By Victor Esemenah Anya
LAGOS NOVEMBER 17TH (URHOBOTODAY)-In this article titled: “Delta 2023: Urhobo, Zoning And Multiplicity Of Agitators,” Young Erhiurhoro didn’t portray the Urhobo Nation is a positive light which is most unfortunate.
He said some political groups have been set up with the sole intention to support certain politicians come 2023. According to Young,such groupings led to the political adage in which Urhobo is called “Urhobo Wayo!” Young should be made to know that the phrase: “Urhobo Wayo” was never a political adage but a misunderstanding of the Urhobo Language by the Yorubas who whenever they heard the Urhobos holding meetings in Yoruba lands and were saying, “Urhobo wado! Urhobo wado!” misunderstood it for “Urhobo Wayo.” That was the origin of that derogatory and demeaning phrase.Urhobo has rejected this useless phrase which I think shouldn’t be amplified by an Urhobo man or woman!
Again, Young said “Urhobo still stand the chance to lose because of our betrayal nature!” Is it really our nature to betray one another as Urhobo? I don’t think so. But my worry is that Young didn’t state any instance where one Urhobo man or woman betrayed another Urhobo person. In this regard, Young can’t convince any Urhobo person that it is the nature of Urhobo to betray themselves. This is an unnecessary phrase that should be discarded.
Young further said “As a people, the Urhobo prefer to even work and vote for an Ijaw or Kwale man than to work for Urhobo man. This is has been our weak points in Nigerian Politics since 1960. This is another unguarded utterance by Young. This is so because if Urhobo prefer to work and vote for Ijaw and Kwale, how did an Urhobo man, late Chief Jereton Mariere become governor of the defunct Midwest Region in 1963? How did an Urhobo man, late Chief Demas Akpore become deputy governor of the defunct Bendel State in 1979? How did Ijeh become deputy governor of the defunct Bendel State in 1983? How did late Chief Felix Ibru become governor of Delta State in 1992? How did Chief James Ibori become governor of Delta State in 1999? How did Prof. Amos Utuama become deputy governor of Delta State in 2007? Is Young saying the Urhobos worked and voted against themselves and yet won elections to those offices? Or, is Young saying that the Ijaw and Kwale who love themselves so much worked against themselves that enabled Urhobo to win elections and occupied those offices?
My take is this, we the Urhobo should desist from denigrating ourselves because we are not a bad ethnic group rather, we are a great ethnic nationality in Nigeria. Let us write articles that will portray the Urhobo nation in a positive light rather than in a bad light.
There is no argument about 2023, it is the turn of Delta Central Senatorial District to produce the next governor and it will be so by the grace of God Almighty.