By Zik Gbemre

LAGOS MARCH 4TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The debate has been provoked again to determine who are natives of Otughievwen Town, headquarters of Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta state.

Who owns Otughievwen Town? Otughievwen (Otor-Ughievwen) which name is also corrupted by Europeans to be called ‘Otu-Jeremi’ or simply ‘Jeremi’ is the ancestral native home town of all sons and daughters of the entire Ughievwen Kingdom/Clan.

The Europeans named Otughievwen same way they corrupted Ephron to Effurun and Avwraka to Abraka, Idjerhe to Jesse, Urhiapele to Sapele, Ephron-Otor to Effurun-Otor, Urhiephron to Usiefrun, Agbarha-Ame to Agbassa as some others.

Ughievwen comprises of four sub clans of Orhowhe, Owawha, Ukpedi and Uhurie. Otughievwen was founded by Ughievwen and his family of four (4) sons when they migrated through Ugobiri from Benin to present location of Otughievwen.

Ughievwen and his family settled where present day Otughievwen Town is located and remains the center of what is known as Otughievwen and not by a section of Ughievwen people.

Ughievwen Town from time till date became the traditional ancestral home of all Ughievwen people. Every Ughievwen person is a stakeholder of Otughievwen. No one Ughievwen son or daughter has right or affinity to Otughievwen more than the other, whether settled in or living outside.

The traditional Ogbaurhie Annual Festival which binds entire Ughievwen together is celebrated between July and August every year in Otughievwen when the rains are heavy. Every Ughievwen person is a native of Otughievwen.

It is wrong, inciting for few supposed settlers to claim exclusive ownership of Otughievwen as their home town. The four traditional institutions known as Ade, Ebor, Igbu-Eshovwi and Igbu-Otor have their  traditional ‘egwua’ (halls) in Otughievwen Town as symbols of Ughievwen land and her people.

All traditional chieftaincy titles and that of Okobaro (Kingship) stool are taken at Otughievwen which is the ancestral, native home town of all Ughievwen people.The Okobaro of Ughievwen which is the only traditional ruler of Ughievwen people is rotated among the four children/subclans of Ughievwen kingdom/Clan.

The Palace of the Okobaro is located in Otughievwen. Every Okobaro of Ughievwen is installed  in Otughievwen town as the ancestral home town of all Ughievwen people.

The traditional ruler of the entire Ughievwen people is the ‘OKOBARO’. And the four historical traditional institutions which predated the OKOBARO stool in Ughievwen are headed by ODEDES.

Ughievwen has 32 towns including the Otughievwen, the ancestral native headquarters of all Ughievwen people and this can’t be changed as it remains sacrosanct.

As ancestral home town to all four sons of Ughievwen namely Orhowhe, Owawha, Ukpedi and Uhurie that make up the four sub clans, everything in Otughievwen Town is shared among the four sons of Ughievwen and not by a few settlers falsely claiming ownership of Otughievwen.

Every Ughievwen son and daughter is a bona-fide native of Otughievwen Town. And when it comes to sharing Ughievwen benefits, including benefits from Otughievwen town, the eldest son picks first.

The eldest son is Orhowhe and Otitiri as the first son of Orhowhe who founded Iwhrekan, near Otughievwen, is the first child of Orhowhe and Otitiri also known as Iwhrekan is eldest grand child of Ughievwen, no doubt about it.

Iwhrekan is named after bitter kola trees and called in Urhobo language ‘EKAN’ because the popular crop sprouted much in that place. ‘Ekan’ trees were everywhere and I grew up as a child to see them all over the bushes of Iwhrekan hence Otitiri so named the place when he founded Iwhrekan meaning, town of ‘Ekan’ trees.

Iwhrekan plays a significant role in Ughievwen customs and traditional rites and no doubt about it. The ‘Omedjedjor’ is significant for Ogbaurhie traditional festivals, rites and ceremonies in Ughievwen that binds the Ughievwen together as ‘Emo-Ene-Ughievwen’ meaning four kindreds of Ughievwen. The traditional title of ‘Omedjedjor’ is always taken by a descendant of Jigbe family/quatre of Iwhrekan at a time.

The second child is Owawha, the third child is Ukpedi and fourth child is Uhurie. Annual festivals, traditional rites, customary rites and ceremonies and Ughievwen meetings take place in Otughievwen Town.

No family or individual owns Otughievwen Town. Otughievwen is founded by Ughievwen and all Ughievwen sons and daughters are Descendants of Ughievwen. All resources and land of Otughievwen Town belong to the entire Ughievwen Kingdom/Clan.

All ‘Odedes’ of any of the four traditional institutions in Ughievwen are buried in Otughievwen when they join their Ancestors as customs demands. Every Ughievwen person has right of ownership to Otughievwen town.

My uncle, Chief Vadje Gbemre, was buried in Otughievwen Town being ‘Odede’ of Ade when he died as custom demands. No individual family owns any land in Otughievwen Town which is the ancestral native town of all Ughievwen people.

This is the tradition common to Urhobo kingdoms/Clans. Orho-Agbarho which is known by many people as Agbarho is the ancestral home Town to all Agbarho people. Otor-Ogor is the ancestral native home Town of all Ogor people. Agbarha-Otor is the ancestral native home town of all Agbarha people.

OREROKPE is the ancestral native home Town of all Okpe sons and daughters.

Otorho-Orogun which is Orogun main town is the ancestral native home Town of all Orogun sons and daughters.

It is time to set the record straight, that Otughievwen is the ancestral native home Town to all Ughievwen sons and daughters comprising of 32 towns. Otughievwen is not a satellite Town but ancestral native home Town to all Ughievwen people and it remains so.

Every oil company or corporate organisation should note this. Every settler or family living in Otughievwen has his/her own Town outside Otughievwen among the 32 Towns making up the kingdom/Clan.

Otughievwen is Ughievwen headquarters for all sons and daughters of Ughievwen Kingdom/Clan of Ughelli South LGA, Delta state and it remains so and unchangeable.

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