LAGOS NOVEMBER 24TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Revelation has just emerged that President General of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) (Worldwide) Chief Joe Omene is reported to have used his position and office as President General of UPU to defraud the organization billions of Naira that would have facilitated the development of Urhobo nation if it was channeled to the right source.
A petition made available to Urhobotoday Online signed by aggrieved Executive members of UPU Worldwide accused Omene of having pocketed the sum of N1,200,000,000.00 (One Billion, Two Hundred Million Naira) allegedly given to Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive by the former President Goodluck Jonathan for election campaign.

Attached below is the petition:

URHOBO PROGRESS UNION
18 Okere Road, Warri Delta State, NIGERIATEL: 07031227777, 08035516661
www.urhoboprogressunionhqtr.org Email: upu.hdqt@yahoo.com

12th day of May, 2015
Chief Joe Omene JP,
The President General,
Urhobo Progress Union [UPU],
Mosoga.

Dear Sir,
GRIEVANCES AGAINST CHIEF JOE OMENE JP PRESIDENT GENERAL URHOBO PROGRESS UNION (UPU) BY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF UPU
Sequel to the statutory meeting of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) held in the residence of the President General at Mosoga on Sunday 3rd Mary, 2015 certain allegations were made against the President General by members present at the meeting.

As a follow up to that meeting, the undersigned Executive members have decided to putthe allegations in writing for the President General to have ample opportunity to respond to them for a thorough consideration by other Executive members at the next meeting.

PREAMBLE
The Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) has been inundated with several Newspaper publications alleging that Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive were given huge sums of money for the election of President Goodluck Jonathan. Wild as the allegations are, it is robbing on the good names of all Executive members who were not privy to the alleged money given to the Executive by the Presidency. Executive members are however on the know that all monetary transaction with the Presidency were exclusively handled by the President General who reported to the Executive that he was given the sum of N25,000,000.00 (Twenty-five Million Naira) to enable Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) organize a rally for the President which he also single handedly disbursed same as follows:
N10, 000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) (To the Youths), N5, 000,000.00 (Five Million Naira) (To Traditional Rulers) and N5, 000,000.00 (Five Million Naira) (For the Rally) leaving only about N5, 000,000.00 (Five Million Naira) to Urhobo Progress Union Executive members for their efforts. Prior to the above, the President General also brought the sum of $100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand US Dollars) which the President General said was sent to Executive Members and other organs of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) to mobilize them and assist in Mr. President’s bid.
Apart from the above sums, Executive Members are not privy to the sum of N1,200,000,000.00(One Billion, Two Hundred Million Naira) allegedly given to Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive by the Presidency.
In view of the fact that only the President General was privy to the collection of any funds meant for Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) and which said funds were paid into his personal account from where he also did the disbursements and in further consideration of other collateral factors which Executive members are aware of, we the undersigned are constrained to raise the following issues by way of grievances/allegations to clear the doubts being raised with respect to money allegedly given to Urhobo Progress Union as whole by the Presidency.

SOME OF THE GRIEVANCES BY MEMBERS GENERALLY BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE MAIN ALLEGATIONS

1.ISSUE OF CARS GIVEN TO PRESIDENT GENERAL BY POLITICIANS OR BOUGHT WITH MONEY RECEIVED ON BEHALF OF URHOBO PROGRESS UNION (UPU)
This allegation was made by several Urhobo people including the rebel group of Onoge and company. President General came into Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive with an old Camry Car with pencil rear light presumed to be a 1997 model.
Having attained the prestigious position as President General from 1st National Deputy President General there was the need to buy a car befitting of your new status. When the Lexus Jeep you bought arrived, we all hailed you and knowing your financial condition before then as made known by you at meetings you told Executive members several times that you had to sell your shares to buy the Jeep for N22,000,000.00 (Twenty-two MillionNaira).
If you were financially very buoyant, you will not resort to selling of shares. Our worry since then is that you bought another Toyota Jeep immediately thereafter. Not done you bought a Pilot Hilux Toyota and thereafter you bought another Pilot Toyota Tundra all within a short space of time. Our worry is that this sudden affluence exhibited with these fleet of cars lends credence to the suspicion of the Urhobo people concerning monies given to Urhobo Progress Union Executive through you. A very simple way to resolve part of this matter is perhaps to show evidence of the shares sold by you as sale of shares is done through Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a matter in the public domain which may explain the source of the first Jeep. However, Executive Members need to know how suddenly you acquired three other additional cars within a short space of time. There are strong rumours that you bought houses in Sapele and Abuja including massive renovation of your School. This your style of living of late full of affluence has agitated our minds when we relate it to the allegation against Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive as a whole. Your explanation will help Executive Members to defend you and ourselves to the general public as far as this matter is concerned.

2.MONEY PAID TO YOUR ACCOUNT FOR URHOBO PROGRESS UNION (UPU) TO ORGANIZE A RALLY FOR MR. PRESIDENT
Our first grouse on this issue is why you did not direct whoever is paying to channel the funds through Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Account. That the money was paid into your private account puts other Executive Members in serious dilemma to vouch for how much was actually sent to Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive both in Naira and Dollars. It was common knowledge that so much was spent by the PDP towards the election hence most Urhobo people believe firmly that UPU was part of the largeness. President General you have created the suspicion now robbing on all Executive Members in Urhobo Nation by allowing such sums to be paid to your private account against financial regulation and contrary to previous admonition against you by some Executive Members. Your advice for us to verify from Abuja is a ruse because you alone know the identity of persons who paid the money into your account.
To have a clean breast of the matter and for us to be able to defend ourselves and you, the President General the matter appears simple. President General submits the statement of your accounts from Zenith Bank Account 1001306566 as well as Ecobank Account where you issued out cheques for the Rally and other Urhobo Progress Union (UPU)’s activities. The statement should cover a period of at least one year. We also demand for your domiciliary account which you get interest on as you stated to one Executive member when this allegation had not come up. This has become necessary because it is being alleged that $1,000,000.00 (One Million US Dollars) was paid by Delta State Government to you and/or Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) which we are not also privy to.
President General, we think this is the best way to clear all doubts on this controversy and we can take it upon ourselves on seeing the statement of account and if it corroborates what you told us Executive members then we can state these facts to the Urhobo Nation to clear our names of all allegations as far as money given to UPU Executive for the election is concerned.

3. 2014 CONGRESS
You recall that the 2014 Congress was to be low keyed and was sponsored by a prominent Urhobo son through persons whose identity we did not know. From what you told Executive members, the sponsor provided the sum of N9, 400,000.00 (Nine Million, Four HundredThousand Naira). Up till date we have not even written or paid a courtesy call to appreciate the donor. More disturbing is the fact that even though the cheque from the sponsorship was rooted through Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Account you told Executive Members that those who sourced for the sponsor whom you styled as Consultants demanded for N3,900,000.00 (ThreeMillion, Nine Hundred Thousand Naira) as their fees. The source fee rather than paying direct to those entitled to it from UPU Account, you instructed that the cheque be written in your name to enable you do the payment direct to them. This whole scenario cast a doubt on the identity of those who sourced for the sponsor and if actually they were paid by you. We have always given the benefit of doubt to you. However, to completely seal any doubt existing in our minds, the Executive members demand proof of the remittance of that fund to the consultants.
This again is very easy by showing your statement of account where you paid the money into and the subsequent transfer or cheques with which you did the payment. President General, we are asking for all these to build confidence in you and to be able to beat our chest in future whenever such allegations of financial impropriety is made against you and by extension the Executive members we would boast to them we have built implicit confidence in you.

4.COWS GIVEN TO URHOBO PROGRESS UNION (UPU) EXECUTIVE DURING AZIZA’S BURIAL AND 2015 CHRISTMAS
You will recall that after Aziza’s burial the Children gave Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive a Cow from what was left for them. Isoko Development Union (IDU) also gave Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive one Cow and another person making a total of three (3). Executive Members were surprised during one of our meetings when you told us that you dashed out the cows because you could not keep them in your compound. Today you are keeping cows in your compound contrary to what you told Executive then.
During the Christmas of 2014 three persons gave three cows to Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive. Without Executive decision, only yourself took two cows leaving the entire Executive members to share one cow. We the Executive members who signed hereunder demand that you return four cows out of the total five (5) cows you took without Executive decision while we concede to you the remaining one as President General.

5.PRODUCTION OF URHOBO PROGRESS UNION (UPU) MAGAZINE WITHOUT ANY INPUT AND APPROVAL BY THE EXECUTIVE AND NO ACCOUNT RENDERED TILL DATE
You have consistently produced Magazine in the name of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU). You solely produce, collect advert money and sales of the magazine without any input from Executive members particularly the National Publicity Secretary. You have never rendered any account of production and sales of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) magazines which you have taken as your sole responsibility and personal project.
President General, Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Executive needs an account from you with respect to all the editions of the magazine so far published. It is not your personal magazine but Urhobo Progress Union (UPU). We deserve to know what comes in from the project. Further those stated in the magazine as Editors like the office of the National Publicity Secretary must be made to function in that name henceforth.

6.DECISION TO USE THE YOUTH WING OF URHOBO PROGRESS UNION (UPU) TO PROTEST AGAINST FUPRE MANAGEMENT AND PAID ADVERT CONCERNING SAME WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
We were embarrassed to read a paid advertorial signed by you and National Secretary on several allegations concerning FUPRE without the knowledge of the Executive. In pursuance of that advert you sponsored the Youths to Abuja to stage a protest without the knowledge of Executive members. We the undersigned considered the matter very serious and sensitive one which must get the approval of Executive to enable you use Urhobo Progress Union’s (UPU) name to do all that you did in the press. The National Secretary was not consulted neither did he make any input before you used his name in the advertorial. Is it that you are now all in all in Urhobo Progress Union (UPU)? So other Executive members are irrelevant to enable you single handedly take action on behalf of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) without recourse to other Executive members. This is despotic and a serious misconduct for which we the undersigned Executive Members deserve and explanation. What you have done suggest that you are now using the youths to perform the functions of the National Executive. To lead further credence to this allegation, you single handedly gave the only valuable assets of UPU the Bus to the Chairman of the Youth for his use while the Secretariat is struggling with an old Hilux Toyota which is in a dilapidated state. It is a known fact that all properties of UPU are entrusted to the Secretariat under the National Secretary. You did not consult with anybody before you gave out the Bus in the way and manner it was done.

7.VESTS, UMBRELLAS AND BAGS OF RICE SENT FROM THE PRESIDENCY
It was a rude shock to Executive members to know that the above items were sent to Urhobo Progress Union (UPU0 towards the campaign in Urhobo land for Mr. President. You deliberately refused to disclose to Executive members your receipt of these items which no doubt came to your possession before the presidential election in March 28, 2015. Our fears and worry is that if these items which some Executive members may have no value for can be kept to yourself, then is it money that came to your possession exclusively without a third party being present that you will make full or frank disclosure of the actual amount? It is our recent discovery of petty and inconsequential items such as the above that has eroded our confidence in you to raise all the allegations stated above. We used to give you all the benefit of doubt in the past but you have taken us for granted hence we are now asking for proof to restore our confidence in you back.

Yoursfaithfully

1.Chief A.O.Uloho[JP] DeputyPresidentGeneral

2. Chief Albert AkpomudjeSAN FCIArb.NationalSecretary

3. Chief Mike Ederewhevbe, NationalTreasurer

4. Chief R.E.Emecho,National Financial Secretary

5. Chief Dafe Jude AkpedeyeSAN, NationalLegalAdviser

6. Chief Mike T.Okenini,National Publicity Secretary

7. ChiefE.E.Okonoko, Assistant National Secretary

8. Chief Grace Usirare,Asst.National FinancialSecretary