The Urhobo nationality

The Urhobo nationality

I HAVE just read Chris Akiri's two-part piece: "The bitter experience of the Urhobo" The points raised in the piece, namely the marginalisation of the Urhobo nationality and its enormous contribution to the Nigerian economy, rival Martin Luther's placard on the doors of Wittenberg. Chris Akiri wrote an infinite deal on the population of the Urhobo, which he ranked as "the fifth most populous nationality in Nigeria, its contribution to the nation's economy in terms of oil production, from which the nation", according to the author, "derives over N40 billion from petroleum resources mined from the bosom of that land" daily!; the marginalisation of the Urhobo in political appointment especially the Petroleum Ministry and parastatals of Federal Government by successive administrations, etc. I must say here that it is more in sadness than in anger that I have written this rejoinder, as an Itsekiri from Delta State where the Urhobo, according to Akiri, is "easily the most populous homogenous ethnic group."

Towards the closing decade of the last century, there arose this false and erroneous belief that the Urhobo nationality is the fifth largest in Nigeria. First it was hummed until August, 1999, when the Urhobo National Assembly in a communique published in The Guardian, echoed it, and it became the authority for it. Reading Akiri's work closely reveals a veiled attempt to use the work of Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in his book, Thoughts on Nigerian Constitution, (1966 : 24) as source for this claim. That is far from true. Attempt to classify ethnic nationalities in Nigeria by Chief Awolowo is contained at pages 99-100 of the book, wherein he said.

"As we have noted previously, the number of linguistic groups in Nigeria is not yet accurately known. The detailed analysis of the last census figures in this connection are still awaited. But cyclostyled reports of the census containing population figures for the various districts in the country are in circulation. It is from these that we have abstracted, roughly, the figures we use in respect of 10 linguistic groups as follows: Hausa 13,576,000, Yoruba 12,897,000, Ibo 7,772,000, Efik or Ibibio 3,180,000, Kanuri 2,762,000, Tiv 1,542,000, Ijaw 942,000, Edo 927,000, Nupe, 637,000, Urhobo 626,000.

This was based on the 1963 census.

Again, according to Professor C.M.B. Brann in The Guardian of September 9, 1998, "For according to the 1996 edition of Ethnologue, the following figures are cited with reference to Nigeria, in thousand which figures are followed by those of 1963 census of Nigeria in brackets: Yoruba 18, 850 (11,320), Hausa 18,525 (11,653), Igbo 17,000 (9,246), Fulbe 7,611 (4,784), Kanuri 3,700 (2,259), Ibibio 3,186 (2,006), Tiv 2,200 (1,394), Efik 2,000 (166), Ijaw 1,770 (1,089), Nupe 1,062 (656), Edo 1,000 (955), Ebira 1,000 (425), Igala 800 (582), Idoma 600 (486), Urhobo 546 (639).

According to the Ethnologue figures, dating from 1986 to 1997, the Urhobo would seem to be in the 15th place, demographically speaking, whereas the fifth place would seem to be that of Kanuri... This is also borne out by the choice of nine network languages by the Federal Broadcasting Services 1960-1980, which did not include Urhobo in the first place... Therefore, Urhobo, following the 1963 census, came in the 11th position; whereas according to the 1996 Ethnologue, it stands in the 15th."

Next is the issue of quantum of oil production. Yes, it is true that Delta State is the leading oil producing state in Nigeria. It produces about 48 per cent of Nigeria's oil and gas. In Delta State, the Itsekiri Communities in Warri South, Warri South-West and Warri North Local Government Areas are by far largest producers of oil and gas. Its production accounts for more than 80 per cent of Delta State production. Next to the Itsekiri are the Ijaws, Isoko, Ndokwa and the Urhobo, in that order of production. The claim that over N40 billion is derived daily from Urhobo land is bogus and unfounded. Since the Urhobo see Delta State as Urhobo State, it is therefore not out of place to see all oil productions in Delta State as Urhobo's. This perhaps explains why the position of the Managing Director of NDDC which is by the enabling law reserved for the Itsekiri by virtue of her being the largest ethnic oil producer in Delta State, nay Nigeria, was hijacked by the Urhobo Government of Delta State for an Urhobo person whose community's connection with crude oil is pipeline vandalisation.

Before the Urhobo cry of marginalisation by the Federal Government on false claims of population and oil production they should address more real and serious cases of marginalisation and injustice perpetrated by them in Delta State against other minority ethnic groups. They should address the issue of the 13 per cent derivation fund meant for the development of oil producing communities but now diverted by the Urhobo Delta State Government for the development of Urhobo areas that produce nothing and the Itsekiris and other minority ethnic oil producing communities are neglected. They should tell Nigerians why are the state-owned higher institutions established by the Urhobo government in Delta and run by money from Itsekiri areas are concentrated in Urhobo land" Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State Polytechnic Oghara, College of Physical Education, Mosogar (a distance of one kilometre from Oghara). They should tell Nigerians why the College of Education, Warri, the only higher institution in Itsekiri homeland and established by late Ambrose Alli's administration should be dominated by the Urhobo" the Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Okobia is an Urhobo (and an in-law to the Commissioner of Education), the Provost is an Urhobo, the Registrar is an Urhobo, the Bursar is also an Urhobo. Over 90 per cent of the recent staff recruitments are Urhobos. They should tell Nigerians why Urhobo, alone should have 16 of the 25 High Court Judges in Delta State, leaving the Ibo with (6), Itsekiri (2), Isoko (1) and Ijaw (0). They should tell Nigerians how, they, using their carrot and stick approach deprived the Itsekiri of the Speakership of the Delta State House of Assembly, which was zoned to them. Other ethnic groups in the state are enjoying the fruits of the zoning, but the Itsekiris must not enjoy theirs, courtesy of "the most populous homogenous ethnic group in Delta State." The Urhobo Delta State government should tell Nigerians while they should abuse their majority status in Delta State House of Assembly when they unconstitutionally relocated the headquarters of Warri South West Local Government Council from Ogidigben to Ogbe-Ijoh and at the same time frustrated the efforts of the Itsekiris at seeking redress in the law court. I can go on and on. It is endless.

Our Lord Jesus Christ admonished us to remove the log in our own eyes before seeking to remove the speck in another. He that goes to equity must go with clean hands. Sometime in 1993, a movement known as Southern Minorities Forum which comprised the ethnic nationalities in the South-South geo-political zone was formed. Prominent among the members were Major-Gen. David Ejoor (rtd), Major-Gen. Agbazika Innih, S. A. Asemota (SAN), Prof. Isoun (now Minister for Science and Technology) and others. At one of its meetings held on Thursday, 24th March, 1994, at Qua River Motel Eket, Akwa Ibom State, the issue of domination of minority ethnic groups within the zone was deliberated upon, at the instance of the Itsekiri delegation to the meeting. It was agreed that the issue of domination or marginalisation should be addressed first at state level, where domination and marginalisation loom large.

How then must the Urhobo be constituted who will lead Delta State to get what is Delta's from the Federal Government. They must see the cause of the minorities in Delta State as their cause, because it is not just Itsekiri, Isoko or Ijaw but really it is all Nigerians, who must overcome the crippling legacy of marginalisation and injustice. The next four words should fall like sledge harmers, in the words of President Lyndon Johnson, "And we shall overcome." Because you cannot hold a man down without staying down with him. At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. We must not wait for the times. We must make them.

March 2002