BY KINGSLEY OBURHIE.
Ouestion.Congratulations ! How do you feel that justice has actually been done in Miss Ese Oruru case the young Urhobo girl that was kidnapped from Bayelsa State to Kano State.
Answer.It was not an easy fight her case was almost a hopeless one.an Okada Rider kidnapped the girl and send her to a prominent traditional ruler in the North.What made her case hopeless was that not that people do not know where she was, but you cannot enter the place and bring her out.As the President General of Urhobo Progress Union UPU I believe that injury to one Urhobo man is an injury to all Urhobos! Even UPU Ghana branch staged a protest in Nigerian Embassy in Ghana! A lot of Non governmental Organisations especially the Federation of International Women Lawyers we're all involved ! But when she was released she was already pregnant the former Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Mr Friday Ogunyewu was a very good man! He took it upon himself to keep her in police Mess because they still want to kidnap her! With the pregnancy.
I did not send delegation,but I went with my Executives to Bayelsa State to say a Big Thank You,to the then Commissioner of Police! And Federation of International Women Lawyers.The former Bayelsa State Police Boss was overwhelmed! That a President General of a Nation and his team could visit him to say thank you on behalf of a small innocent girl.Urhobo Police men in Bayelsa State were happy as well! The importance of this action means if an Urhobo man has problem the UPU can rise to the occasion.
When the matter was charged to court,to tell you that some powerful syndicate was behind the Okada Rider,a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, represented him How can an Okada Rider afford the services of a SAN? Ok! I said Urhobo is not lacking SAN! So I went to Chief Albert Akpomudje SAN,who graciously accepted to represent the little girl and the Commissioner of Police.UPU Women Wing and Federation of International Women Lawyers always mobilized to the court whenever the case comes up for hearing.This was the situation before UPU crisis was instigated by our Kings.
The Oruru Family was facing threat to the extent they had to relocate to a new apartment even when Ese gave birth they wanted to still kidnap her and her child! All to cover up! We now asked them to relocate to Urhobo Land.In a nutshell we can clap for ourselves for being our brothers keepers.
I Thank everybody who assisted us to ensure that justice is done. I want to thank Mr Friday Ogunyewu the former Commissioner of Police of Bayelsa State,also his successor for not disappointing his colleague,Mr Samuel Njoku The Police Officer in charge of the case,also Mrs Palmso Odeme, President, Federation of International Women Lawyers, Bayelsa State Chapter, because at a point people were chicken out of the case because of threat! Another Urhobo girl was also rescued by UPU Burkina Faso Branch from prostitution! She was rescued and brought me for onward transmission to her parents here in Nigeria!
Until I handover UPU will continue to protect the Urhobo man any where in the world! I'm not the President General who attend prominent people burials I'm in interested in the affairs of the Urhobo people.We have also infleunced Federal jobs for some of our Urhobo people as well!
Question,Were you expecting justice in Ese Oruru case before now, based on our justice system?
Answer.Yes! It was obvious case of kidnapping!But again who impregnated her?There ought to be proper investigation as to who did those who kidnapped the girl took her to , The Mr Yinusa, know who he took the girl to and forcefully married her! And made her pregnant! The man know.That was why the family, the girl, even the prosecutor we're all threatened! It was not easy! But we are satisfy that we have our daughter back! And the prime suspect has been jailed.I Thank the Judge Justice Jane Inyang for the courageous judgement.
Question,Are you sure that the PDP which is promising that by 2023 the party Governorship candidate will come from Delta Central ( Urhobo Land) and the State Chairman of party can come from both senatorial district? Don't You think they want to deceive Urhobo people?
Answer,
Hold Urhobo Kings responsibile.UPU was becoming formidable and fearful! But enemies of Urhobo from other tribes succeed in using them to weaken it! Before I came in it was not as fearful and forceful,I brought glamour and seriousness in the body.before now when UPU visit the Presidency they usually asked them to sit in one roll long chair, I'm the only President General who has had one on one with Mr President! By granting me a private chat!As well.I still remain the only Presidentt General whose visit was reflected in the Villa Magazine and handshake with Mr President which was published in front page of all National Newspapers.
Governor Okowa has respect for me because I'm not the type that will go to Asaba to ask him for anything.Unlike the Ijaw Presidentt General! I endorsed the Deputy Senate Presidentt,as UPU PG,but I have never and I will never ask any Kobo or contract from him.The only thing I may have ask him is for him to empower the Urhobo people.at least some UPU people who worked for him.Show appreciation to them.It is not all about me,I will not come to you for empowerment I'm not looking for stupendous wealth I have made money before 1999!I have never been a poor man I have properties in Lagos and other places but I decided to settle down here in my town and develop it also by providing employment to my people as well.That is why I built an hotel here.I cannot be a beggarly Presidentt General, UPU cannot be an appendage of any politician.
If you want UPU to support you tell us what you can do for Urhobo people if we are convince we will support you.But if after supporting you, you now snub us then we will forget you as well because you are not the only son Urhobo irrespective of your position.UPU is self reliant and independent.It is unfortunate that even those politicians we supported and they won have not even thought it wise to say let assist them with 50,000:00 naira as running cost for stationeries! But when I talk you will say ho! Chief OMENE cannot speak for Urhobo or UPU I laugh at them.When I endorsed your boss,Chief Omene was a fine and upright Presidentt General and he can speak for Urhobo! But when your boss is doing what is wrong he cannot speak for Urhobo.Let the Ijaw man go and speak for Urhobo because you give some people appointments and you allow them to rubbish us! We will descend on you.When you make yourself our enemy then expect it.But do not allow UPU to open it's mouth against you.UPU is the mouth piece of Urhobo people.There is an authority and power that flow from Urhobo people to the Presidentt General of UPU, which was handed over to Late Chief Benjamin Okumagba as Presidentt General who later handed over to Senator Felix Ibru and then Gen.Patrick Aziza who later handed over to me.Who handed over to the Ijaw Presidentt General?
Question Based on the PDP arrangement or zonning power rotating process in Delta State they are saying that Delta Central ( Urhobo) will produce the Governorr come 2023.But some Okpe people are saying if that is the case then it should be their turn to do so since they are have been marginalize by other Urhobos failure to give them they are going to pull out from Urhobo.What is your reaction?
Answer.It is a wrong approach to say they are pulling out from Urhobo.Who is Urhobo and who is Okpe? First see yourself as Urhobo and other Urhobos as your brothers.If you are agitating that other Urhobos should consider you for Governor what is wrong with that? Okpes have represented Urhobos in the Senate for 3 times the persons of Late Chief Senator David Dafinone,Chief Eradajaye and Professor Adegor Eferakeya Which other Urhobo can boast of this achievement! Is it Ethiope or Udu? Yes! So when you say you need Governorr no problem but dailogue with other Urhobos.But when you say you are pulling out to where? When you are surrounded by other Urhobos! It is funny are you going to carry your land from Urhobo Land?
When you go to higher institutions you we see Okpe Students Union,Udu Students Union,as small as Urhobo but as big as the Yorubas you will not find Ekiti or Egbe Students Union! Yorubas are one.They should dailogue nothing good comes essay even in Freetown nothing is free! But to say if they do not get Governorr they are pulling out it is a stupid talk.It is like Urhobo saying if we do not get Governorr we are pulling out of Delta State.
Question.President General can you throw more light on the statement credited to you on NDDC that is generating controversy?
Answer.Yes! Some people are saying my comments make me Anti Urhobo.If you want a position you work and strategise for it. The very day they made you All Progressive Congress APC South South Leader, that position makes you an enemy to a lot of people! It was a political miscalculation.Now you have a former Governor,who is a former Senator as well now a Minister.Another former Governorr who is now a Minister of Transport.Based on your position you are a Leader.Even though you are a leader, stup low to conquer by fooling them! Oooh my Leader my Leader,by coming down to conquer.Even when they know your position is higher you are not the one to remind them!If not they will gang up and fight you! That is what causes use the position.
It has now become fight of ego! You have some Urhobos who are with the Minister of Niger Delta some are with the Minister of Transport and some top Urhobo APC people are with them all in one side and you are alone in the other side.can you get what you want? No!You must be a tactician! For the past ten years I have not met the Minister of Niger Delta or Dr Cairo Ojuogboh you must be clever, you must know where the power is and go there and get it.If you are misunderstood by people why can't you meet them! You will get your way.If I meet the Presidency and say give Urhobo people the position ,I know the Presidency will say Haa UPU has been supporting us ooooh they are our strong pillars.they can because of UPU and give it to Urhobo because they know we are not baise.But if you want us to swallow anything you do it is not possible! We have a lot of intelligent people in the UPU.
So have I said anything wrong? They said the Interim Management Committee,IMC,is corrupt and they want to investigate,I said go ahead I did not say they should not investigate! Is there anything wrong with that? The other one is that you said the IMC,is illegal I said the judiciary is there! You go to court! It is the court that will say it is illegal or not.But I said I know Nigerians if the Presidency had come to say you bring one person, you bring one person, National Assembly bring two persons and Presidecy 3 and let's form another IMC there will be no noise ooooh.I M C has not come up to 6 months yet they are saying it has embezzle 40 billion naira! For all these time why have you not been able to prove it ? That was all I said! They said I'm fighting against Urhobo interest! The interest of one man cannot be said to be the interest of the entire Urhobo people.
If I had not endorsed him and Buhari Urhobo will not have been able to get all these benefits from the Buhari Government.If we had supported Atiku like Moses Taiga.For doing that DSP position now come to him easily.But did he appreciate it? Fortunately he won! Has he said one day ha UPU tried for me ooooh take this 20,000: 00 as your running stationeries No! UPU wrote letter to the Presidency they did well let me send them some bags of rice during the Christmas No!Or just to send delegation or visit us NO! Then you want to tell us we are bastards who are senseless you just continue to support me wether I come to you or not.We are not stupid we have a lot about any Urhobo man.It is not our duty to rubbish our children but any child who has no respect for his father by asking people to insult him,the father will say one or two things about him if you encourage your boys to insult Chief Omene Presidentt General of Urhobo Progress Union by June this year I will be 74 years.Your boys who are not even up to my son then I should keep quiet?
Question.Can UPU intervene to ensure Urhobo get the MD of NNDC?
Answer.Yes! UPU can reach out and we will reach out to anybody oppossing Urhobo interest we can dailogue with them.Recently about 18; professors were short listed for the Vice Chancellor position of Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, some of them have even gotten the endorsement of Northern Emirs! But we wrote the Presidency, Minister of Education and the DSP.why it should be an Urhobo man and we got it.It does not make sense for UPU to come out and be attacking the IMC,Mr Akpabio,or anybody involved we have our own strategy.If one Urhobo man fails to use dailogue to achieve something for Urhobo people the umbrella body cannot say your enemy is our enemy it does not work like that! We have to dailogue by meeting people and say Ok we know that you are not in a good terms with one of our children but please as a people we need this thing if you do this for us there are things we can do for you tomorrow.You know we are all South South people things work better with such approach than because you attack then I must attack no., because I do not attack then I do not have Urhobo interest!
Urhobo as a people must reach out to perceived enemies to get what we want.They do not want to see you speaking the truth it is unfortunate that some hired and paid writers have been ordered by their master to insult me.But people out there are saying ha! So UPU Presidentt General can speak the truth and stand out for the truth! I can assure you that if Presidentt General of UPU go and look for something even from the Presidency we will get it.
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