Olorogun Obrikogho Miller Uloho

Olorogun Obrikogho Miller Uloho is from the Royal family of Ughelli Kingdom, head /Chairman of Ughelli Traditional Council of Chiefs in Ughelli  Kingdom and the Edonrovie of great Ughelli kingdom. In an interview with Urhobotoday correspondent,  the Estate Valuer gives an insight on his upbringing, Ughelli Kingdom and establishment of land tenure system among others

Excerpt

Sir, what part of Ughelli  Kingdom  do you come from sir?

I am from Ighwreko. The place they call Ighwreko where people mistakenly think is the headquarters of Ughelli.  It is the Government seat. It has been the Government seat for the past ninety three years. As you have Isale Eko and Eko so you have Otor-Ighwreko and  Ighwreko. Otor-Ighwreko  is where the indigenes came from.  Otor-Ighwreko is equivalent of Isale Eko where the owners started.  Ighwreko is Eko.  Ughelli  Kindom is made up of many towns. They are Ekiugbo, Ekrerhavwe, Erhuemukohwarien, Oteri, Otovwodo, Ododegho, Afiesere  and  Ufuoma  among others. Otor-Ighwreko is a street where the founders  or indigenes of Ighwreko came  from. Otor-Ighwreko could be compare to Ogbe in Benin where  the indigenes migrated from.

Lets digress a little sir. Can you take us back to memory lane on where you have travelled to outside Ughelli?

I am Ighwreko-Ughelli by blood, but my  upbringing is in Warri. At the age of five they took me to Warri. That was the year 1937. I later gained into Government College Ughelli  in about 1942.

Are you part of the Uloho family?

I am the head of Uloho dynasty. I am the grandson of Uloho. All the direct children of Uloho are gone.  Malcolm Omirhobo’s father  is the grandson of Omirhobo . The Omirhobos’ compound is opposite Uloho’s compound in Otor-Ighwreku. That is my grand-father’s compound.

So when you got to Warri sir, do you also sojourn to other parts of the country?

O yes. By the time I finished from School in Ughelli, there was a letter from Labour Office in Ibadan asking me  to proceed for an interview for a job. So I went to Ibadan and from there I was employed in the Ministry of Land and Housing. I was giving an appointment as Inspector of Land. A year after,  I left Government College Ughelli and I was thinking of travelling to Britain for further studies, it was then I lost my father. I decided to settle down to do my work as Inspector of Land in Ibadan. After that,  I read and gained admission to study at the old Nigeria College of Arts, Science and Technology. There were three branches. One was at Zaria which was the headquarters, one in Enugu and another at Ibadan.  The one in Zaria is the foundation of  the present day Ahmadu Bello University (ABU). The Ibadan branch now became the University of Ife.  It  initially started at Ibadan before they moved it to the permanent site at Ife. It was the  Enugu branch of the institution   I attended.  Then the Eastern Region government has established the University of Nigeria. It was Enugu campus of Nigeria College of Arts, Science and Technology which was an institution of Federal Government. There is no university then. It was only University of Ibadan. The University of Nigeria has not been established. So I stayed there for sometime where I read Estate Management. After intermediate study, I have to go to London to complete the course under the sponsorship of  Western Government scholarship. I was on scholarship throughout my studies in Enugu and abroad.   That was in 1963. I attended College of Estate Management in London which was a College of London University. I did my Industrial Training in the evaluation Department of Greater London Council.

When I was there, I got a letter from Ibadan towards the end of 1963 stating that a new state has been created, that is Midwest state. They asked me not resume at Ibadan but in my new headquarters which was Benin. They assured me that they will  still sponsor me  until I finish my course.  While in London, I had options but my Boss was impressed with my work. He insisted that I do not need to go back to Nigeria. Then what  I need to do is to go to their office and they will give me a passport and I will  become a British citizen. But I thought of it.  They wanted to give me a job. Fine. What about my home? They have created a new state. Let me go and build up my new state. That was one.

Two, I had a bond. In those days when you have Government scholarship, you will sign a bond that you will serve them for five years before you leave them. I am a gentleman.  I had that one and I have to keep it with them that I must serve them for five years before leaving.

Three,  I lost my father. I was the senior of my house. I have junior brothers and sisters. If I did not go home how I am going to take care of them.

As I came back to Nigeria , I got a job as Land Officer, then  grew up from there to  senior Land Officer.  From there to Principal Land Officer. The position they refer  to today as Director of Land.  Thus,  by 1970  I was the Head of Land Division. That Ministry was made of three Divisions. The Finance Division, Survey Division  and Planning Division.

But by September 1971 because I returned in 1965, I have completed five year service of the government. I have completed my bond. As a gentleman, I felt I want to start my own private service. I did not give them one month notice. Rather I paid one month notice in arrear in lure of salary before I resigned.  I gladly left and went home to establish a firm of Uloho and Company. A  firm of Estate Survey and Valuers.  Up till today, the firm is still existing  although I had a managing partner now.  The firm started in Benin-City. The headquarters is still there, while it has branches in Warri and Benin.

In Britain of course, I travelled widely. I was on government scholarship.  I did not work to earn money. I was having enough money. The Government took care of all my expenses which included feeding, accommodation, clothing and so on. To crown it up, by the end of the month my  envelop was waiting for me in the bank.  I owned a car as a student. It is unusual for student to own a car. It was rare then. That was about 1960.  I toured all European countries. Germany, Italy, France, Belgium and others through  road with two other friends.

What is your take with respect  to  peace and  unity of the people in Ughelli Kingdom?

Wonderful, wonderful… there is peace and unity in the kingdom. We have one king and the system of our kingship is primogeniture. From father to senior son and this has existed from centuries without broken. It is father to son. We have a king there now,  his senior son is the crown Prince. No problem. We are all together.

How old are you now sir?

On the 9th of September this   2025  I celebrated my 93rd year birthday. It sounds strange. The  9th day of the 9th month I was 93.  This is why they gave me the name Miller. The first British Colonial Officer that open the office at the present location of Ughelli council was Captain E.A. Miller. He opened the office in 1932. That was the year I was given birth and that was why my parents named me Miller. Ughelli local government is the oldest local government in the whole Urhobo and Isoko land.

In 1934, when the white men want  to get to the grassroot, they established three Divisions. Jekri-Sobo Division with headquarters in Warri, Abor Division with headquarters  first at Abraka before it was moved to Kwale. The Sobo Division with headquarters at Ughelli. That was in 1932.  At that time, three clans, Okpe, Abraka, Uvwie and Udu clans were in Jegri Isobo Division. At that time,  Abraka and Orogun clans where in Abor Division. So the whole Urhobo’s clans were scattered. But then, the Urhobos were not happy that their three clans are in Warri. Because all the revenue they are collecting are being sourced from Warri.  They claimed that the revenue were not coming to them.  After the agitation, the Colonial people succumbed to their demand and gave them the name of Western Urhobo.

 Sir at the age of 93 , what will you say you regret that you did not achieve?

I tell people do not tell God give me this and give me that.  Keep on thanking God.  I will be ungrateful if I start harassing God by demanding for more.  All I do presently is that I keep on thanking God. I trained myself after my father’s death, trained all my siblings, and trained all my ten children. Some of my grandchildren have started sending me money. All I want from God is peace of mind.  I set up Ishaka Hotel at Refinery road in Warri.  All these houses around  are mine. The big shop in front is mine.  I have a cook, steward and cleaner. What else do I want? I am praying that Ighwrekor youths should go to school or  learn  trade. That is one of my biggest prayers.

Can you tell us your background ?

I am from the Royal family of Ughelli kingdom. I am from Otovwodo. Uloho’s  grandfather migrated from Otovwodo. Uloho’s father was the second son. When their father the king died, the senior son became the king.  My grandfather, that is Uloho’s father became the Iyasere- the Prime Minister. If he was the senior, Uloho would have become the king. But because he is not the senior, the line has broken.  Uloho, Amakolomi, Ukpobi, their father was the second son of the king.  I am the most senior person in the Royal house presently.

Omirhobo’s father is one of the founder of Otor-Ighrekor. That is his grandfather. His grandfather’s house is opposite my father’s house in Otor-Ighwrekor. That  is our root. That is our heritage.  Uloho moved from there with other younger ones and  founded  Ighwrekor.   Late Governor Uloho was my uncle.

In 1906, Lord Lugard came to visit the Ovie of Ughelli , HRM Ovie Jessa based on the report he heard about Ughelli kingdom.  He presented him with a staff of office as the Ovie of Urhobo territory in a proper agreement. They other kings  were in a proformer agreement. The council then  and left only chief.  There were no other kings in the whole Urhobo territory then except the Ovie of Ughelli.

What is your take on  the land tenure system?

In 1977 when Obasanjo was the President of Nigeria, the Government decided to look into  the land tenure system to know how they can get it well positioned.  They now set up 11-man land panel under Justice Chike Idigbe of blessed memory.  The panel was made up of professionals, Lawyers and Professors  among others.  I was lucky to be among one of the member of the panel. We visited the whole part of the country. That gave me the opportunity of interacting with different people across the country. And we came up with a report. That report is what we know as land use decree that is embedded in the constitution. With that all free hold land in this country are now invested in government. Nobody can beat his chest that he has a free hold land.

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