By Oghenekevwe Laba
A new group, the Urhobo Restoration Movement (URM), has emerged with a mandate to work on restoring the fast eroding feeling of communalism, cooperation and collaboration among the Urhobo speaking people of Delta state.
Rising from an exploratory meeting in Effurun, Delta state on how to reclaim grounds that have been lost in the social, economic, cultural and political terrain, the group resolved to set up the platform to reach across several fronts and find ways of tackling what has reached an alarming level.
A statement made available to Urhobotoday signed by Tive Denedo, Interim Publicity Secretary URM said part of the process of the new group is to ensure inclusiveness for gender, age, diverse political and social views, adding that to achieve these objective they intend to convene a meeting of an enlarge steering committee comprising of Urhobos from the ten Urhobo speaking Local Government Area of the state.
The expectation of the group, according Denedo is to have consensus on how to find a common ground to unite these ten councils on issues of common interest to them, stressing that the movement is not being formed to supplant any other Urhobo group that has been in existence, rather, it is aim to work and complement the work of groups that had been seeking relevance for the Urhobo people in Delta State and in Nigeria.
“URM will work to complement the efforts of such groups especially in the generation and implementation of ideas that will engender the overall social, political, cultural and economic development of Urhobo land. The group believes that the Urhobo people have excellent and enormous potentials for self renewal, revitalisation and restoration of the land, if it can efficiently manage the huge natural and human resources that abounds in the place. The people need to rise beyond recurrent ethnic squabbles and petty rivalries that had over the years pitted one section against the other,” the statement advised, adding that the movement is founded on the anticipation that it can utilise the soft skills available to many of the prospective members to reach across much of the issues that have divided people who had hitherto been brothers and sisters.
Urhobo indigenes both at home and Diaspora who want to be part of this new group is advised to contact Tive Denedo, Interim Publicity Secretary URM on telephone number 08033007820 or email: tive361@yahoo.com