By Francis Ewherido
The UPU election coming up on December 5, 2025, is getting more interesting. All of a sudden, those opposed to the MUGA (Make Urhobo Great Again) team have come up with a new definition of diaspora. The dictionary defines diaspora as a group of people who spread from one original country to another…” But according to the anti-MUGA team, all Urhobos who live in Nigeria, but outside Urhobo land are now diasporans. Apparently, they are using the term myopically for political expediency, but no problem. At least we are Urhobos who have family or personal homes in Urhobo land.
Chief Simeon Ohwofa, who is contesting the position of the President General, Urhobo Progress Union, is being specifically targeted, so let me focus on him. Chief Ohwofa was born in Urhobo land. He did his primary and secondary school in Urhobo land. There was no university in Urhobo land then. So, he went to the University of Ibadan.
But Chief Ohwofa remains rooted in his hometown Uwheru. He has a country home on 1, Simeon Ohwofa Close,Ohoror, Uwheru, where he stays when he is in Delta, just as he has a house in Lagos, where he also stays when he is in Lagos. He doesn’t just live in Uwheru when he is in Delta, he is an Uwheru community leader who is very active in community service. Chief Simeon Ohwofa is the founder of Orogine Ohwofa Foundation. The foundation has awarded 75 scholarships in its first five years; 50 students at the secondary school level and 25 students at the university level. He was also instrumental to the building of the Anglican Church in Uwheru, among other community projects and interventions.
Now let us look at Chief Ohwofa’s contributionsto the Urhobo Historical Society. Zita Onakpoberuosaid, “Because of his passion for advancing the Urhobo Nation through the Urhobo Historical Society (UHS), he was found worthy to serve as the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the UHS Endowment Fund.Following the passing of Chief (Johnson Modika) Barovbe, the former UHS National Coordinator, it became clear that no one was more suitable to step into that role than Chief Ohwofa. His dedication made the choice obvious. Long before he became National Coordinator, Chief Ohwofa was already a pillar of support for UHS – both through his physical presence and through significant financial contributions. Though he is never one to publicize his own efforts, there is no UHS activity he does not generously support – from headquarters operations to conferences, seminars and publications.
“In recognition of his selfless service, UHS honored him with an award (UHS Distinguished Service Award) at the July 2024 conference. From that time until now, he has continued to shoulder major responsibilities, including paying staff salaries – just one among many things he does quietly for the organization and, by extension, for the entire Urhobo Nation, in the preservation and promotion of our history and culture. If Professor Peter Ekeh were still alive, I am confident he would have been at the forefront championing Chief Ohwofa for the position of UPU President-General.” For those of you who do not know, the headquarters of UHS is Okpara Inland in Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, not Lagos. So, you can go there and fact-check.
In Urhobo Social Club, Lagos, (USCL) as a “diasporan,” his contributions are enormous. He held various positions until he became the president. As president, he facilitated the purchase of the land on which Urhobo House will be built in Lagos “diaspora.” The land is situated at Abijo GRA and is currently worth between N200m to N300m. It was also during his time that USCL held a grand 101 birthday celebration for the late Ohworode of Olomu, HRM Richard Layeguen Ogbon-Oghoro 1, in Ogoni-Olomu. It was a spectacle. The Obi of Onitsha, HRM Albert Achebe and the late Olu of Warri, HRM Ogiame Ikenwole, along with other traditional rulers from outside Urhobo land, graced the occasion. Of course, Urhobo traditional rulers graced the occasion in their numbers. Chief Ohwofa is currently the chairman, board of trustees, USCL.
In UPU, Chief Simeon Ohwofa was a member of the UPU Council of Representatives for Uwheru Kingdom. He served in the UPU Committee on the revitalisation of the Urhobo College, Effurun. He was conferred with the UPU Award as Legend of Industry, Enterprise and Profession on December 2, 2022, during the Annual Urhobo National Day celebration held at the Urhobo Cultural Centre, Uvwiamughe. He served as a member of the UPU Electoral Committee of the 2022 election that brought the current executive to power. He actually announced the winners of the election. In May 2025 he was honouredwith an award of excellence by the UPU Youth Wing, Uwheru Branch, for his numerous contributions to youth development and education.
When you label some of us “diasporans,” I laugh. As a “diasporan,” Olorogun Moses Taiga championed the renovation of the Urhobo House at Okere and Urhobo College fence; fenced the Urhobo Cultural Centre, Uvwiamughe, and did some other renovations. He also kick-started the raising of funds to set up a microfinance bank. We raised over N400m, but the Central Bank didn’t grant us the license. With the approval of the subscribers, Okugbe Investment Limited was incorporated to invest and manage the funds. The purpose of the microfinance bank is to have a place where the ewheya and ighele(Urhobo women and youths) can have access to loans to set up or upscale their businesses. The dream of a microfinance bank is still very much alive, but you need a visionary UPU executive to partner with the Okugbe Investment Limited to raise more funds to meet the new capital requirement for microfinance banks.
Some people ALLEGED that someone in the current UPU executive is angry that the money wasn’t made available to them to run the UPU. How can? People subscribed to start a microfinance bank for ewheya and ighele, not to run the UPU. Moreover, apart from Olorogun Taiga, who kickstarted the process with N20m, no other member of his executive subscribed! Some of them are in the current executive! They allegedly want to spend money they didn’t contribute to. Even those of us who raised the money travelled around Nigeria and used our own funds. We didn’t take money from the fund.
Now, youths who call some of us who live in Nigeria but earn a living outside Urhobo land “diasporans,” you are very disrespectful (Avwavw’ogho).let me say something that I have stayed away from. And it’s because of you misguided youthswho are busy making noise that a “diasporan” cannot be a UPU PG. Before Olorogun Moses Taiga became UPU PG in 2016, there were two factions of UPU in the UK.He decided that he was going to unite UPU UK. He set about doing that with the assistance of the late Chief Johnson Barovbe. At that time, the schism in the UPU UK was so bad that children from either faction couldn’t marry each other. Olorogun Taiga and Chief Barovbe made significant progress which culminated in one faction sending a delegation to Nigeria to meet with Olorogun Taiga. The meeting was billed to be held in Olorogun Taiga’s Lagos home since the delegation was landing at the Murtala Mohammed Internation Airport, Lagos.
With Olorogun Taiga to receive them were Chief Barovbe, Chief Goodie Ibru, Chief Samson Okuesa, Prof Joe Abugu and other prominent Urhobos. I was also part of Olorogun Taiga’s reception team. Then the twist. A letter had been written from the UPU national secretariat to the other faction recognising it as the authentic UPU UK Branch. The letter bore only Barr. Ese Gam’s name and signature as national general secretary of UPU with AS PER YOUR INSTRUCTION written on it inferring that Olorogun Taiga authorised that the letter be written. He was purportedly copied, although Olorogun Taiga apparently wasn’t aware of such a letter. Bar Ese Gam was the secretary of UPU from 2016 to 2019.
When they got to Taiga’s house for the meeting and realised a letter had been written recognising the other faction, hell was let loose. They were very furious that they were made “to waste money on air tickets from the UK when the UPU national body had made up their mind to recognise the other faction.” They walked out on us. It took a lot of persuasion from Olorogun Taiga, Chief Barovbe and others present before they came inside again. We had a fruitful meeting. Subsequently, Olorogun Taiga, Chief Barovbe and Chief Ibru travelled to London. Both factions were dissolved and an election held to unify them. Chief Ejiro Ughwujabo emerged the new president. UPU UK has remained united till date.
Governance is a continuum. The Delta State Governor, Elder Oborevwori, came and continued with projects started by his predecessors. He also initiated new projects. Olorogun Taiga was still renovating the Uvwiamughe Cultural Centre and working on the Mukoro Mowoe University when his tenure came to an end. The current administration should give us updates on these projects they inherited and new ones they started or completed.
Still on the cheap and infantile definition of a diasporan, they miss the point when they say a “diasporan”cannot be UPU PG. In a world that is now a global village, a home-based poured fuel onan already raging fire in the UPU UK Branch. It’s the “diasporans,” Taiga, Barovbe and Ibru, who put out the fire. When you fool yourselves that an Urhobo man with houses in Lagos and Delta cannot be a UPU PG, I shake my head. We drank well and river water in Urhobo land before you were born. In any case, the world is now a global village and if UPU UK can be set on fire from Urhobo land, why can’t UPU be led by a PG who has homes in Urhobo land and Lagos? Some of you forget that a flight from Lagos to Delta and Vice Versa is one hour maximum, unless the pilot is slow or slowed down. That reminds me, where was Chief James Ibori living when he became governor of Delta State? You young people joke too much in Urhobo land. Unfortunately, you are making yourselves objects of ridicule because you exhibit lack of intellectual rigour and mental capacity.
On your contrived rumour that the governor has given matching orders that your candidate must be delivered, it is another joke. The governor has said he is neutral. Because you are one of the many aides of the governor, you have “his ears.” Which ears? I have known the governor since the early 90s when he was one the “happening boys” with my late brother, Sen. Akpor Pius Ewherido, and their circle of friends in the Effurun-Warri axis. I have also interacted with him. What he wants to do, he does and if he doesn’t want to, he will also tell you. He has always been courageous and fearless. So, how can he say he is neutral and go behind to give “matching orders?” That is not the Elder Sheriff Oborevworithat I know. Unless, I hear to the contrary directly from him, he remains neutral. Why should he even support anybody? Na UPU put am there?You can support your candidate without lies or drama.
My candidates remain: President-General, Chief Simeon Ohwofa; Second Vice 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.
To all the delegates, put Urhobo interest above personal interests. To Ewu delegates, eghereka, akarophiyon’akabonOkuama. Ihworikenen’ohwo bonyak’ephiobophiyoke. Arhavwarienv’Okparabe, oshekure o! Amero t’oshiojit’ivwrite o! Ovuovoyaphajovworakegheroma. Amromavugheo!(To Ewu delegates, remember we have to rebuild Okuama. Let’s vote for people who can help us rebuild Okuama. And to Arhavwarien and Okparabe delegates, though we now have separate kingdoms, we remain one. The same water washes the penis and the scrotal sac. Remember that and vote for people who can help us rebuild Okuama.
Let me end by advising the UPU Electoral Committee to organise a free, fair and transparent election. Anything short of that will set the Urhobo Nation backward and have grave implications on our cohesion as a people. Be good Urhobo patriots
Francis Ewherido is from Emokpor Quarters, Ewu-Otor,Ewu Kingdom
