraced. Citizens of such a country are under the oppressive rule of the leadership they had elected or selected to govern/rule over them. In the case of Nigeria, for example, we witness this at the federal, state and local government levels. It is painfully disgusting to see citizens condemn the federal government for poor governance and corrupt practices, while they applaud state governments ruled by their political parties equally guilty of poor governance and corrupt practices. This is essentially a conflict of conceptualization and blind adherence to incompetent regimes. The governance of traditional rulership in many areas in Nigeria tends to replicate elements of poor governance and autocratic/dictatorial rule of the federal and state governments.
Regarding Okpe Nation, when it is articulated that the “words of the Orodje must be obeyed” and opposing views are characterized as “mischievous” and “dissident,” then it is obvious that we are encouraging autocracy and dictatorship to reign. Democratic tenets are disregarded and mediocrity, in most cases, is enthroned. Fortunately, the nature of the Okpe Monarchy does not historically reflect absolute monarchy, as in the making of the throne of the Orodje, the four Ruling Houses who take turns to produce the occupant of the throne designed a limited office as against that of the Oba of Benin which was absolute. In saying that a polity gets the leadership it deserves we are compelled, first and foremost, to scrutinize the caliber of advisers serving the leadership. In this piece we shall examine the caliber of three Ekakuro in the service of HRM, Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom. It is our view that these Ekakuro severely denigrate the revered Orodje of Okpe Kingdom and cause disrepute to the Okpe Nation.
The Okpe Nation: A Distinct Nationality
As is well known by every scholar of Okpe History, the British Government had little or no understanding of the distinctiveness of ethnic nationalities of neighbouring territories. This influenced them into grouping diverse ethnic nationalities into one. A renowned British scholar, R. E. Bradbury, succinctly articulated this view when he opined that the British categorization of Okpe and Isoko as Urhobo was done purely for administrative convenience. He posited that the inclusion of Okpe “with the Urhobo tribes” was “done on a geographical rather than a linguistic basis.” He concluded that “Okpe is said to be closer to the Edo of the Benin Kingdom than are the Urhobo dialects proper.” (R. E. Bradbury, The Benin Kingdom and the Edo-Speaking People of South-Western Nigeria, London, 1970, p.128.)
There were three main migratory waves from Benin Kingdom to the present territory of Delta Central Senatorial District in the Ogiso period of Benin Monarchy. The first was in the 1170s under the reign of the 1st Oba of Benin, Oba Oronmiyan (1170 – 1200 AD) that saw the settlement of Urhobo in Ughelli and other villages. The second wave was the last Urhobo migration that settled in contemporary Abraka in the 1370s, under the reign of the 10th Oba of Benin, Oba Ogbeka (1370 – 1400 AD).
The migration of Okpe from Benin Kingdom occurred during the reign of the 16th Oba of Benin, Oba Ozolua (1481 – 1504 AD). Oba Ozolua conquered many territories, including Ijebu Ode, Ondo, and towns in contemporary Edo State. He had several sons, including Prince Eze of Aboh, and Prince Igboze that migrated to contemporary Delta Central Senatorial District in 1550, and whose son, Prince Okpe had four princely sons: Orhue, Orhoro, Evbreke, and Esezi.
As most of us, Okpe, were born and raised under the falsity of British ethnic classification we lost the conception of our being and were forced to accept Urhobo nationality, unlike the Isoko that succeeded in extricating themselves from the Urhobo appellation in 1963 after a protracted struggle. Okpe Union rejects the Urhobo appellation and continues to agitate for the restoration of Okpe as an independent ethnic nationality. This is a historical fact which HRM Orhue l has duly recognized. In his Keynote Address at the 3rd AGM of the Okpe Union of North America on September 1, 2007, College Park, MD, USA, the Orodje succinctly declared:
“Okpe is a unique ethnic nationality. It has distinctive roots in ancient history, tradition, culture, customs and language.”
He added:
“Our people are rooted in migration from the Bini Kingdom. This historical experience is similar to most other ethnic nationalities of the Western Niger Delta. Of all these nationalities however, Okpe History, language, tradition, and culture are closer to those of Bini which form part of the Edo group of languages.”
In the above referenced Keynote Address, the Orodje emphatically stressed the uniqueness and distinctiveness of Okpe as an ethnic nationality. While Okpe belongs to the same Edoid group of languages with the Bini, Esan and the Urhobo, for instance, it does not mean and can never be construed that Okpe is Bini or Urhobo is Okpe. A failure to recognize this fact is tantamount to a falsification of Okpe History.
The Advice Of Some Ekakuro
Okakuro 1
At a press conference held in Sapele on April 05, 2021 where the subject was the proposed meeting of the Okpe Union at the Okpe Hall, Okakuro #1 threatened that: “The Orodje can even invoke a curse against them. They should be advised.” We doubted if he was expressing the views of the Orodje in this statement. If he was not, then his statement in our opinion belittles the Okpe Throne and denigrates the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom.
Okakuro 2
This Okakuro is very quick to remind you of his close relationship with HRM Orhue l. He has frequently invoked this relationship in harassing several members of the Okpe Union that they would be arrested by the Orodje if they continued their loyalty to the elected National Executive Council of the Okpe Union. This misuse and abuse of the revered Okpe Throne is, in our view, a serious denigration of the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom.
Bereaved of an intelligent response to my A REJOINDER TO A REJOINDER: OKAKURO ISAACS O. ITEBU’S RESPONSE TO MY LETTER ENTITLED “AN OPEN LETTER TO THE OKPE NATION: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE OKPE UNION AND THE OKPE NATION” of August 22, 2022, he wrote the following:
On August 24, 2022. (Forwarded by an Okakuro)
“I know Natufe very well. He will not return to Nigeria soon despite being in his mid-80s. His Ukrainian wife will not understand why he will be coming back home. He has no property in Nigeria and Russia.”
“ME TO NATUFE: If you want a President General’s burial since you have no property or house in Nigeria, we will help you if you relocate to Nigeria.”
“But I doubt if your Ukrainian wife will allow you to return to Nigeria.”
“You added Igho a name you suppressed for years because of your Itsekiri link. You are known and addressed as Prof. Omajuwa Natufe when you were a lecturer with Uniben. The records are there for all to see.”
“The battle has been lost and won. Shame on you and stop the impersonation and grandstanding.”
On September 10, 2022. (Forwarded by a member of Okpe Union to whom Okakuro #2 had sent the message)
“For your information Natufe has abandoned the struggle….”
“Na wen he become your President General he come add Igho to him name. If you go Uniben where him lecture before he jakpa from Nigeria, nobody know am as Igho. Na Omajuwa everybody know am as. Him Mama Itsekiri. He never identified with Okpe people when he was at Uniben.”
The above is a collection of lies. His claim that he knows me “very well” is a bogus fabrication by someone seeking for relevance as he provides advice to his paymasters based on falsehood. Anyone who claims to know me “very well”, will know that I am not in my “mid-80s”; that I have no wife of any nationality; that I have never “suppressed” Igho as my name, and that Okpe lecturers and students, especially those in the faculties of Social Sciences and Arts, during my tenure at UNIBEN (1980-1989) will attest to my proud association with Okpe as an Okpe national. Upon my return to Nigeria (UNIBEN) in 1980, those who knew me could attest to my involvement in Okpe affairs. For example, I played a crucial role in zoning the State Secretary office to Okpe under the (then) UPN administration of Professor Ambrose Ali (of Blessed Memory). My Uncle, Okakuro (Dr.) Victor A. Natufe, the current Most Senior Okakuro of Okpe Kingdom and the Head of the Orhoro Ruling House can attest to this. I accompanied him to three Adane Okpe festivals at Orerokpe, one of which was in December 1982 when he discussed the UPN State Secretary position with Okakuro Patrick Odiete (of Blessed Memory). The then Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, HRM Orhoro l, (of Blessed Memory) persuaded me at the Governor’s Office in Benin, in August 1982, to step down for Okakuro Odiete during the UPN congress taking place that day at Urhokpota Hall. Incidentally, when the office of Deputy Governor became vacant due to the schism between Governor Ali and his Deputy, Chief Demas Akpore (of Blessed Memory), who was gruesomely attacked near Obiaruku in December 1982 and hospitalized at Eku Baptist Hospital, Okakuro Odiete was selected to assume the deputy governorship as a result of the lobbying of some Okpe nationals, of which I was a part.
Furthermore, I was selected to participate at a strategic stakeholders’ meeting of the UPN Bendel State Chapter that took place at the residence of Chief O. N. Rewane (of Blessed Memory) in Warri, on December 29-30, 1983, to reorganize the UPN following its loss at the October 1983 elections. Unfortunately, the military coup of December 31, 1983 aborted civilian rule and political activities were outlawed. As the process of a return to civilian rule was initiated by the military government, I was one of the Okpe nationals that vigorously campaigned to have Ohovwore Margaret Unukeghwu elected to represent Okpe at the 1988 Constituent Assembly in Abuja. I wonder where Okakuro #2 was during the 1980s when I was involved in Okpe politics before I returned to Canada in 1989.
Furthermore, those who know me very well can attest to the role I played in giving us an Okpe Nation Anthem, an idea which was conceived by the OKPE VOICE under my leadership. The Okpe Nation Anthem was written and composed by our illustrious Prof. Obavorhene Idamoyibo (of Blessed Memory), sponsored by the OKPE VOICE and blessed by HRM, Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom. The Okpe Nation Anthem, sanctioned by the Udogun Okpe, is a Redemption Song of the Okpe Nation, a very powerful symbol of Okpe as an independent ethnic nationality.
Regarding my maternal Itsekiri lineage, which obviously troubles Okakuro #2, perhaps he should tell us if Udogun Okpe and the Orodje have stripped Okpe nationals with non-Okpe mothers of their Okpe nationality. For the record, I am very proud of my paternal and maternal lineages, as I am sure hundreds of thousands of Okpe nationals with non-Okpe mothers are equally proud of their dual lineages.
Okakuro 3
This Okakuro, while acknowledging the deliberate misinformation and misrepresentation in the publication of Dr. Ejiro Imuere regarding his categorization of Okpe nationals that disagree with the Udogun Okpe as “dissidents” and “ITSEKOKPE,” falsely referring to me as a part of the then NEC of Okpe Union vis-à-vis the planned AGA of November 14, 2020, and referring to Barr. Kingsley Ehensiri Akpederin as the “National Publicity Secretary” of the Okpe Union, etc., Okakuro #3 gleefully accepted that these errors and slander were inaccurately lifted from his own publication. However, he declared that Dr. Imuere’s lies and misrepresentations were not his problem but that of Dr. Imuere and the Okpe Union. Thus, he endorsed the categorization of Okpe with Itsekiri lineages as “ITSEKOKPE,” lending credence to a non-Okpe profiling of Okpe nationals. In fact, he is aiding and abetting a non-Okpe to destabilize the Okpe Nation; a likely treasonable act.
Given that both Ekakuro #2 and #3 have endorsed the description of Okpe nationals with Itsekiri lineages as “ITSEKOKPE”, I hereby, once again, say I am very proud of my paternal and maternal lineages. In fact, at an event in Okpe LGA in 2021, Okakuro #3 asked an official of Okpe Union: “Is Professor Natufe not the one with an Itsekiri mother?” This fixation of certain Ekakuro on Okpe nationals with Itsekiri names and/or Itsekiri lineages suggests a dangerous profiling of a group of Okpe nationals. Conveniently, they and many of their types including a fraction of Okpe intelligentsia, condone Okpe nationals, including some Ekakuro, bearing Itsekiri names even though they may have no blood linkages with the Itsekiri. The irony of this nauseating phenomenon is that several of these Ekakuro have siblings bearing Itsekiri names.
It is pertinent to remind this group of Ekakuro that the first Orodje of Okpe Kingdom in the modern era, HRM Esezi ll, was known and addressed as John Deveno MEBITAGHAN, an Itsekiri name. Many illustrious Okpe nationals bear the following non-Okpe names: Majemite, Obaide, Otomewo, Owumi and Temiagin, etc. For example, my Uncle, Okakuro (Dr.) Victor A. Natufe, the current Most Senior Okakuro of Okpe Kingdom and the Head of the Orhoro Ruling House, bears an Itsekiri name, Amoma. Two of my paternal Uncles and an Aunt (all of Blessed memories) bore Itsekiri names: Ofomiyuahan, Ayomike, and Mejebi, respectively. All of the above contributed and still contribute to the growth and development of the Okpe Nation. For several years, Uncle Ofomiyuahan played a key role in Etamua Quarter and was a leading member of the Sapele Okpe Community before he passed on in 1985. Should the above persons be stigmatized for bearing Itsekiri names? What about hundreds and thousands of Okpe nationals with Bini, Esan, Ijaw, Igbo, Isoko, Urhobo, Yoruba, Caribbean, European and North American mothers? Should they also be stigmatized for having non-Okpe mothers?
This declared hostile attitude towards Okpe with Itsekiri lineages and/or bearing Itsekiri names sadly reminds us of the search for and prosecution of anyone with Jewish lineage in Nazi Germany. Is that the path these Ekakuro intend to lead the Okpe Nation?
Perhaps the next step to be taken by these Ekakuro is to table a motion in Udogun Okpe to strip all Okpe nationals with non-Okpe mothers as well as all Okpe bearing non-Okpe names, of their Okpe nationality. This motion should also apply to all Okpe nationals bearing foreign names, like Felix, Duke, Patrick, Robert, William, etc., in their desire to cleanse Okpe society. It may do good for the Okpe Nation, if these Ekakuro can initiate a research project on why Okpe nationals, without any blood lineage with Itsekiri and/or Urhobo, for example, elect to acquire Itsekiri and/or Urhobo names. Okpe Union will contribute towards such a study.
The three Ekakuro referenced above know who they are, respectively. I shall not disclose their names. They are free to respond publicly or maintain their silence.
Instead of welcoming the different solitudes that constitute the Okpe mosaic, and devising strategies to utilize the diversities of these solitudes in constructing a viable Okpe polity, these Ekakuro are engaged in destructive policies to disfigure our beautiful Okpe mosaic. We are confident that their statements do not represent the views/opinions of the Orodje and/or the Udogun Okpe. That notwithstanding, their unguarded public utterances do severe harm to the Orodje of Okpe and the Okpe Kingdom, for they are recognized as advisers to the Orodje and representatives of the Okpe Monarchy. We acknowledge character and integrity as key variables in evaluating the leadership and ideological prism of any individual engaged at any level of social discourse, especially those responsible for advising our revered Orodje of Okpe Kingdom. What we have observed with these Ekakuro is a flurry of reactions with poor reflections.
In Lieu Of A Conclusion
We have loads of tasks facing us in Okpe Nation. How do we rescue Okpe Nation from the current economic decay and place our youths in gainful employment and quality education? How do we restore the sovereignty of the Okpe Nation? These are some of the critical questions that we must grapple with as patriotic Okpe nationals, and not the arrant nonsense of who bears what names amongst Okpe, and who have non-Okpe maternal lineages. Only infertile minds dwell on such irrelevancies.
The apostles of “Okpe is Urhobo” should consider the harm their illogical policy is causing to the Okpe Nation, especially to our Okpe youths. In August 2022, the Federal Government awarded a pipeline surveillance contract worth 4 Billion Naira monthly to Mr. Government Ekpemupolo (a.k.a. Tompolo). While this Federal Government contract to an individual is highly questionable, given the fact that there is a Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) that could handle such a project, the Okpe Nation must ensure that we are included in the execution of this contract.
Information reaching us indicates that Tompolo has reached out to the youth organizations of Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri, Ukwuani and Urhobo nationalities to discuss the modalities of their involvement in the pipeline surveillance contract in their respective domains. Since “Okpe is Urhobo”, as erroneously and sadly argued by a fraction of Okpe leadership and intelligentsia, and in spite of the fact that Okpe Kingdom has more than 100 oil and gas wells, our Okpe youth organizations are excluded by definition. Thus, due to the policy of these Okpe leaders that elect to bury their heads in the sand in their blind subservience to colonial ethnic categorization, the Okpe Nation and our youths have their sovereignty over their natural resources extinguished, not by external forces but by the poverty of thought exhibited by Okpe traditional and political leaders. Our Okpe independence as a distinct ethnic nationality is mocked, our Okpe youths are humiliated and our future development is compromised, due to the incomprehensible stance of a fraction of Okpe leadership and intelligentsia that ally themselves with external powers injurious to Okpe national interest. It is time we stop playing the ostrich and embrace the agitation for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality.
God bless the Okpe Union!
Long Live the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom!
God bless the Okpe Nation!
