News From Nigeria
“If you cannot question or interrogate it, then it is a lie “Of all the religions in the World, Islam is the only one that you cannot interrogate. Those who do are violently killed by adherents of Islam, who proclaim they are fighting for Allah. My question to the preachers of Islam has always been: If Allah is great, all powerful and all merciful, why does he need weak humans to fight for him or defend him?
All over the world, Islam is fighting one war or the other in the name of Allah. The major reason is that they want to impose their teaching on people who just want to be left alone. They tell us Islam is a religion of peace. All we see around us is contrary to this claim. Any attempt to interrogate and question the teachings of Islam is met with fatuas and murderous rage and violence.
When Muhammad started as a preacher in Mecca, he didn’t have followers. He moved to Medina and started interacting with Christian and Jewish scholars who contributed to some of his knowledge. When he could not convince them of the veracity of his claim about his Allah, he left and went to raise an army to conquer them. This is why the beginning of the Quran is similar to the Torah and the Holy bible.
In his last 4 years in Medina, he had some vision that he was not sure if they came from God. Those visions were apocalyptic. The gentleness of the first part of the Quran was gone and has been transmogrified into a monstrous recreation of human existence. It was in these last four years he captured the Jews and Christians and forced them to his ways of teaching. Many were slaughtered. Those who did not convert were taxed and called Dhimis. The Dhimis are taxed but cannot testify in any disputes and Muslims are allowed to cheat them in any transaction. They are not protected unless they pay Jizia (An Islamic tax for unbelievers), which is another tax or protection. This system had to be repeated every time a new territory was captured and subjugated. The booty from the wars was given to his warriors and followers. This is how Islam was spread across the world with a Sword until the Islamic empire fell with the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1924. A lot of people were set free.
Mohammad himself said he cannot tell whether his later visions were from God. The attempt by Salmon Rushdie to question the satanic verses led to a Fatua on him and was almost killed in a gruesome attack by a fanatical Muslim. He lost an eye during that attack. He was a Muslim who grew up in a Muslim family.
As it stands today, anyone who questions the ways and whys of Islam is marked for death. Millions of Muslims who don’t want to be Muslims anymore cannot come out and say it. Their own family will execute them.
I grew up in a Christian household. My childhood was very idyllic. As a child going to church on Sundays was a treat because we also use the Sundays to visit relatives and eat some nice and tasty food. On my way to church on one Sunday day, I saw this group of women wearing white wrappers and dancing. The dance and music fascinated me and I forgot Church. At the end the dancing and incantations they served some nice meal. I enjoyed the meal and lost sense of time as I enjoyed the food. No church for me that Sunday. One of the best goat pepper soup I ever tasted. My childhood Friend who missed me at church saw me. He reported to my mother that I was eating unclean food because those people were pagans. I was chastised. After that incident, I devised a way to hide my visit to that idol worshipper’s shrine. Somehow, I got the timetable for the meals. It was a new world for me. I will stealthily go there and eat one of the best meals. I will go to Church and smuggle myself out without my friends noticing. Gradually they all joined me and our demand for the pepper soup could no longer be satisfied. Our parents found out and it was all over. No more goat pepper soup on Sundays. We had a stern warning that that food is forbidden food. I was confused. I asked if that was the same food eaten by Adam and Eve? There was no answer. I became very skeptical. How can the good people who were so kind to me be regarded as bad? No one attacked the traditional worshippers. As a child I was confused and very curious. I missed the pepper soup, but most of all I missed the love those people showed me at the shrine. I started hanging around if I could run errands for them. I could not eat their food anymore but I wanted to serve them in some capacity to show my gratitude for their love and care. I was precocious. Not once did they put pressure on me to adopt their religion. It was the Christians who were putting pressure on them to convert to Christianity. Coincidentally I started asking more questions about the Bible. Why would the Bible say this good people who gave me so much love will end in a lake of fire because they did not believe in Jesus? The cruelty and unfairness of such a scenario tormented me. My curiosity became feverish and exponential. I will ask the Sunday school teacher questions like: God created Adam and Eve. They had two children named Cain and Abel. Cain killed Abel. Who did Cain marry since Adam and Eve and Cain are the only ones alive? The answers given did not satisfy my curiosity.
Studying the bible in secondary school as I grew older created more questions. Throughout this period of inquiry, no Christian person in my surrounding gave me any reason to feel that my life was in danger. These inquiries led me to the conclusion that whoever God is, will reveal itself to me. I was told to believe but I wanted to know. In my heart I know a just and kind God would give me the answers I am seeking. I was searching for meaning when a verse in the Bible flashed through my mind. The verse says: Those who worship God must do so in truth and Spirit. I went back to the Bible and read Jesus’ Sermon on the mount, and I came to the absolute conclusion that all I need to be close to God is Love. All the religions talk are just rituals to mystify the masses. I came to the understanding that all we need to do in this world is love our neighbor and God is an essence that is in every one of us.
Dr Austin Orette writes from Houston Texas
The Fulani are the problem of Nigeria. They got to this preeminent position by subjugating the Hausa that they colonized. The Fulani are colonizers. They torture and subjugate the indigenous people and teach them to hate themselves and their neighbors. They dominate by killing the Hausa kings and forcing them to adopt the Fulani way of life which is Islam.
This is the violent process that is part of the colonizing culture. Violence is always needed for colonization. The British used this method efficiently in their colonies. The case of the Fulani in Nigeria is similar to apartheid South Africa because the White minority like the Fulani never left. Since everyone is black in Northern Nigeria, the apartheid there is invisible and additionally hidden by the cloak of religious gobbledygook.
As a stealth move, they did not impose their language on the indigenous population. Conflict avoided. They solidified the North with the Hausa language and their religion while stamping out the indigenous culture.
Violence is always the weapon of the colonizers, and they have no scruples when killing in the name of their God. None of the gains and dominance of the Fulani was achieved in a peaceful democratic manner.
Democracy is antithetical to a colonialist instinct. This is why the Fulani continue to use violence as a tool of politics in Nigeria. They are the colonialists, and they don’t see themselves having anything in common with the indigenous people of Nigeria. They use the indigenous population as canon folders. Until they are countered, they will always use violence as a means of statecraft.
They see themselves as the law and have the right to use violence, chaos and insecurity to their advantage. They always use proxies as the vanguard of their campaign.
When the First Republic was toppled, they regretted not doing it first. After that, no one will beat them to it. Since then, they have used the military to achieve their ends in Nigeria. They seized those moments of calamity and turned it back to their advantage.
They used Yakubu Gowon. After opposing the unitary system imposed by Aguyi Ironsi, they accepted it and perfected it to their advantage and created more confusion by creating more states and more centralization of power which they were in control of.
When Murtala Mohammed was eliminated, they settled for Olusegun Obasanjo. He has been a gift to the Fulani.
Under him, a Land Use decree which was a prelude to RUGA was passed. This decree made Fulani who are non-indigenous Nigerians to seize land from Hausa and other indigenous people of the North.
They did this through the suppression of the indigenous people with executive lawlessness and brigandage which is still going on in the North.
Under this decree they acquired lands that have precious metals in the North and started mining these metals privately. They used the monies gained here to start militias in the North of the country. It is these militias that later metamorphosed into various terrorist groups in the North and other parts of the Sahel.
The Fulani have a large war chest to prosecute low intensity insecurity when government policies are not in their favour. They also used money for the propagation of Islam in order to make their struggle international.
The Fulani are not really a religious people. They use religion for their political advancement. Through their Emirate System, their tentacles spread so far down South as Kwara State. There is no history of a non-Fulani who is an Emir. It is a closed system. To be an Emir, you have to be a Fulani and a Muslim and speak their language which is not Hausa. They are closely linked. They intermarry. They are one big family by blood. Throughout the reign of Buhari, Atiku never altered any word because he is family . People accuse Buhari of filling every position with Fulani. They are wrong. Buhari filled every government position with his family members.
They have the secrecy code of organized criminal syndicate. Their nomadic instincts make them to thrive advantageously in periods of national strife and chaos.
None of the advancement and wealth that they have accumulated was achieved in times of democratic harmony or peace. From the aforesaid, it can be assumed that it is not in their interest to foster peace and unity. They have come to understand that the rest of Nigeria especially the South have qualms about shedding innocent blood and they seize on this weakness to sow fear.
When we lament the death of Deborah Samson, they celebrate it because it is a warning that they could go further. They directly tell us that they will do anything to maintain their preeminent position in Nigeria. The various military coups and regimes in Nigeria were orchestrated by the Fulani and they benefited from them immensely. With avalanche of oil money, they can use to buy government officials who are non-Fulani and propagate their brand of Wahabi Islam. Under the military, they dragged Nigeria to be a member of OIC. Under the military, they added Sharia to the Constitution of a multiethnic and multi religious country.
Under the military, they produced a Constitution that has “No Go areas “called exclusive, legislative list. This list contains everything necessary for human development. Under General Obasanjo, they declared Sharia in their states because they know Obasanjo does not have the gumption to point out this unconstitutionality.
Now they are emboldened to push Sharia further south. Their impunity is overwhelming. They are taking small incremental steps in turning Nigeria from a secular state to an Islamic state without the consent of the citizens. This is why they have been sponsoring low intensity conflict within Nigeria.
The insecurity that abounds is nurtured by them so Nigerians can flee their homes, and their governments will reassign the land to them. The insecurity is also used to scare Southern youths and intellectuals to embark on the Japa train perpetually. This will weaken the South as those who will oppose them, will find it easier to Japa and cede the land to the Fulani.
Don’t be surprised if you hear that the Fulani are lobbying for easy visa protocols for educated Southerners especially the Biafrans who will gladly jettison the idea of Biafra land. They have the means, and they have the reach.
When you hear that an Emefiele stole billions, the question is how much was stolen by the Fulani accomplice? That is always a secret. They are very organized in their criminality and their stolen money flows through the chain of command. They are not loud like Southern money miss road people. They may not change their cars, and they may not change their abode. You won’t see them throw lavish parties. Fulani don’t see themselves as citizens. They see themselves as colonizers. This is the root of their pride and a weakness because when Nigerians realize that they are dealing with colonizers, they will go the way of colonizers. It will be worse because they have no superior technology to counter an avalanche of angry Nigerians. It is this day they fear most because they have been ruthless with their power and the anxiety in their ranks is feverish when they or their surrogates are not in power. How do you bell the cat?
The North is not a monolith as the Southerners have it in their imagination. The North is a Tower of Babel that was cobbled together by the Fulani jihadist. They used Islam to blind fold them. The instrumentality of coercion was so brutal and barbaric beyond the scope of the discussion here. We can still see some relics in their present-day agitation for Sharia by the Fulani. We in the South have agitated a lot but we don’t know who the foe is. We are haughty and prideful of our western education that we can sell our birthright cheaply. This is one of their greatest arsenals.
The Fulani have the money and the wherewithal to purchase the loudest Southerner of any tribe. We should subsume our arrogance and learn who the Fulani in Nigeria are. This is the key to render void any of their medieval advancement and primitive acquisitions.
Dr Austin Orette writes from Houston Texas
To Thine Own Self Be True. This is not an endorsement of any leader in Nigeria. I was in Nigeria recently and observed that Nigerians have formed a subculture of always complaining as a means of coping with the realities. I now see these complaints as a quarrel amongst thieves. They robbed a bank and the smartest among them drove off with loot and left the rest stranded. They cannot call the police so they are left with the infighting which they consider as protest.
Every Nigerian wants good leadership but none wants to aspire to be good citizens. The negative ordeal I encountered while in Nigeria was never by any one in power. Nigerians are the gods in their little domain. In this domain, they are very dictatorial and callous and exercise power with vehemence in their various jurisdictions. From the trader who will sell you fake goods at exorbitant prices to the policemen at the checkpoint who mete out summary punishment, the rule is to dish out as much pain as possible. There is no sense of brotherhood. There is no sense of “we are in this together, let us help each other “.
Dishing out pain is the culture. You must pay before being served even when you have paid. This is the ugliness that hides before these excessive criticisms of leaders. Anytime a Nigerian comes in contact with a government agent, it is time to be punished. There is no agency in Nigeria where those employed there don’t make the abuse of the citizens the metric of their productivity. Trying to get a driver’s license, you must jump through hoops , trying to get a passport almost as bad as trying to obtain a visa to another country. In most cases, the visa ordeal is friendlier and there are no bribes involved. Try to clear goods from a Lagos port is like squeezing through the eye of the needle. There are no rules and regulations, just chaos and cruelty that numbs the mind.
A lot of people choose to walk away from the abuse of the government officials and agents, leaving their goods behind. Flying into Lagos airport is the worst ordeal. Every government agency is there including the touts from Ido Park. They are all trying to tell you they are there to hurt you. There is no cordial welcome for a returnee. There is nowhere in Nigeria the citizen does not try to erect his own obstacles. This is very sad.
Are we at war? Why so many checkpoints? Why is the Nigerian criminalized and humiliated daily by agencies that are supposed to serve them? The ordeal of being a citizen in Nigeria can drive one into a mental institution. Nigerians are resilient and quietly watch their country being turned into one huge mental asylum. The madness has become cultural. At the end of all these, the extortionists get together and blame the leaders who are the product of their thievery. This is the problem.
People who have no sense of good citizenship are crying daily for good leadership. Let’s learn to recognize that the microcosm must be organized to care for each other. Imagine that police don’t harass and shake down farmers bringing food to markets. This may lower the price of food and the decay of food due to loss of time at checkpoints will be avoided. Inflation reduced .Let us learn to care, maybe one day we can have someone who cares to assume leadership. Then we can be proud to say that is one of us.
The ratio of the naira to the dollar is not a measure of the Nigerian economy. It is a measure of the lack of productivity of the Nigerian. Blaming the leaders is a subterfuge that subtracts leadership from the people. Leadership is always a reflection of the consciousness of the people. Bad people can only get bad leaders while good people get good leaders. You cannot have one without the other.
Dr Austin Orette writes from Houston Texas
“Know everything about your enemy and you will watch him dig his own grave. “
I have wanted to use this part to discuss how to fend off the Fulani menace, but I am going to digress to explore their methods and how a power far away from us handled the aggression of Islamic fundamentalist and warded off the menace of Islamic terrorists.
In 1801 when America was a young country, they faced the menace of Muslim pirates who terrorized their merchants at sea in the Atlantic Coast of North Africa. Their merchant vessels were captured at sea and the citizens kidnapped and sold into slavery in North Africa. At this time, America was a weak country and has lost the protection of the British navy that used to protect American sea merchants. Thomas Jefferson who was the minister to France at that time had a meeting with the Emir of Tripoli to resolve the issues. The Emir of Tripoli explained to Jefferson that they have the right and ownership of everything in the world and the Americans must continue to pay ransom to them to prevent their Ship and merchants from piracy. Jefferson asked him the source of that law and power to violate the rights of peaceful people and merchants. The Emir of Tripoli told him that the law is in the Quran. Jefferson asked for a copy of the Quran and he was given a copy. That is how Thomas Jefferson came into the possession of the Quran that is at the library of congress today. At the end of the meeting Jefferson told his colleagues that America has no choice than to go to war because a people with such belief can never be convinced by reason. At that time America had no money and no navy. Jefferson did not want to burden the new presidency of John Adams with such distractions. He quietly Searched for good sailors and built a private force quietly.
As soon as he became the third president of the United States, he declared war on Tripoli and Algiers and Morocco. These are what is referred to as the Barbary Wars in American History. The Americans freed all European prisoners and forced these criminals to stop their criminal behavior in the Atlantic Ocean. They were forced to sign treaties of non-interference. The whole of Europe celebrated this victory that a tiny country has come to the rescue of civilization. The Pope wrote a eulogy on this odyssey saying God has chosen America as the savior of civilization.
This is the beginning of the mythology of America as Gods chosen country. The Barbary States were Algiers, Morocco, Libya and those other places in the North West Coast of Africa. This is the reason why America does not negotiate with terrorist till tomorrow. Negotiating with terrorists is considered an appeasement and suggests a moral equivalency. This is what people like Sheik Gumi are asking us to do. They consider their criminality justifiable and as such we should negotiate with these criminals. This is what this Fulani Muslim cleric has been telling Nigerian government to do. This is a back way of pumping money into the war chest of the Fulani Caliphate. The military is no longer there to raid the treasury on their behalf.
The Fulani in Nigeria are not religious. They use Islam to propagate themselves and obtain money from rich oil gulf states and Saudi Arabia. They are gamblers and they are ready to wager everything on their gamble that they will overrun Nigeria. They have used the various military governments to push the envelope. The push for Sharia at this time should be seen as them watering the plants that were sowed by their military cousins.
The Sultan of Sokoto was just an adviser to Northern Muslims. The first Sultan was Muhammad Bello, the Son of Uthman Dan Fodio. His jurisdiction was to Muslims in Kano and Sokoto. That position has changed and morphed into Spiritual leader of all Muslims in Nigeria. There was no Nigeria then. There have been Muslims in Borno and the Oyo Empire before the arrival of Dan Fodio to Nigeria. This power grabbing is a classic Fulani move. During the First Republic, Ahmadu Bello was always going to Borno to preach Islam. The Shehu of Borno observed that he was radicalizing the Muslims there. He confronted Ahmadu Bello and told him to stop coming to Borno to preach, that the citizens of Borno knew what Islam was before Ahmadu Bello’s great grandfathers were born and there is nothing he can teach them about Islam. He did not go back there.
The new Sultan of Sokoto and a lot of the emirs are retired military generals and strategists. Their operating and information centers are the various mosques scattered all over Nigeria. Their cry for Sharia is always followed by building a mosque, another command post in a new locality. The mosque is a command post and supply center for the jihadist who they move around the country in stealth mode.
One of the mistakes those of us in the South make is that we think we can reason these people out of their absurd positions. Some of them want to build schools for Almajiri. That is an institution that is serving the purpose of the Fulani caliphate. They have no interest in educating the Hausa child. An educated Hausa child is a threat to them. They will pretend to agree with you. It is a lie. They have a concept of Takiya. They are socialized differently. They have been taught to dehumanize people who are not Muslims and killing non-Muslims is not a sin in their books.
The Fulani in Nigeria are the Trojan horse the British left behind. Nigeria is going nowhere until the problem of the Fulani is solved. Lord Lugard knew this and warned about this but some of our forebears did not understand. If they did they would have not waited for the North to get independence. This is a colossal mistake in retrospect. This problem cannot be solved until there is unity among those of us who don’t believe in anything and just want to be left alone to live our lives without any form of religious interference or coercion.
The Fulani have sown so much disunity in the South that you will think the Igbo and the Yoruba people are at war with each other. If you look carefully at those they used to sow this disunity, you will find out they are using the Yoruba Muslims.
Most of the incendiary remarks against Igbo in Lagos are made by the Muslims in the South West. Now they have amped up this group of Yoruba to turn on their fellow Yoruba people in the South West. This is the main reason they are pushing for Sharia in the West. It is not about religion, it is a war strategy to divide the enemy’s camp. They have kept a lot of money for this exercise. The Muslims in the west are getting very wealthy and flamboyant and arrogant. Someone is paying serious money for the colorful feathers of these peacocks. Soon the West will know no peace and in the confusion more mosques and Islamic command centers will be built.
The Fulani are Nomads and they thrive in chaos and entropy. They are not interested in peace and unity because that doesn’t help their brand of Islam.
Let me end this digression with how the Fulani control their puppets. Abiola was their darling until he challenged Shagari. In their Bravado, they told Abiola that they made him and they will unmake him. The rest is history. Lot of Southerners mouthing platitudes today owe their position and allegiance to this theocratic minority. Check the bank account of that Alhaji and you will understand why the Catholic Church could not match that offer.
To free ourselves from this quagmire we have to find a way to cure the Stockholm syndrome and cognitive dissonance of the Hausa people who have been the direct victims of the Fulani brutality and atrocities in the North. These people have been severely abused that they think they have a common identity with their oppressors.
The emancipation of the Hausa man is the key to our freedom in the South. These writing were inspired by the little action taken by President Bola Tinubu in this respect. For the first time, I saw a Nigerian president who sees through the smoke screen of the Fulani. Someone who understands demography and geopolitics of the North and prepared to do something about the odious scenario we find ourselves. We should not make another mistake by grabbing the tiger by the tail.
Dr Austin Orette writes from Houston Texas
The Managing Director of Abuja Centenary City, Dr. Odenigwe Ike Michaels Jr. last Friday disclosed why Nigeria’s foremost engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC was eminently qualified for the award of the contract to build the City’s road and related infrastructure saying that the company’s legendary quality work on several projects across the country, speak volumes about its abilities.
Speaking after the contract signing ceremony for Phase 1 of the project’s Primary Infrastructure Development in his office last Friday, Michaels challenged Julius Berger to better it’s past records in quality projects delivery.
Saying that the contract signing marks the official resumption of construction work in the City from an 11-year pause, he described the project as Abuja’s foremost urban renewal initiative designed to attract international investment and provide a multinational lifestyle hub with key components comprising five-star hotels, luxury residences, International Commerce Centre, the Centenary International Convention Centre, the Mall of Africa and a Championship Golf Course.
In his response at the signing ceremony, the Managing Director, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, Engr. Dr. Peer Lubasch appreciated the opportunity given the company to deliver another quality job.
“Centenary City is more than an urban development. It is an investment in the future of Abuja and the Federal Capital Territory; a catalyst for jobs, business opportunities and international investment. It will showcase world class shipping malls, hotels, leisure spaces and recreation including a Championship golf course; all designed to reflect both modern excellence and Nigeria ‘s cultural heritage,” Lubasch said.
Going down memory lane, he further said, “Julius Berger’s relationship with Abuja Centenary City’s visionary project started in 2014 when the project was launched as a bold statement of Nigeria’s ambition for the century.”
He added that since then, Julius Berger has continued to share an unwavering belief in its promise.
“For over a decade, we have watched and supported it’s step-by-step transformation from a bold idea to reality,” Lubasch further said, adding that, “the contract we sign today, the 4.31 km international standard dual carriageway with various utilities and media. It is not just a road. It is the first major artery of this great City, opening access to the first development phase and laying the foundation for its growth.”
Stressing that Julius Berger has, for over six decades been trusted to deliver infrastructure that endure, Lubasch declared that Julius Berger will bring the same precision, quality and commitment to the Abuja Centenary City project to ensure it meets the world-class standards to which the Free Zone aspires.
On that note, the Managing Director said, “together, we will give future residents and businesses investors the confidence that their commitment here is built on a solid and lasting foundation, even as he promised, when you see this road completed, you will want to see many more kilometres of Julius Berger roads in this extraordinary city.
Julius Berger’s Regional Manager, Region Central and North, Oliver Berger alongside others accompanied the Managing Director to the landmark event.
It was excitement galore at the 55th Annual General Meeting, AGM of leading engineering construction company as shareholders demonstrated their excitement at the assumption of duty of the Board Chairman, Engr. Goni Sheikh and Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, Engr. Dr, Peer Lubasch, both of whom presided over their first AGM of the company since their appointments into their respective new offices.
At the well-attended meeting held inside the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, Thursday, the shareholders demonstrated their optimism by trying to outdo one another in their active contributions all through the meeting with each that had the opportunity lauding the appointments of the duo and expressing their expectations that, now the company is in good hands.
One shareholder who said she is from the Southwest openly told some of her fellow shareholders that, the leaders we had did and performed well. And with the new combo of Goni Sheikh and Peer Lubasch, things will get better for Julius Berger, our dear company.
The shareholders further demonstrated their resolve by overwhelmingly passing all the resolutions of the Board like, shareholders dividends, new Executive Directors, new non-Executive Director, re-election of some directors and the appointment of Goni as a Director of the company.
In his address to shareholders at the meeting, the Managing Director said that since he assumed office months ago, the company is successfully navigating the headwinds of challenges in its line of duty.
Lubasch said the broader socio-economic environment continues to present significant challenges shaped by a range of persistent and compounding pressures like currency devaluation, ongoing foreign exchange scarcity, escalating construction costs, surging inflation, increased fuel prices, high lending rates, global market uncertainties and domestic security concerns
Stressing that the foregoing factors combined to create a tough and unpredictable business landscape, especially for the construction sector and Nigeria in particular, he added that in line with the company’s mission statement, we continue to transform these challenges into tangible opportunities.
As a company, we have continued to demonstrate resilience, navigating headwinds by adapting with an eye towards efficiency and sustainable growth. Lubasch said, adding that accordingly, the company achieved record-high revenue, expanded its asset base and maintained stability across both new and ongoing projects within the reporting year.
The Managing Director disclosed that the success of the company in the year under review stemmed from the well-established and forward-looking strategy which integrates core business strengths, the collaboration and contributions of the growing group of subsidiaries alongside a deliberate diversification policy which has largely defined the success story of the company.
On diversification, Lubasch said, we are already making significant steps forward with our regional diversification strategy, with two contracts in the Republic of Benin, even as he assured excited shareholders of greater success even in these hard times, which he attributed to, the well-disciplined execution of our strategy, our agile leadership, the dedication of our teams and the power of our fundamental values of excellence, responsibility, courage and collaboration.
Rounding up his address, the Managing Director did not mince words in assuring that the company’s leadership remains poised to building a future defined by excellence, saying, while the future holds many unknowns, we remain certain that no matter the challenge, Julius Berger will continue to be defined by the excellence and innovation and to operate in a sustainable manner that aligns with our ethos and values in line with global standards.
He added: supported by our dedicated and skilled workforce, our unique operational structure and effective management, we will remain a future-ready, high-performing corporate organisation that clients continue to rely on, and shareholders continue to trust.
In his own address, the Chairman announced a total gross dividend payout of N5.2billion to shareholders amounting to N3.25 per 50 kobo ordinary share.
According to Sheikh, though the Julius Berger Group financial results continue to be heavily affected by persistent inflation, currency devaluation, and high lending rates which led to rising construction costs coupled with security challenges and unrest in certain parts of the country, the company will continue to mitigate risks and ensure steady operations.
He also said, “with Julius Berger’s dedication to efficiency, the strength of our strategic partnerships and our unrelenting hard work, we will continue to remain resilient amidst the numerous challenges faced, maintaining our industry leadership and delivering on our commitments satisfactorily.”
Sheikh highlighted that the foundational ethos of “safety first” at Julius Berger as a key pillar of the company’s operational efficiency, saying, this culture has effectively reduced risks and improved productivity, allowing the Julius Berger Group keep workplace incidents at a minimum.
He shared that a revamped Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) strategy has been established, focused on obtaining ISO 45001 certification for our Safety Management System and ISO 14001 certification for our Environmental Management System. Stressing that “the company is committed to further strengthening our dedication to HSE excellence for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
He further said that Julius Berger Nigeria Plc can count 2024 as another year of significant achievements. Adding, “we met our revenue and profitability targets, reinforcing our financial strength despite macroeconomic headwinds, and meeting performance targets across our portfolio.”
According to the Chairman, across the Group, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc continued to develop progressively in the year under review toward key objectives. For instance, he added, Primetech Design and Engineering Nigeria Limited., delivered strong result. This remarkable improvement in performance has led to a substantial increase in Primetech Design and Engineering Nigeria Ltd’s Total Equity.
He proudly announced: “it is notable to mention that our staff remain our greatest asset. The company continues to expand its training programmes and intensify investment in staff development, capacity building, upskilling and mentoring and proactively enhancing employee wellbeing and career progression opportunities to foster a healthy, ambitious and innovative workforce.”
INTRODUCTION
On June18, 2025, an Urhobo friend forwarded an article by one Mr. Zik Gbemre on the above subject. I thanked him for it. I also thank Mr. Gbemre for penning the said article, because he has broadened the debate of Okpe Union’s demand for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality, outside the territory of the Okpe Kingdom. Thus, I shall disregard his insulting outbursts against my person. We have to focus on the main ISSUE, which is the retrieval or restoration of the independence of the Okpe Nation. Let us exchange facts based on historical and cultural evidences instead of trading personal insults and falsifying History.
THE ISSUE
Students of Nigerian history are familiar with the British colonial policy of fusing diverse ethnic nationalities into one. Outside the contemporary Delta State, this British policy was more pronounced in the “Hausa-Fulani” phenomenon which most Nigerians, until recently, assumed to be one ethnic nationality. We are living witnesses to the awakened consciousness of the Hausas as they engage in an existential struggle to extricate themselves from the “Hausa-Fulani” appellation. It was this same British policy that birthed the false classification of Okpe as “a clan of Urhobo”. At its infancy they referred to Urhobo as “Sobo”. Contemporary Okpe
nationals were born and raised in this falsity especially as they relate externally.
This classification has robed Okpe of its ethnic identity, as contributions by Okpe nationals are credited to the Urhobo and not to the Okpe nationality. This cataloguing illegally extinguished Okpe ethnicity and institutionalized the assimilation of the Okpe nationality by the Urhobo.
For the benefits of Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts, it is pertinent that we recall the British fusion of Okpe with the Urhobo by providing the following excerpts from the website of the Okpe Union:
“According to R. E. Bradbury, a renowned British scholar, (The Benin Kingdom and the Edo-Speaking Peoples of South-Western Nigeria, 1970, p.128) the classification of Okpe among the Urhobo was influenced by geographic contiguity and the expediency of British colonial administration “rather than a linguistic basis.” He concluded that “Okpe is …closer to the Edo of the Benin Kingdom than are the Urhobo dialects proper”. In the 1930s the Okpe was placed in “Western Urhobo” and the Isoko in “Eastern Urhobo.” By administering the Okpe under the Urhobo umbrella, the British set in motion a process that led to the gradual but a systematic erosion of Okpe ethnicity which was erroneously subsumed under the Urhobo. Over time, this grave error of British colonialism assumed a “truth” of its own as the outside world and several Okpe began to refer to the Okpe as “Urhobo.” This falsity was inherited by post-colonial Nigerian governments. A similar fate befell the Isoko of “Eastern Urhobo.” However, unlike the Okpe, their western counterpart, the Isokos were able to extricate themselves from the Urhobo appellation and restored their independence as a distinct ethnic nationality”.
“Notwithstanding the long years of interregnum, and the attempts by some powerful leaders to establish mini kingdoms, the Okpe people remained together as a Nation, thus giving significance to the slogan “Okpe Agbamua eni” (the unity of Okpe is an Elephant or Okpe Unity enables the lifting of an elephant). The establishment of the Okpe Union on May 16, 1930, in Lagos, galvanized the Okpe people into greater resolve. The Okpe Union, the oldest registered ethnic organization of Delta State, and in Nigeria, became the mouth piece of the Okpe Nation and a defender of Okpe Identity. It championed the fight for the restoration of the Okpe Monarchy and succeeded in doing so when the British colonial regime approved the coronation of the second Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Esezi II on January 1, 1945. Though the monarchy was to rotate among the four ruling houses, it was however decided by the Ruling Houses that a prince from the Esezi Ruling house be
crowned the Orodje, as a way of appeasing the gods for the curse placed on Okpe
Kingdom by Esezi l”.
It is instructive to note that, during the Midwest and Bendel State regimes era, when the current Edo and Delta states were together as one state, the colonial blurring of Okpe ethnic identity receded tremendously as Okpe people became practically recognised as a people with a distinct language. This paved the way for the use of the Okpe Language for public newscast and language requests and magazine programmes in the then Bendel Broadcasting Service Radio and Television, separate from the Urhobo Language. This was continued in Delta State in the first years of the military regime. Unfortunately, when the first Civilian Government of Delta State headed by Governor Felix Ibru came on board, there was established a policy of officially recognizing five Ethnic Groups in Delta State which were, in alphabetical order, Anioma, Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri, and Urhobo. The Ikas, Ndokwas (Ukuanis) and the Enuanis were to express or parade themselves as Anioma people; the Okpe and Urhobo people were to express or parade themselves as Urhobo people while the Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri retained their identities that they already had in the defunct Bendel State.
However, as the James Ibori Government established the DESOPADEC Law of Delta State in 2007, Ndokwa was officially recognised as an ethnic nationality in the DESOPADEC Law which rendered the previous ethnic nationality policies obsolete. In fact, the Delta State Government followed up by issuing a letter of apology to the Ndokwa Nation for previously omitting its name from the list of recognized ethnic nationalities. Unfortunately, the Okpe people did not seize the opportunity to protest the omission of Okpe. By the time Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan came on board, the struggle concentrated on having a Commissioner for the Okpe Nation in the DESOPADEC Commission scaled through when the House of Assembly moved a motion to dissolve the Commission. Governor Uduaghan then reconstituted the DESOPADEC Board to include an Okpe Commissioner in the person of Chief Joseph Egigba. In 2015, the Ika people also succeeded in having the DESOPADEC Law amended to reflect Ika ethnic nationality in the DESOPADEC Law. One implication of the recognition of an ethnic nationality in the DESOPADEC Law is that the group becomes entitled to an Executive Director and a Sub-Budget. In terms of slots, projects and impact on the area, the difference cannot be overemphasised. Today, as Okpe which is bigger than several of the recognised ethnic nationalities in the DESOPADEC, and even has more quantum in petroluem and gas production is not recognised under the law.
EXPOSING THE WRONGFUL CLASSIFICATION
“Even though the Okpe succeeded in resuscitating the Okpe Monarchy, the struggle for the reinstatement and recognition of its distinct ethnic nationality is an ongoing task that the Okpe Union is spear-heading in collaboration with other Okpe organizations in the sensitization of the population and the Government of Delta State”. (https://okpeunionng.net/okpe-kingdom-history/)
For more details on the distinctiveness of Okpe ethnic nationality vis-a-vis the Urhobo, Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts are advised to consult the Keynote Address by HRM Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, entitled: “TRADITION AND GOVERNANCE IN OKPE KINGDOM: A KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2007 BY HRM ORHUE 1, LL.M., CFR, mni., ORODJE OF OKPE KINGDOM AT THE 3RD ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE OKPE UNION OF NORTH AMERICA HELD AT MARRIOTT HOTEL, COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND, MD.USA,
AUGUST 31 – SEPTEMBER 03, 2007”(https://okpeunionng.net/tradition-and-governance/)
In the above referenced Keynote Address, HRM Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom succinctly stated as follows:
“Okpe is a unique ethnic nationality. It has distinctive roots in ancient history, tradition, culture, customs and language.” He added: “Our people are rooted in migration from the Bini Kingdom. This historical experience is similar to most other ethnic nationalities of the Western Niger Delta. Of all these nationalities however, Okpe History, language, tradition, and culture are closer to those of Bini which form part of the Edo group of languages.”
Dr. (Prince) Isaac Sunday Mebitaghan, JP., (A Brief History of Okpe Kingdom, New Era Publications, Benin City, Nigeria, 2001.) and Rev. Dr. Charles E, Osume (The Okpe People, Mosogar Antioch Baptist Church, Mosogar, 2nd Edition, 2022) provided detailed analyses on the origins of the Okpe people that clearly affirmed the distinctiveness of the Okpe people as belonging to the same ancestry and language unlike the Urhobo ethnic nationality.
In its study on the History of the Okpe People of Delta Central, Udogun Okpe stated emphatically that “Okpe is indubitably known to be a distinct and autonomous Kingdom, an ethnic entity from its beginning. The people and their language are distinct and are named after their progenitor, Okpe, whose four sons (princes Orhue, Orhorho, Evbreke, and Esezi – OIN) founded the present day Okpe Kingdom”. (Udogun-Okpe, THE OKPE PEOPLE OF DELTA CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA, 2020, p. 2.)
As the mouth piece of the Okpe Nation, Okpe Union has been consistently steadfast in its advocacy for the restoration of Okpe independence as a distinct ethnic nationality and not a sub-group or clan of the Urhobo or of any other ethnic nationality in the world. This position on the retrieval of Okpe independence was strongly restated by Okpe nationals during the 95th Anniversary Celebrations of the founding of the Okpe Union on May 16, 2025 in Lagos. For example, in his comments on the subject at the 95th Anniversary Celebrations, AVM Frank Ajobena (RTD), former Military Administrator of Abia State, pointedly reiterated the distinctiveness of Okpe ethnic nationality. While he rightfully recognized the Urhobos as our neighbours, he however reminded them that “the identity of a people is fundamental to their emancipation.” He continued: “I don’t know why our brothers are apprehensive of Okpe establishing itself as a nationality. We do not share a common ancestry with the Urhobo people. We do not share the same language with the Urhobo”.
The Okpe language is very different from the Urhobo, just as the Urhobo is different from the Ukuani, and the Itsekiri is different from the Isoko; even though they may all trace their respective origins to Benin Kingdom. However, due to their proximity and century-old relationships, it is normal to find commonalities between all these diverse ethnic nationalities. However, it must be stressed that, the cosmological bond that binds an Okpe to a fellow Okpe is not the same that binds the Urhobo people. For example, when an Okpe addresses another Okpe as “omizu mẹ,” the salutation carries a more profound sociological and historical significance than the Urhobo’s “omoni.” By addressing an Okpe as “omizu mẹ,” the speaker is evoking a deep spiritual bond with his/her fellow Okpe citizen that underlines their common ancestry as the children of Prince Okpe. This is absent in the Urhobo, for example. Therefore, we challenge Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts to provide historical evidences to their claim that “Okpe is Urhobo” and that we share the same ancestry and language.
DISCUSSING THE ISSUE
Mr. Gbemre’s contribution to the debate on the restoration of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality is so banal that it is shameful to even consider it as a “contribution”. But, since that is the best he can offer we will include it in our response. He writes:
“I have observed the inciting utterances of one Prof Igho Natufe and gullible cheering fans at an anniversary of the Okpe Union in Lagos, where he chose to resurrect the reckless insult he has been leading some lunatic fringes within Okpe to smear the larger Urhobo nation in the name of fighting for Okpe as an ethnic nationality independent of Urhobo nation.” For him and his cohorts, the demand for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality is a “reckless insult” by “some lunatic fringes within Okpe to smear the larger Urhobo nation”. This is reminiscent of the dark days of colonialism and apartheid in the colonies and South Africa, as European colonialists and the white racist regime of South Africa reacted to the demand for independence by Africans. Perhaps the next action Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts will contemplate is to employ guns and dogs to truncate Okpe’s agitation for independence.
His defense that “Okpe is Urhobo” is just to say that “Okpe is not a tribe. Okpe is one of the kingdoms or clans of the Urhobo tribe or ethnic nationality. The Okpes were under the Western Urhobo Division in the past”. This is a gross falsification of History. Firstly, we challenge Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts to provide historical evidences to their claim that “Okpe is Urhobo” and that we share the same ancestry and language. Secondly, they should educate us on the establishment of the “Western Urhobo Division”. Was it a division established through a bilateral agreement between the Okpe and the Urhobo? Or was it a division imposed by the British Colonial Government?
It is important to point out one remarkable move by the Okpe people before the Independence of Nigeria. Between 1953 and 1954, the Okpe Union (supported by HRM Esezi II, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom) wrote to the Western Regional Government in Ibadan that the Okpe Area of Western Urhobo Division should be joined with Sapele Municipality to form an Okpe Division. Though the application did not scale through because of the consideration of the power balance of the Delta Province in the estimation of the then Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the move was a strong indication of the resolve of the Okpe people that they have always been a distinct ethnic nationality.
DISTRACTING FROM THE ISSUE
In his diatribe, Mr. Gbemre wondered into territories unrelated to the Okpe Union’s advocacy for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality. In his attempt to prove to his readers that he knew me, he demonstrated a complete lack of knowledge of me. Let us review his piteous references to me, as his subject of enquiry. He wrote:
“For an insight into this deep seated hate campaign, this mischievous Professor Natufe was elected with the identity, Igho Natufe by Urhobo Historical Society (UHS) as Vice President until 2004 when he was forced to resign after his attack on Urhobo prominent personalities, including Chief Benjamin Okumagba and others in a London Event during his presentation”. If Mr. Gbemre had conducted a thorough research on the UHS, he would have discovered that it has no positions of “President” and “Vice President”, but Chair and Deputy Chair.
He further displayed a gross lack of knowledge of his supposed subject by stating that:
“After his sack as UHS Vice President, he deleted “Igho” from his name and resorted to bearing Omajuwa as first name then. Just recently, same “Igho” he discarded has become his second name. He is now known as O. Igho Natufe, deliberately veiling Omajuwa, his Itsekiri identity”. I challenge Mr. Gbemre to provide his evidence of when I allegedly “deleted Igho” from my names and “just recently” restored Igho. It is very shameful of him to knowingly engage in such a misinformation. If he had taken the pain to consult the UHS website (http://www.waado.org/EditManageCom.html), he would have known that my name has always been O. Igho Natufe as listed in the Editorial & Management Committee and Officers’ columns. I am very proud of my role during my tenure in the UHS.
It is interesting that Mr. Gbemre is obsessed with me bearing an Itsekiri name. In case he and his cohorts are unaware, my maternal grandfather was an Itsekiri (from Obotagharenda) while my maternal grandmother was an Urhobo (from Okpara Inland). My paternal grandparents were both Okpe (from Sapele and Amuokpe, respectively). My paternal grandfather had four wives: three Okpes and one Urhobo (from Orogun). For his information, three of the four children (my uncles and an aunt) from the Urhobo wife were given Itsekiri names, including Uncle Dr. Victor Amoma Natufe, the current Most Senior Okakuro of the Okpe Kingdom. There are hundreds of thousands of Okpe and Urhobo that bear Itsekiri names, irrespective of whether
they have blood relationships or not with the Itsekiri. We have Okpe families that bear Itsekiri names, including Okakuro Onoriode Temiagin, whose surname was in fact changed from Ofotokun. I wonder why Mr. Gbemre has a headache with Okpe nationals bearing Itsekiri names. He should be concerned with the number of Urhobo nationals that bear Itsekiri names.
Unable to discuss the historical, political and cultural roots of the rationale for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality, Mr. Gbemre resorted to attacking certain political leaders he described as “political power brokers and political jobbers” that are “beautified with chieftaincy titles” in Okpe Kingdom. Now he, a non-Okpe wants to dictate to the Okpe Monarchy on the prospective candidates suitable for chieftaincy titles in Okpe Kingdom.
He claims without any proof that: “Igho and Natufe are pure Urhobo names. The name ‘OREROKPE’ which is the ancestral headquarters of Okpe Kingdom/Clan is Urhobo language/name meaning the Town of Okpe”. He obviously does not know that Igho, for example, belongs to the Edoid group of languages, including the Bini, Esan, Isoko, Okpe, and Urhobo ethnic nationalities, respectively. Similarly, Orerokpe is an Okpe name or expression just as there is “OREDO” in Benin. Given his knowledge on the origins of names, we expect him to also declare “Okoro” as a name exclusive to the Urhobo. He should also confirm that “Zik” is an Urhobo name.
RESOLVING THE ISSUE
In addition to the fact that the Okpe people have their distinct ancestry, history and language (which Urhobo people do not understand at all), the world view of the Okpe people has always been that they are a distinct people. This is reflected in how they name products indigenous to them. Their own food, pomade, soap, medicine, etc are named with the word or description “Okpe” at the end.
Despite his condemnation of the agitation for Okpe independence from the Urhobo appellation, it is significant to note that Mr. Gbemre also recognized the right of Okpe Nation to extricate itself from the false Urhobo nationality. He agreed that “Okpe has right to even ask to be a state of its own in the Nigerian federation. Nothing wrong with that”….
IN LIEU OF A CONCLUSION
The study of ethnic relations in Nigeria or ethnic relations in any Nigerian state, including Delta State is fundamentally a study in international relations anchored on the principles of peaceful coexistence and good neighbourliness. Adherence to these principles is imperative for the system or sub-system to function harmoniously. While competition between the ethnic nationalities helps to spur societal development, it is vital that inter-ethnic competition does not lead to a breakdown of the system. Thus, each component of the system in Delta State, listed in alphabetical order, Aniocha, Ika, Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri, Ndosumili, Oshumili, Okpe, Ukwuani, and Urhobo are required to adhere to the principles of peaceful coexistence and good neighbourliness while promoting their respective nationality interests.
The ethnic mosaic of Delta State presents us an opportunity to construct and maintain a vibrant and successful multi-ethnic polity. The tendency of any ethnic nationality attempting to impose itself as a great power in Delta State or in any of the Senatorial Districts must not be allowed, as it is a recipe for a collapse of the system.
In the Delta Central Senatorial District which we, Okpe, share with the Urhobo, the policy of the Okpe Nation is strictly based on mutual respect, good neighbourliness, and peaceful coexistence. This also informs Okpe Nation’s relationships with the other ethnic nationalities. Okpe Nation shall define its policy based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, and will never permit any other ethnic nationality to intrude in our policy formulation and implementation. We firmly believe that it is only on the basis of this construct, and a strict adherence to it by all ethnic nationalities, that peace and development can be attained in Delta State.
We urge all ethnic nationalities in Delta State to collaborate with the Okpe Nation in building a stronger and peaceful Delta State.
Prof. O. Igho Natufe President General Okpe Union Worldwide
June22, 2025
INTRODUCTION
On June18, 2025, an Urhobo friend forwarded an article by one Mr. Zik Gbemre on the above subject. I thanked him for it. I also thank Mr. Gbemre for penning the said article, because he has broadened the debate of Okpe Union’s demand for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality, outside the territory of the Okpe Kingdom. Thus, I shall disregard his insulting outbursts against my person. We have to focus on the main ISSUE, which is the retrieval or restoration of the independence of the Okpe Nation. Let us exchange facts based on historical and cultural evidences instead of trading personal insults and falsifying History.
THE ISSUE
Students of Nigerian history are familiar with the British colonial policy of fusing diverse ethnic nationalities into one. Outside the contemporary Delta State, this British policy was more pronounced in the “Hausa-Fulani” phenomenon which most Nigerians, until recently, assumed to be one ethnic nationality. We are living witnesses to the awakened consciousness of the Hausas as they engage in an existential struggle to extricate themselves from the “Hausa-Fulani” appellation. It was this same British policy that birthed the false classification of Okpe as “a clan of Urhobo”. At its infancy they referred to Urhobo as “Sobo”. Contemporary Okpe
nationals were born and raised in this falsity especially as they relate externally.
This classification has robed Okpe of its ethnic identity, as contributions by Okpe nationals are credited to the Urhobo and not to the Okpe nationality. This cataloguing illegally extinguished Okpe ethnicity and institutionalized the assimilation of the Okpe nationality by the Urhobo.
For the benefits of Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts, it is pertinent that we recall the British fusion of Okpe with the Urhobo by providing the following excerpts from the website of the Okpe Union:
“According to R. E. Bradbury, a renowned British scholar, (The Benin Kingdom and the Edo-Speaking Peoples of South-Western Nigeria, 1970, p.128) the classification of Okpe among the Urhobo was influenced by geographic contiguity and the expediency of British colonial administration “rather than a linguistic basis.” He concluded that “Okpe is …closer to the Edo of the Benin Kingdom than are the Urhobo dialects proper”. In the 1930s the Okpe was placed in “Western Urhobo” and the Isoko in “Eastern Urhobo.” By administering the Okpe under the Urhobo umbrella, the British set in motion a process that led to the gradual but a systematic erosion of Okpe ethnicity which was erroneously subsumed under the Urhobo. Over time, this grave error of British colonialism assumed a “truth” of its own as the outside world and several Okpe began to refer to the Okpe as “Urhobo.” This falsity was inherited by post-colonial Nigerian governments. A similar fate befell the Isoko of “Eastern Urhobo.” However, unlike the Okpe, their western counterpart, the Isokos were able to extricate themselves from the Urhobo appellation and restored their independence as a distinct ethnic nationality”.
“Notwithstanding the long years of interregnum, and the attempts by some powerful leaders to establish mini kingdoms, the Okpe people remained together as a Nation, thus giving significance to the slogan “Okpe Agbamua eni” (the unity of Okpe is an Elephant or Okpe Unity enables the lifting of an elephant). The establishment of the Okpe Union on May 16, 1930, in Lagos, galvanized the Okpe people into greater resolve. The Okpe Union, the oldest registered ethnic organization of Delta State, and in Nigeria, became the mouth piece of the Okpe Nation and a defender of Okpe Identity. It championed the fight for the restoration of the Okpe Monarchy and succeeded in doing so when the British colonial regime approved the coronation of the second Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Esezi II on January 1, 1945. Though the monarchy was to rotate among the four ruling houses, it was however decided by the Ruling Houses that a prince from the Esezi Ruling house be
crowned the Orodje, as a way of appeasing the gods for the curse placed on Okpe
Kingdom by Esezi l”.
It is instructive to note that, during the Midwest and Bendel State regimes era, when the current Edo and Delta states were together as one state, the colonial blurring of Okpe ethnic identity receded tremendously as Okpe people became practically recognised as a people with a distinct language. This paved the way for the use of the Okpe Language for public newscast and language requests and magazine programmes in the then Bendel Broadcasting Service Radio and Television, separate from the Urhobo Language. This was continued in Delta State in the first years of the military regime. Unfortunately, when the first Civilian Government of Delta State headed by Governor Felix Ibru came on board, there was established a policy of officially recognizing five Ethnic Groups in Delta State which were, in alphabetical order, Anioma, Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri, and Urhobo. The Ikas, Ndokwas (Ukuanis) and the Enuanis were to express or parade themselves as Anioma people; the Okpe and Urhobo people were to express or parade themselves as Urhobo people while the Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri retained their identities that they already had in the defunct Bendel State.
However, as the James Ibori Government established the DESOPADEC Law of Delta State in 2007, Ndokwa was officially recognised as an ethnic nationality in the DESOPADEC Law which rendered the previous ethnic nationality policies obsolete. In fact, the Delta State Government followed up by issuing a letter of apology to the Ndokwa Nation for previously omitting its name from the list of recognized ethnic nationalities. Unfortunately, the Okpe people did not seize the opportunity to protest the omission of Okpe. By the time Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan came on board, the struggle concentrated on having a Commissioner for the Okpe Nation in the DESOPADEC Commission scaled through when the House of Assembly moved a motion to dissolve the Commission. Governor Uduaghan then reconstituted the DESOPADEC Board to include an Okpe Commissioner in the person of Chief Joseph Egigba. In 2015, the Ika people also succeeded in having the DESOPADEC Law amended to reflect Ika ethnic nationality in the DESOPADEC Law. One implication of the recognition of an ethnic nationality in the DESOPADEC Law is that the group becomes entitled to an Executive Director and a Sub-Budget. In terms of slots, projects and impact on the area, the difference cannot be overemphasised. Today, as Okpe which is bigger than several of the recognised ethnic nationalities in the DESOPADEC, and even has more quantum in petroluem and gas production is not recognised under the law.
EXPOSING THE WRONGFUL CLASSIFICATION
“Even though the Okpe succeeded in resuscitating the Okpe Monarchy, the struggle for the reinstatement and recognition of its distinct ethnic nationality is an ongoing task that the Okpe Union is spear-heading in collaboration with other Okpe organizations in the sensitization of the population and the Government of Delta State”. (https://okpeunionng.net/okpe-kingdom-history/)
For more details on the distinctiveness of Okpe ethnic nationality vis-a-vis the Urhobo, Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts are advised to consult the Keynote Address by HRM Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, entitled: “TRADITION AND GOVERNANCE IN OKPE KINGDOM: A KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2007 BY HRM ORHUE 1, LL.M., CFR, mni., ORODJE OF OKPE KINGDOM AT THE 3RD ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE OKPE UNION OF NORTH AMERICA HELD AT MARRIOTT HOTEL, COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND, MD.USA,
AUGUST 31 – SEPTEMBER 03, 2007”(https://okpeunionng.net/tradition-and-governance/)
In the above referenced Keynote Address, HRM Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom succinctly stated as follows:
“Okpe is a unique ethnic nationality. It has distinctive roots in ancient history, tradition, culture, customs and language.” He added: “Our people are rooted in migration from the Bini Kingdom. This historical experience is similar to most other ethnic nationalities of the Western Niger Delta. Of all these nationalities however, Okpe History, language, tradition, and culture are closer to those of Bini which form part of the Edo group of languages.”
Dr. (Prince) Isaac Sunday Mebitaghan, JP., (A Brief History of Okpe Kingdom, New Era Publications, Benin City, Nigeria, 2001.) and Rev. Dr. Charles E, Osume (The Okpe People, Mosogar Antioch Baptist Church, Mosogar, 2nd Edition, 2022) provided detailed analyses on the origins of the Okpe people that clearly affirmed the distinctiveness of the Okpe people as belonging to the same ancestry and language unlike the Urhobo ethnic nationality.
In its study on the History of the Okpe People of Delta Central, Udogun Okpe stated emphatically that “Okpe is indubitably known to be a distinct and autonomous Kingdom, an ethnic entity from its beginning. The people and their language are distinct and are named after their progenitor, Okpe, whose four sons (princes Orhue, Orhorho, Evbreke, and Esezi – OIN) founded the present day Okpe Kingdom”. (Udogun-Okpe, THE OKPE PEOPLE OF DELTA CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT, DELTA STATE, NIGERIA, 2020, p. 2.)
As the mouth piece of the Okpe Nation, Okpe Union has been consistently steadfast in its advocacy for the restoration of Okpe independence as a distinct ethnic nationality and not a sub-group or clan of the Urhobo or of any other ethnic nationality in the world. This position on the retrieval of Okpe independence was strongly restated by Okpe nationals during the 95th Anniversary Celebrations of the founding of the Okpe Union on May 16, 2025 in Lagos. For example, in his comments on the subject at the 95th Anniversary Celebrations, AVM Frank Ajobena (RTD), former Military Administrator of Abia State, pointedly reiterated the distinctiveness of Okpe ethnic nationality. While he rightfully recognized the Urhobos as our neighbours, he however reminded them that “the identity of a people is fundamental to their emancipation.” He continued: “I don’t know why our brothers are apprehensive of Okpe establishing itself as a nationality. We do not share a common ancestry with the Urhobo people. We do not share the same language with the Urhobo”.
The Okpe language is very different from the Urhobo, just as the Urhobo is different from the Ukuani, and the Itsekiri is different from the Isoko; even though they may all trace their respective origins to Benin Kingdom. However, due to their proximity and century-old relationships, it is normal to find commonalities between all these diverse ethnic nationalities. However, it must be stressed that, the cosmological bond that binds an Okpe to a fellow Okpe is not the same that binds the Urhobo people. For example, when an Okpe addresses another Okpe as “omizu mẹ,” the salutation carries a more profound sociological and historical significance than the Urhobo’s “omoni.” By addressing an Okpe as “omizu mẹ,” the speaker is evoking a deep spiritual bond with his/her fellow Okpe citizen that underlines their common ancestry as the children of Prince Okpe. This is absent in the Urhobo, for example. Therefore, we challenge Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts to provide historical evidences to their claim that “Okpe is Urhobo” and that we share the same ancestry and language.
DISCUSSING THE ISSUE
Mr. Gbemre’s contribution to the debate on the restoration of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality is so banal that it is shameful to even consider it as a “contribution”. But, since that is the best he can offer we will include it in our response. He writes:
“I have observed the inciting utterances of one Prof Igho Natufe and gullible cheering fans at an anniversary of the Okpe Union in Lagos, where he chose to resurrect the reckless insult he has been leading some lunatic fringes within Okpe to smear the larger Urhobo nation in the name of fighting for Okpe as an ethnic nationality independent of Urhobo nation.” For him and his cohorts, the demand for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality is a “reckless insult” by “some lunatic fringes within Okpe to smear the larger Urhobo nation”. This is reminiscent of the dark days of colonialism and apartheid in the colonies and South Africa, as European colonialists and the white racist regime of South Africa reacted to the demand for independence by Africans. Perhaps the next action Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts will contemplate is to employ guns and dogs to truncate Okpe’s agitation for independence.
His defense that “Okpe is Urhobo” is just to say that “Okpe is not a tribe. Okpe is one of the kingdoms or clans of the Urhobo tribe or ethnic nationality. The Okpes were under the Western Urhobo Division in the past”. This is a gross falsification of History. Firstly, we challenge Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts to provide historical evidences to their claim that “Okpe is Urhobo” and that we share the same ancestry and language. Secondly, they should educate us on the establishment of the “Western Urhobo Division”. Was it a division established through a bilateral agreement between the Okpe and the Urhobo? Or was it a division imposed by the British Colonial Government?
It is important to point out one remarkable move by the Okpe people before the Independence of Nigeria. Between 1953 and 1954, the Okpe Union (supported by HRM Esezi II, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom) wrote to the Western Regional Government in Ibadan that the Okpe Area of Western Urhobo Division should be joined with Sapele Municipality to form an Okpe Division. Though the application did not scale through because of the consideration of the power balance of the Delta Province in the estimation of the then Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the move was a strong indication of the resolve of the Okpe people that they have always been a distinct ethnic nationality.
DISTRACTING FROM THE ISSUE
In his diatribe, Mr. Gbemre wondered into territories unrelated to the Okpe Union’s advocacy for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality. In his attempt to prove to his readers that he knew me, he demonstrated a complete lack of knowledge of me. Let us review his piteous references to me, as his subject of enquiry. He wrote:
“For an insight into this deep seated hate campaign, this mischievous Professor Natufe was elected with the identity, Igho Natufe by Urhobo Historical Society (UHS) as Vice President until 2004 when he was forced to resign after his attack on Urhobo prominent personalities, including Chief Benjamin Okumagba and others in a London Event during his presentation”. If Mr. Gbemre had conducted a thorough research on the UHS, he would have discovered that it has no positions of “President” and “Vice President”, but Chair and Deputy Chair.
He further displayed a gross lack of knowledge of his supposed subject by stating that:
“After his sack as UHS Vice President, he deleted “Igho” from his name and resorted to bearing Omajuwa as first name then. Just recently, same “Igho” he discarded has become his second name. He is now known as O. Igho Natufe, deliberately veiling Omajuwa, his Itsekiri identity”. I challenge Mr. Gbemre to provide his evidence of when I allegedly “deleted Igho” from my names and “just recently” restored Igho. It is very shameful of him to knowingly engage in such a misinformation. If he had taken the pain to consult the UHS website (http://www.waado.org/EditManageCom.html), he would have known that my name has always been O. Igho Natufe as listed in the Editorial & Management Committee and Officers’ columns. I am very proud of my role during my tenure in the UHS.
It is interesting that Mr. Gbemre is obsessed with me bearing an Itsekiri name. In case he and his cohorts are unaware, my maternal grandfather was an Itsekiri (from Obotagharenda) while my maternal grandmother was an Urhobo (from Okpara Inland). My paternal grandparents were both Okpe (from Sapele and Amuokpe, respectively). My paternal grandfather had four wives: three Okpes and one Urhobo (from Orogun). For his information, three of the four children (my uncles and an aunt) from the Urhobo wife were given Itsekiri names, including Uncle Dr. Victor Amoma Natufe, the current Most Senior Okakuro of the Okpe Kingdom. There are hundreds of thousands of Okpe and Urhobo that bear Itsekiri names, irrespective of whether
they have blood relationships or not with the Itsekiri. We have Okpe families that bear Itsekiri names, including Okakuro Onoriode Temiagin, whose surname was in fact changed from Ofotokun. I wonder why Mr. Gbemre has a headache with Okpe nationals bearing Itsekiri names. He should be concerned with the number of Urhobo nationals that bear Itsekiri names.
Unable to discuss the historical, political and cultural roots of the rationale for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality, Mr. Gbemre resorted to attacking certain political leaders he described as “political power brokers and political jobbers” that are “beautified with chieftaincy titles” in Okpe Kingdom. Now he, a non-Okpe wants to dictate to the Okpe Monarchy on the prospective candidates suitable for chieftaincy titles in Okpe Kingdom.
He claims without any proof that: “Igho and Natufe are pure Urhobo names. The name ‘OREROKPE’ which is the ancestral headquarters of Okpe Kingdom/Clan is Urhobo language/name meaning the Town of Okpe”. He obviously does not know that Igho, for example, belongs to the Edoid group of languages, including the Bini, Esan, Isoko, Okpe, and Urhobo ethnic nationalities, respectively. Similarly, Orerokpe is an Okpe name or expression just as there is “OREDO” in Benin. Given his knowledge on the origins of names, we expect him to also declare “Okoro” as a name exclusive to the Urhobo. He should also confirm that “Zik” is an Urhobo name.
RESOLVING THE ISSUE
In addition to the fact that the Okpe people have their distinct ancestry, history and language (which Urhobo people do not understand at all), the world view of the Okpe people has always been that they are a distinct people. This is reflected in how they name products indigenous to them. Their own food, pomade, soap, medicine, etc are named with the word or description “Okpe” at the end.
Despite his condemnation of the agitation for Okpe independence from the Urhobo appellation, it is significant to note that Mr. Gbemre also recognized the right of Okpe Nation to extricate itself from the false Urhobo nationality. He agreed that “Okpe has right to even ask to be a state of its own in the Nigerian federation. Nothing wrong with that”….
IN LIEU OF A CONCLUSION
The study of ethnic relations in Nigeria or ethnic relations in any Nigerian state, including Delta State is fundamentally a study in international relations anchored on the principles of peaceful coexistence and good neighbourliness. Adherence to these principles is imperative for the system or sub-system to function harmoniously. While competition between the ethnic nationalities helps to spur societal development, it is vital that inter-ethnic competition does not lead to a breakdown of the system. Thus, each component of the system in Delta State, listed in alphabetical order, Aniocha, Ika, Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri, Ndosumili, Oshumili, Okpe, Ukwuani, and Urhobo are required to adhere to the principles of peaceful coexistence and good neighbourliness while promoting their respective nationality interests.
The ethnic mosaic of Delta State presents us an opportunity to construct and maintain a vibrant and successful multi-ethnic polity. The tendency of any ethnic nationality attempting to impose itself as a great power in Delta State or in any of the Senatorial Districts must not be allowed, as it is a recipe for a collapse of the system.
In the Delta Central Senatorial District which we, Okpe, share with the Urhobo, the policy of the Okpe Nation is strictly based on mutual respect, good neighbourliness, and peaceful coexistence. This also informs Okpe Nation’s relationships with the other ethnic nationalities. Okpe Nation shall define its policy based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, and will never permit any other ethnic nationality to intrude in our policy formulation and implementation. We firmly believe that it is only on the basis of this construct, and a strict adherence to it by all ethnic nationalities, that peace and development can be attained in Delta State.
We urge all ethnic nationalities in Delta State to collaborate with the Okpe Nation in building a stronger and peaceful Delta State.
Prof. O. Igho Natufe President General Okpe Union Worldwide
June22, 2025
The Chief Executive Officer of Akogate Group, Felix Aganbi, on Sunday highlighted the company’s commitment to the Nigerian market.
“Since our establishment in 2006, we have made significant strides in the field of solar systems innovation and installation, catering to both governmental and private sectors. Our accomplishments extend beyond solar energy, as we have also excelled in the realm of food and water manufacturing”
At a meeting with retailers, distributors, hospitality leaders and chefs in Abuja, Aganbi expressed his pride in Akogate’s products and the group’s commitment to delivering only the best.
‘’Akogate offers a variety of products including Akogate Still Water, Ajimele Oil, Akogate bleach and liquid soap, Akogate herbal teas and Akogate melon seeds and crayfish. We provide services in civil engineering, construction, and solar technology’’.
Aganbi spoke on Akogate’s success, strong demand of the products and activities in key international markets.
“We have seen tremendous demand for Akogate products like cassava fibre chips, peanut, seafood, and various types of leaf products like scent leaf and bitter leaf. We’ve also seen tremendous demand for Akogate’s melon seeds (Egusi), crayfish, bleach, liquid soap and herbal teas in Nigeria and abroad’’
He highlighted Akogate’s passion for energy and the group’s commitment to bringing light to communities.
‘’We are a leading brand in Solar and food processing. Through our specialized services, we have played a significant role in the development of solar energy technology in Nigeria, working alongside our partners. Our commitment is to make a positive impact on people’s lives whenever and wherever possible’’.
Driven by a vision to create globally appealing products that reflect contemporary tastes while staying rooted in authentic Nigerian identity, Akogate, according to Aganbi, is redefining the agriculture and food processing sector in Nigeria.
‘’In the past few years, we have made significant investments to enhance and add value to the agriculture and food processing sector. This mission aligns with our expanding vision over time. As a result of our efforts, Akogate Still Water has emerged, exceeding expectations and setting new supply chain records in Nigeria. Presently, we proudly offer the highly sought-after Akogate Ajimele Palm Oil, which boasts unparalleled and remarkable health benefits. Our processed and neatly packaged Sea Foods, The Shrimps, Crayfish and Periwinkle are also best-selling’’.
Aganbi said, “Akogate echoes the growing demand for refined products among consumers in Nigeria and abroad.
‘’Akogate, an electrical, mechanical, and process design company, is the first indigenous organization in Nigeria to introduce the revolutionary Sunmaster Smart Leaf solar Light. The group focuses on solar technology installation, construction, maintenance of solar panel systems and pumps’’.
The business mogul reiterated Akogate’s dedication to the highest standards of transparency and quality
‘’Our concept ensures that lighting is 6pm-6am to guaranty safer road and street, and clear vision all through the dark’’
How Julius Berger is reshaping infrastructural landscape of Abuja
Right from its entry into Abuja to build a modern federal capital for Nigeria in 1980, Julius Berger has remained very relevant in the infrastructural development of the seat federal government of Nigeria.
Accordingly, the company’s extensive involvement in the construction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, and interchanges makes it to unrepentantly continue to play a vital role in shaping the city’s physical and socio-economic landscape. As the capital city grows rapidly, the strategic infrastructure projects spearheaded by Julius Berger have contributed significantly to urban development, improved transportation systems, and economic efficiency, said the Regional Manager of the company, Oliver Berger.
According to him, “we are reshaping the infrastructural landscape in the Federal Capital Territory. Right from Julius Berger entrance into Abuja in 1980 we have inspired development through partnership with the Federal Government on Largescale development. Now, we are taking infrastructural development to the next level.”
Oliver Berger listed some of the recent projects, completed and ongoing to buttress his point. He mentioned Abuja-Kubwa Expressway, Abuja International Airport Runway, Central Bank of Nigeria building, Airport Road Interchange, construction of Arterial Road N5, Rehabilitation of International Conference Centre, Asokoro Hillside Multispeciality Hospital, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, New Headquarters, Central Roads B6/B12, Construction of the Residence of the Vice President, and Emergency Rehabilitation of FCT Minister’s residence, to name a few.
Work is in full swing on the Arterial Road N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way), and we’re making significant strides toward delivering this vital 4.4 km infrastructure project. With box culverts, a river bridge, and the N3/N30 junction taking shape, every milestone brings us closer to enhancing connectivity and development in the region, he said; adding, at Julius Berger, our commitment to quality and efficiency drives every step of the journey.
On the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s new headquarters which was designed by Artec Practice Limited and being constructed by Julius Berger, the Regional Manager of the company said, with the unique touch of Julius Berger in the project’s construction, it is excellence that is speedily taking shape.
He said the masterpiece of the structure is an architectural landmark that embodies innovation, efficiency, and world-class engineering. From its sun-shielding façade to cutting-edge building systems, every detail is crafted to set new standards in functionality and design.
Pointing in the direction of the the iconic National Stadium, he said it stands as a proud testament to the power of vision, innovation, and collaboration. The architectural piece is an architectural marvel which is more than just a venue. It is a symbol of Nigeria’s commitment to excellence and its passion for sports.
During a recent visit to the International Conference Centre, ICC when he was conducted round the project site by the Regional Manager, Region Central North of the company, Oliver Berger, the minister of the FCT, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike who was obviously satisfied with the work-in-progress even as the company pledged to complete the project ahead of the planned handover date in May 2025, declared, Julius Berger’s expertise is highly commendable. They are doing a wonderful job here.
Awarded in October 2024 by the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, the scope of the contract for the rehabilitation of the Centre includes, finishing, mechanical and electrical renovation, sanitary rehabilitation, façade work, furniture, ancillary buildings, roof repairs, and external work.
Julius Berger’s Road and bridge works have transformed the infrastructural outlook of Abuja, and they constructed several interchanges, such as the Airport Road Interchange, which eliminated dangerous U-turns and reduced traffic congestion. The modern traffic solutions replaced old junction systems that were inadequate for the increasing population and vehicle numbers.
These projects have combined to expand Abuja’s arterial road networks; enhanced mobility and they are easing access to various districts and the upgrades have helped maintain continuity in transport services and improved road safety.
In a rapidly growing city like Abuja, effective traffic management is crucial. Julius Berger has addressed this need by constructing several critical bridges and flyovers. The Jabi Lake Bridge and the Nyanya-Karu flyover are prime examples of how the company has alleviated traffic congestion, facilitating smoother commutes for residents and visitors alike.
One of the most significant contributions of Julius Berger to Abuja’s infrastructural landscape is road development. The company has been instrumental in the construction and rehabilitation of major highways and roads, enhancing connectivity within the city and to neighbouring regions. Notable projects include the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport access road, which have improved transportation efficiency and accessibility.
Beyond transportation infrastructure, Julius Berger has played a vital role in the construction of public buildings and facilities in Abuja. The company has been involved in the development of modern educational institutions, hospitals, and government buildings, fostering a conducive environment for learning and public service. Projects such as the Nigerian National Mosque and the Nigerian National Christian Centre highlight Julius Berger’s capacity to blend functionality with architectural beauty.
As Abuja continues to expand, urban development has become essential. Julius Berger is actively involved in various urban renewal projects aimed at enhancing the city’s livability. This includes the development of parks, recreational facilities, and housing estates that cater to the growing population, ensuring that urban sprawl does not compromise the quality of life for residents.