By Young Erhiurhoro

LAGOS FEBRUARY 1ST (URHOBOTODAY)-This article is to educate  reading public the reasons why Unenurhie community in Evwreni kingdom in Ughelli North LGA of Delta state is agitating and seeking for a separate, independent and autonomous kingdom from the present Evwreni kingdom that comprised the two distinct communities.

No doubt, truth have eluded so many of us as a result of fear of intimidations from leaders and wealthy people around us. This has made us as a people to have sold our inheritance and birth rights long ago. We will discover now that our future is in shambles, including the future and destinies of generations yet unborn in our dear community. What is the cause? This only started as a result of fear, ignorance, self-centeredness, pride of bad leaders from a very long time in the history of Unenurhie community.

Nothing is virtually wrong if the Unenurhie people say they want to cut away from Evwreni kingdom. At the peak of the colonial rule in Nigeria, our indigenous leaders that were trained by these same colonial masters asked for autonomy and independence from the British government after they knew the truth. After a short time of deliberations, our desire was granted in 1960.  After that , different states and regions were again created by the government to make the administration easy and closer to the populace.

Interestingly, let’s come down to the historical foundations of some Urhobo and Isoko kingdoms to drive home my points. First, initially Okparabe and Arhavwarien belonged to Eghwu Kingdom in present day Ughelli South LGA of Delta state. But after many years of living together, these two communities removed themselves from Eghwu Kingdom and became two different and independent kingdoms.

Secondly,  Abraka before now was one kingdom. But after a while, Oruarivie-Abraka seek for autonomy and independence. They were granted by the government and today Abraka is having two separate and independent kingdoms without war or crisis, and duly recognized by the Delta state government.

Thirdly, Enhwe in Isoko North LGA of Delta state is a neigbouring community to both Unenurhie and Evwreni. Don’t forget, our oral history had it that, the forebear of Enhwe, Okpolo was a brother to both Usu, the forebear of Unenurhie and Ewurhu, the forebear of Evwreni. Enhwe is a one single community like Abraka, and it was one kingdom before now. However, as we speak, Enhwe is having two different kingdoms. That’s, Okpolo-Enhwe has emerged as a kingdom from the old Enhwe kingdom. I have many more examples to give, but I want to end it here first.

Why is Unenurhie community agitating for autonomy and independence to have their own kingdom from Evwreni at this time? In fact, there are many reasons why these agitations are coming at this time.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:

It’s glaringly clear that Unenurhie is naturally demarcated and separated from Evwreni community with natural boundaries of streams and rivers. This is what nobody, even the Evwreni people can’t dispute. If Abraka and Enhwe could produce two distinct kingdoms in a single habitation, then what prevents Unenurhie that is distinctly separated from Evwreni from seeking her own kingdom?

WRONG CLASSIFICATION:

This is another humiliation melted to the Unenurhie people from enjoying their inheritance. How will you classify a whole community as a quarter in a kingdom? In order to cajole us to accept this cultural aberration, they raised the status of the three quarters they have, viz: Uneni, Okpawha and Urevwe to the status of a community by just a name. But naturally, they are quarters. If we don’t know, we should know now. That Evwreni as a kingdom has two distinct communities with adjoining villages and hamlets. The two communities are Evwreni community with three quarters, namely Uneni, Okpawha and Urevwe. And, Unenurhie community with two quarters of Enurhie and Uruwheru. Also, the many adjoining villages in the kingdom naturally belong to Unenurhie community. They are Ivwrorude, Ivwrorha, Eruruigbedi etc. Therefore, it’s a cultural fallacy to classify or group a whole and distinct community as an ordinary quarter. It’s an act of humiliation and dehumanizing.

WRONG SHARING FORMULA:

Based on the above wrong classification, a wrong sharing formula is also enacted by the Evwreni leaders. Whatever the government, corporate organizations or individuals bring to Evwreni as a kingdom, it is always shared into four parts.  When Evwreni community is going with three parts, Unenurhie is entitled to only one part. This is another traditional oppression to the Unenurhie people.

POLITICAL MARGINALIZATION AND OPPRESSION:

I consider this as the highest of all the injustices done to the Unenurhie people. In Nigeria today and also in our state, Delta, our political system is so structured to carry everybody along in the act of governance. In order to achieve this, we now initiated a kind of rotational or zoning system of government. This is done to make sure everybody or tribe or ethnic group in the country or state have a taste of power. The system doesn’t count so much on population. You will agree with me that, this system was what made Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to rule Nigeria as president. If we should consider population, there is no way, today a southerner can win the presidential election in the country.  However, in the case of Evwreni Ward which comprised Evwreni and Unenurhie communities, it doesn’t operate on this acceptable political system.

It will be glaring to note that, since the creation of Evwreni Ward from the old Uwheru Ward, no Unenurhie person has ever emerged as a councilor representing the ward in the local government council.  Again, in party leadership,  no Unenurhie person would be allowed to serve as chairman or secretary of any political party. All Unenurhie people could become is to serve as vice or assistant positions. Is this not slavery in modern politics?

SENIORITY CLAUSE:

It is a known fact that no Evwreni  indigene  would accept the simple but bitter truth that Unenurhie community is senior to Evwreni community in the kingdom. Because the kingdom was named after them(Evwreni kingdom), they always claimed to be senior over Unenurhie community. This is nothing, but turning the truth against itself. Let our elites and educated folk go back to the historical foundations and making of these two communities. Yes, we may succeed  in painting black to be white in order to win cases in the law courts. But our forebears and nemesis would definitely reveal the truth at the right time in our history. There is no doubt, Unenurhie community according to our oral history is senior in every standard to Evwreni community. We shouldn’t be carried away with false notions that, because you are the tallest, strongest and wealthiest, then you want to claim seniority from whom you know is your senior. This is practically aberration in Urhobo land. Our traditions and customs seriously frown against it in all ramifications. This is exactly what the Evwreni people are doing to the Unenurhie people.

TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS:

Even though, Unenurhie and Evwreni belong to one kingdom, but their  traditional institutions  are different from each other. Before now, what we have in Evwreni kingdom was Odion as the clan head and not Ovie as it’s today. The turning point came around 1930 when this Ovie stool was created by late Chief Mukoro Mowoe of the blessed memory. If you go into records, the Odion of Unenurhie community was recognized and gazetted as the clan head of the kingdom. However, the  change of power over rode the stool of the Odionship and make it second in command. Very importantly, Unenurhie traditional institutions as established by our forebears in order of hierarchy are Odion,  Otota, Akpohor, Olotu’Rode, Olotu’Ovwraghwa, Odiotu’Ewheya, Otota’Ewheya. These  arrangement was quite different from Evwreni’s traditional institutions.

In fact, having examined these few reasons, one  should  be convinced beyond measure, that Unenurhie community is long overdue to seek for their own kingdom.

Again, to add to these few reasons, there are  some peculiar features that made Unenurhie community a distinct community in Evwreni kingdom, and that qualifies the community to seek for their own kingdom. Some of them are:

CULTURAL FESTIVALS:

Evwreni and Unenurhie indigenes will agree that, even though the two communities celebrate the “Ohworhu” cultural festival, but it’s being celebrated in different styles and patterns and different dates. Again, Unenurhie community apart from these Ohworhu cultural festival, have other cultural festivals they celebrate to honour the community’s deities of “Ererivwin and Uhor”at different times of the year. These are quite different from the ones in Evwreni community.

MARKET DAYS:

Unenurhie as a distinct community has her own market day different from the one of Evwreni community. In this case, if  Uneni, Okpawha and Urevwe are communities as named by the Evwreni people, why each of these so-called communities not have their own market days like Unenurhie community?

UNION ADMINISTRATION:

Unenurhie as a community have her own community development union different from the one of Evwreni community. Even though, they named theirs as, “Evwreni Clan Improvement Union”. How many times has Unenurhie person become the president-general of that development union? It’s just a mere name to cover up their wrong doings. Evwreni community have her own president-general and Unenurhie community also have her own president-general.

OLDEST MAN AND WOMAN:

We must also note here too that, the oldest man or woman in Evwreni community is not the same oldest man or woman in Unenurhie community. Unenurhie have their own different from that of Evwreni. The two are not the same. Again, the traditional installation process of the oldest man or woman in Unenurhie community is not the same in Evwreni community.

MARRIAGE AND BURIAL RITUALS:

The process of marriage initiation in Unenurhie is practically not the same with that of Evwreni community. The administration of Unenurhie community has established a marriage committee to oversee the processes surrounding the initiation of marriage in Unenurhie community. This doesn’t extend to Evwreni, neither theirs extend to Unenurhie community. In the same way too, processes of traditional burials are quite different from each other. The two are never the same without doubt.

Young Erhiurhoro a and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society writes from Delta State.