By Francis Ewherido
Last week, I promised to look at the UPU 2024 Constitution as amended. To start with, the review of the UPU Constitution was overdue, so it’s good on the face value that it was reviewed. My concerns today are some of the contradictions in the amended UPU Constitution, especially since they are out of tune with the modern-day world.
Let’s start with Article 10.1 which details the composition of those who are eligible to attend the annual congress during which an election is conducted every three years. Article 10.1.f states that four members of sub branches outside Urhobo Land are eligible to attend the congress. That is wonderful.
Article 12.2 mandates the first vice president general to stand in for the PG in his absence and preside at meetings. The same article also mandates executive members present to appoint from among themselves someone to preside at a meeting in the absence of the PG, first vice PG, second vice PG and third vice PG.This is also good because anybody can miss a meeting for varying reasons. In addition, we are all mortals. The implication is that no one is indispensable. Consequently, the absence of any exco member at a meeting should not affect the smooth running of UPU.
I am fine with all the requirements of the qualifications for Urhobos eligible to vie for positions as contained in Article 20, but I am curious about a provision in 20.e: “for a person to qualify to hold the office of the President General of the union he shall in addition to other qualifications be resident in Urhobo land.” Now, if people who live in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria can be members and delegates, why prevent them from being president? That is contradictory and discriminatory. In addition, if any member of the exco can preside in the absence of the PG, what is so special about the PG being resident in Urhobo Land? Like all mortals, he is also not indispensable and must not be at every meeting or function.
Again, “if all candidates shall be paternally Urhobo,” what is the 20.e doing in the constitution? If you are paternally Urhobo, it means you come from somewhere in Urhobo land. Many Urhobos either have family homes or personal houses in Urhobo Land. How do you decide who is “resident in Urhoboland. Let me particularise. Past UPU PGs such as the immediate past PG, Olorogun Moses Taiga, the late General David Ejoor(rtd) and Chief Felix Ibru have homes in Delta, Lagos and abroad where they stay/stayed from time to time, depending on where they are/wereneeded or other factors. How do you determine their Urhobo land residency? Of the three of them, Olorogun Taiga is the only one alive. He lives in London, Lagos and Okpare, depending on where personal and official matters take him. He has personal houses, in fact, palaces in all these places. He also has staff and businesses inall the three locations. Is OlorogunTaiga a resident of Lagos, London or Urhoboland?
You see, it is very irritating when people chase shadows instead of substance. What is this embarrassing provision doing in the UPU Constitution in the 21st century? In 1984, when I heard the phrase, “global village” the first time, it didn’t make sense to me because it was so unreal. The village I knew then was “a settlement usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town.” This whole wide world cannot be a village, nah, not even a town or city, I reasoned then. But today, 41 years after, the world is truly a global village.A “Global village describes the phenomenon of the entire world becoming more interconnected as the result of the propagation of media technologies throughout the world.” In 1984, there were less than 100,000 telephone lines in Nigeria. Today, 85% of about 230m Nigerians have phones or access to phones.
I heard about internet for the first time in 1989. It didn’t make sense to me. Today, it’s usage is widespread. Many companies now operate virtually. Some companies with up to 1000 staff have less than 100 staff going to work in the office daily. The others work virtually. Board meetings, AGMs and many other meetings, conferences, seminars, etc., are either physical or virtual. Sometimes, they are hybrid.The bottomline is that the world has moved on. This provision of Article 20.e is stone age.
Article 20.e is like saying a man must be on top of his wife 24/7 because he wants to have a baby or because sex is pleasurable. While I acknowledge the importance of the UPU PG having a base in Urhobo land, a PG can operate and make things happen without being in Urhobo land 24/7 or all year round. Na full time job? Even in full time jobs, staff are occasionally absent. We don’t even need such a local person without national and international presence and exposure. An old Urhobo adage says, oroyanre, oyeniorovwo (loosely translated, he who has travelled extensively is more knowledgeable and well exposed). And the UPU has such a provision in 2025? Please stop ridiculing the Urhobo Nation. We are far better than this.
This is 2025. A UPU PG who knows his onions can be effective from anywhere. When his physical presence is needed, he can come down from wherever he is. I remember Olorogun Taiga travelled down from Lagos or London to Urhobo land for some activities at his own expense during his days as UPU PG. Beyond his business in Delta State, he was and still is a community leader. He pays many locals, including old women, widows and some others monthly upkeep allowances.
Chief Simeon Ohwofa is my candidate for the UPU PG position. Like the PGs mentioned above, he lives in both Lagos and Delta. He has a country home on Simeon Ohwofa Close, Ohoror, Uwheru. He is a benefactor to many and a community leader. Is Chief Ohwofa resident in Urhobo Land or Lagos? That is a question people who put the obnoxious Article 20.e in the UPU Constitution must answer. The world is being simplified and we want to complicate things for selfish and parochial reasons, and personal interest as against the interest of the Urhobo Nation. That piece of embarrassment should be expunged from Article 20 of the constitution as soon as possible. A UPU PG should have a home base and be conversant with odavwer’Urhobo. PERIOD
Let’s focus on the real issues. Let me re-state the preamble of the UPU constitution: “Whereas the indigenous people of Urhobo Nation in Delta State are desirous of protecting and promoting the interest and wellbeing of the Urhobo Nation and its people; whereas it is desirable there be a body of Urhobo people capable of interacting with the various levels of government and other socio-cultural groups within Nigeria for the promotion of cultural, socioeconomic and political development as well as ethnic and political harmony within the context of a united Nigeria…” What we need is a UPU PG and an executive that implement this preamble.
To do this, the PG and his team must have vision. Without vision, the people perish. Visionary leadership drives a society’s progress and development. The Urhobo Nation is rudderless right now. Beyond that we are sailing like a ship at night: unnoticed. That is not good enough for the major ethnic group in Delta Stateand one of the major sources of revenue for Nigeria. We are not only hurting ourselves; we are also hurting Delta State and Nigeria. Clubs and other subgroups have tried to fill the void with varying degree of success because they represent a section, not the entire Urhobo Nation. Only a vibrant and visionary UPU leadership can put the Urhobo Nation in its deserved position in the comity of nations.
Two, integrity and trust. The UPU is currently very poor. It is washing its hands with spittle while living beside the riverbank. How can UPU be poor when there are many rich Urhobo sons and daughters? My personal experience during the sourcing of subscribers for the Okugbe Microfinance Bank taught me that Urhobo sons and daughters will bring out their money if they trust the team. That was how we raised over N400m. Apart from people who asked for a refund after the central bank denied us an operating licence, the others left their money with us. Even when the committee asked if subscriptions should be refunded, the subscribers urged us on. They said the central bank can not kill our plan for the Urhobo Nation. An investment company was incorporated which is now the vehicle we hope to use to get the microfinance bank licence and other investments in Urhobo land, something like Odua Investment in the Southwest.
Happily, Chief Ohwofa is a core investor and director of a microfinance bank. Abraham Ogbodo is the chairman of the Okugbe MFB committee, while Dr. Benson Uwheru is the secretary. Prof Sunny Awhefeada is one of the subscribers of the Okugbe Microfinance Bank. The Okugbe project is very dear to my heart. After the then President of UPU, Olorogun Taiga kickstarted the subscription with N20m, none of his exco members subscribed. Everyone has the prerogative on where to put his/her money, so I do not grudge them. But I am backing the team of Ohwofa, Ogbodo, Uwheru, Awhefeadaand others because they will have to help us to realise the dream of Okugbe Investment if they win their elections. I repeat, I am not supporting them and others because of paddy-paddy. I am supporting them because they are Urhobo patriots and want to see the Urhobo Nation rise and fluorish.
Another important attribute of leadership is courage. Since after the army visited Okuama with fury, “shelling all the shellables” (courtesy K. O. Mbadiwe of blessed memory), levelling and razingOkuama community in my Ewu Kingdom, some people in this team have been there for the Okuama people. Ogbodo was the chairman of the Okuama IDP Committee, He put his all into the assignment. Urhobo Social Club, where Ohwofa is chairman, board of trustees,donated a cow and other food and relief items. Atamu Club, where Mr. Mathew Ogagavworia is a past president, also donated a cow, food and other relief items. Dr. Benson Uwheru is also a former secretary and member of Atamu Club. Prof. Awhefeada has been in the forefront of Okuama advocacy. I don’t need to be told that this team will have a plan to rebuild Okuama. Ogbodo already has a plan which the team can finetune. They have the odavwe and capacity. Rebuilding Okuamawill be a source of joy to me, the people of Ewu Kingdom and the Urhobo Nation.
UPU needs servant-leaders, not transactional leaders. Transactional leadership is inimical to the interest of the Urhobo Nation. Now, this is my dream team: President-General, Chief Simeon Ohwofa; first PG, Barr. Mike Igini; Second PG, Mr. Abraham Ogbodo; General Secretary, Mr. Patrick Origho; Asst. General Secretary, Dr. Benson Uwheru; Publicity Secretary, Prof. Sunny Awhefeada; Treasurer, Prof. Dicta Ogisi; Financial Secretary, Prof. Rose Aziza; Legal Adviser, Dr. Brown Umukoro; Assistant Publicity Secretary, Chief Veronica Ajuebon and Auditor, Mr. Matthew Ogagavworia. They will make UPU great. They will be a bunch of broom that is unbreakable. Who can break a bunch of brooms with bare hands? They excite me individually and collectively.
Francis Ewherido is from Ewu Kingdom and an Urhobo patriot
