News From Nigeria
BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE
The Problem of Nigeria is the Fulani. Solving this problem is the beginning of a new Nigeria. This is why every Southerner and Middle belt citizen must take a stand against Fulani colonization. The Fulani people are very retrogressive.
Lord Lugard in his memoirs refers to them as fatalistic people without any ideals. He cautioned that these people are severely diseased and any society attached to them will never see any progress and will live to regret it.
Nigerians are in a serious state of national regret because of this ethnic and theocratic minority. All the indices of misery in the North which the Fulani colonized through theocratic subterfuge are stratospheric. The Fulani people have been running apartheid system in Northern Nigeria, using the Hausas as door mats. These are people who want leadership without any responsibility.
For too long, they took Nigeria for a ride by grafting themselves to the Hausas that they are oppressing. Throughout the Sahel, the Fulani who is a nomad has no reputable domicile. They are not in charge of their homestead in the Senegambia and Futa Jalon. They were never tolerated there hence Usman Dan Fodio left with his zealots for greener pastures.
Since their conquest of the Hausa kingdoms in the North, they have been on a race back to the first century. The fifty years that their armies ruled Nigeria has always been a journey to yesterday with theocratic decrees. They ruled Nigeria for fifty years and the most ignorant, stupid and parasitic people are from the North. It is okay to dominate with knowledge and technology. The only thing these brutes gave to the north is sharia education. The whole North has been turned into a domicile of religious bigotry and Muslim terrorists. No people with this kind of bankrupt mentality should be allowed access to power in a modern state.
We are in an era where people in other climes are talking of quantum computing and these theocratic Fulani people tell the Hausas that the best education is memorizing the Quran and it is okay to kill anyone who disagrees with their medieval incantations. They send their own children to the best schools with stolen money from Nigeria. This is odious. There is nothing the Fulani people achieved in Nigeria that is based on merit.
Recently about a thousand Fulani people who have no basic education were flushed out of high position in the Nigerian Central bank. A people less than ten percent of the population of Nigeria with no skill and education are over represented in every major Nigerian ministries and parastatals. They have corrupted the judiciary and made Nigeria a lawless society. No Fulani got anything in Nigeria by merit. Whatever wealth they have were bestowed on them by the Fulani military that ran Nigeria aground. They are not religious people. They use religion to create the subterfuge necessary for the enthronement of their mediocrity. What kind of people will ask for a naval headquarters in a desert terrain? This is not the mindset that can build or develop any nation. This is why I ask every Nigerian to understand that all the economic and security issues in Nigeria today are created by the Fulani. They are nomadic people and they use subterfuge and entropy to make advancement. These are deliberate ploys to make educated southerners to subscribe to the Japa syndrome perennially and thin the army of the opposing camp. They use religious gobbledygook to recruit the people they deliberately kept ignorant. This is the time to stop them and save the nation. All the issues that are plaguing Nigeria today is caused by the Fulani people. Late Muhammadu Buhari was president for eight years and did nothing about security or the economy because it was not in the interest of the Fulani. He used Nigerian money to construct a rail to Niger Republic. This is who they are. We must stop them and make them understand they don’t own Nigeria. This is why we must curtail their influence that is out of proportion to their numbers, education and technological know-how.
They took Nigeria into OIC and smuggled Sharia into a constitution of a multiethnic and multi religious nation. This is sacrilegious and beyond pardon. The British colonized Nigeria and left. The Fulani people colonized the North and never left. It is time to disband their apartheid regime in the North. All Southerners must unite on this. An enlightened leadership can never emerge in Nigeria if the Fulani problem is not solved. This is a task that must be done. We must make this their last Jihad.
DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON TEXAS
Empirical observations have led me to the notion that, in any society, the proponents of separatism are those who are least developed in consciousness.
When the American South decided to secede, they were more backward and still relied on slavery for their economic progress. They believed in subterfuge to exist.
When a child is born, he clings to his mother. As the child grows, he recognizes his relatives, his village, his clan and his tribe. More growth prepares him to interact with other people who are different from him.
The ability to negotiate these intricacies is what we call development. Some groups want to negotiate these interactions with subterfuge, domination and oppression. It takes love and imagination to navigate the intricacies of these interactions to avoid creating animosities.
In our present world, the Europeans used violence and oppression to do these interactions. These led to slavery, racism, apartheid and colonization that we are still dealing with today.
It is a sign of immaturity when people cannot get along with others for mutual coexistence. The white people invented racism for this because they lack the ability and maturity to get along with other people.
Apartheid, colonialism and other attendant evils are the results of the immaturity of the white race which they consider as progress and development. But this is a form of immaturity, because it shows the inability to evolve and interact. In Africa we call it tribalism.
Racism and tribalism are nothing but the inability to grow. When people lack the ability to interact with others, they engage in ethnic reductism. This immaturity is what is considered as progress. In actuality; this represents the child who is afraid to go beyond the city limit. It is a mark of inferiority if you have the need to regale others with your superiority.
We need to grow beyond the confines of our tribe. The earth is our garden. True bravery is when we develop the ability to go beyond our tribes to engage other children of God in planting love in this great garden. Love breeds this courage. The lack of love leads to recessions into a familiar abode where our tribe becomes supreme. We become selfish. This lack deprives us, of the courage to interact. We become arrested in a primitive state where it becomes difficult to move beyond the walls of the cave. This puts us in a state of psychological retardation. When perchance, we venture out, we are timid and crude and look at every difference as threatening. We raise our guards to police the fear within. We then succumb to the primitive notion that only dwellers in our cave are worthy of consideration. We become loud and vexatious as we try to prove that all the wisdom of God are bestowed on our tribe. We make it difficult for others to live peaceably with us as we tell them we are the chosen ones who are divinely ordained.
The truth is that we are still that child that refuses to grow up and want to solve every problem with tantrum and subterfuge.
When others push back against our itinerant actions, we stamp them with epithets. We tell the world they are jealous. The truth is that this belligerent child is afraid of its underdevelopment and cannot see beyond his village. He will use any opportunity he gets to hurt others by fortifying himself with members of his clan who are ensconced in primitive materialism, that we have made the definition of our existence. . This is the origin of all our ills.
Racism, tribalism and separatism are considered as progress and civilization, by the practitioners. This is the great illusion of our time. Most apostles of separatism lack the ability to form the common bond that is necessary for progress. They lack love which is the glue that is necessary for any relationship to yield progress. In every situation, they will present mediocrity as progress. When they fail, they use their brute ideology to rewrite history and create a tyranny within. The tribalist or racist has the ethos of a cave dweller. His vision cannot extrapolate beyond the walls of the cave. He finds his security only amongst members of his cave (tribe). Recession to the cave becomes his idea of progress. He may occupy a high station, but he still has the aroma of the cave dweller.
Dr Austin Orette writes from Houston Texas
“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
“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
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’’
The legal team of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has raised concerns over the use of the official mobile phone number of the Kogi Central Representative by unknown persons to impersonate her identity.
‘’It has come to our attention that our client’s official mobile phone number has been cloned and is presently being fraudulently used by unknown persons to impersonate her identity, make unsolicited calls and deliver audio messages purporting to originate from her. This development is not only alarming but also constitutes a gross violation of her privacy and a potential breach of national security’’
The legal team also called on the federal government to initiate a full-scale investigation into this matter, including forensic analysis of all suspicious activities linked to our Akpoti-Uduaghan’s phone line, with a view to unmasking and prosecuting the culprits.
‘’Our client is prepared to make her device and relevant communication data available for expert examination should your office so require’’.
A statement by M.J Numa & Partnera LLP entitled: Disclaimer concerning the cloning and unauthorized use of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, urged the Director National Cybercrimes Centre, Nigeria Police Force to initiate a full-scale investigation into the matter.
The statement issued by the firm’s managing partner, Michael Jonathan Numa, SAN condemned the compromising of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s identity and the misleading of the public.
‘’These reports collectively suggest that there is a sustained and coordinated attempt to compromise our client’s identity and possibly mislead or manipulate prominent individuals using her name and reputation. We strongly suspect the deployment of advanced cyber impersonation tools in this regard’’.
In a clear illustration, the trial attorneys and transaction advisors said Ifedayo Adams Adedipe, SAN, a senior member of the inner Bar recently contacted Numa to report a suspicious telephone call he received from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s known phone number.
‘’During the said call, the voice at the other end claimed that someone would contact him shortly thereafter. Similarly, the Area Commander of the Maitama Area Command placed a call to our client, stating that she was returning a call earlier received from her number. Our client unequivocally denies initiating either of these communications. Further reports have now been received from Mr. Seun Okinbaloye at Channels Television, who confirmed receiving a call ostensibly from our client. In that instance, the caller not only used her number but also employed voice mimicry techniques to replicate her speech patterns and intellections, thereby heightening the level of impersonation’’
Particularly, the statement denounced the use of AL and machine learning to create a synthetic replica of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s voice, the voice of former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Senator Ben Obi, Area Commander and Maitama, ACP, Olabisi Davis.
‘’In addition, we have now confirmed that Honourable Emmanuel Ekon of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Ben Obi, former Vice-Presidential Candidate, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress and Allen Onyema, Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace’’
The law firm urged Nigerians to treat with extreme caution any phone call audio recording message which appears to emanate from Akpoti-Uduaghan.
‘’We therefore issue this formal disclaimer on our client’s behalf. For the avoidance of doubt, any phone call audio recording message or communication which appears to emanate from Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s number or which purports to be made by her but is not directly verified by her or through this law firm should be treated with extreme caution and discarded’’.
4th June 2025
The Director,
National Cybercrimes Centre,
Nigeria Police Force,
Diplomatic Drive,
Central Business District,
Abuja. FCT.
Dear Sir,
RE: DISCLAIMER CONCERNING THE CLONING AND UNAUTHORISED USE OF OUR CLIENT’S PHONE NUMBER – SENATOR NATASHA AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN
We continue to represent Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan hereinafter referred to as “our Client” and write on her firm instruction.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, has been praised for imagining a different future for the nation’s capital, revitalizing and modernizing the city providing development opportunities for women and youths and strengthening democracy and effective governance in the country.
He was also applauded for promoting the country’s strategic interests, advancing fundamental values and supporting President Bola Tinubu in his effort to transform the country.
‘’Chief Nyesom Wike is an innovative thinker. He is doing a good job, and it is time for Nigerians to celebrate him’’
The Chief Executive Officer of Akogate Group, Felix Aganbi, made this commendation at the weekend.
He applauded Wike for creating a smart city and rational individuals, raising the living standard of villagers and doing his best as a political leader in the country.
‘’The Akogate smart streetlight is the first of its kind in Abuja. It is enhancing the safety and well-being of the Federal Capital Territory, contributing to a brighter and more secure environment, improving night life visibility, deterring crime, fostering social interaction and stimulating economic growth by allowing businesses to operate longer hours’’
Aganbi advised Nigerians to reassess their words and attitudes toward the federal government and people working for the progress of the country.
The Akogate Chief Executive Officer spoke during the installation of streetlights in Abuja.
He said Wike was bringing sanity into Abuja and giving the good people of the Federal Capital territory and Rivers State the tools and conditions to make the most of their own lives.
‘’Chief Nyesom Wike is developing the capacities inherent in people, making life better for FCT residents and increasing the options open to them’’
The business magnate praised Wike for his role in politics, education, economic development and crime control.
He emphasized investors’ confidence in the country’s reliability, the good chemistry between President Bola Tinubu and Wike and the minister’s steadfast commitment to developing the Federal Capital Territory.
The gifted entrepreneur also underscored Wike’s stellar service, obvious courage and openness to new ideas from all quarters.
‘’Chief Nyesom Wike is hardworking, smart and kind. He is also a source of good ideas’’
He stressed on the importance of rules, greater investment, and spirit of teamwork.
Wike, a leading figure in the areas of infrastructure, welfare and economic development was appointed by President Tinubu in 2023.
The legal team of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Tuesday urged law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies to uphold fairness, the rule of law and impartial justice in all matters involving the Kogi Central representative.
“Justice must be impartial. The ongoing refusal to investigate Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petitions- many of which implicate key figures and address critical safety concerns – undermines public confidence in due process. The public expects law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies to uphold fairness, the rule of law and impartial justice in all matters involving her”.
The legal team also upbraided the country’s enforcement and prosecutorial bodies for the disparity in attention to petitions.
‘’Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s serious complaints remain ignored, counter petitions by Senator Godswill Akpabio and former Governor Yahaya Bello – individuals named in her original allegations – have been swiftly acted upon, leading to a criminal charge against her. This selective response raises deep concerns about biased enforcement of justice’’.
In a statement issued by the Queens Law Cradle, a firm of legal practitioners, arbitrators and consultants, the legal team expressed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s commitment to legal progress.
‘’Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently out of the country on personal engagements but remains fully committed to due process. In our capacity as part of her legal team, we have received official communication regarding the charges and she will make herself available at the earliest opportunity once an arrangement date is confirmed’’.
Between March 11 and May 19, 2025, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan filed twelve formal petitions addressing serious threats to her safety, defamatory conduct and unlawful actions against her. These petitions, submitted either personally or through legal representatives, have received no substantive response from the Nigeria Police Force or relevant authorities. Furthermore, her witnesses have yet to be invited for clarification or adoption of their complaints.
The statement signed by Nwogwugwu Esq listed March 11, 2025 – Petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) regarding cyber stalking, hate speech and discriminatory conduct by Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi, March 25, 2025, – Personal petition to the IGP raising security concerns about Senator Godswill Akpabio, March 31, 2025 – Petition to the IGP on the withdrawal of police security detail and immediate safety risks, April 4, 2025 –Petition exposing an assassination plot implicating Senator Akpabio and Former Governor Yahaya Bello, April 24, 2025 – Legal request for status updates on prior petitions, emphasizing abduction and security threats, April 28, 2025 – Petition on conspiracy, abduction and attempted assassination of her protocol officer, Hon Jude Sule and April 29, 2025 – Internal Police Communication on abduction, threats, instructing investigation by the DCP Monitoring Unit.
Others are May 2, 2025 – Petition detailing cyberstalking and Defamation by Senator Nwebonyi, May 6, 2025 – Petition addressing cyberbullying and misrepresentation by Dr Sandra Duru, May 15, 2025 – Petition citing criminal conspiracy and defamation by Senator Akpabio and Dr Duru, May 19, 2025 – Petition to the Attorney-General of the Federation on police failure to investigate earlier complaints and May 19, 2025 – Additional Petition to the IGP reiterating concerns over non-investigation of cases involving Senator Akpabio.
The statement praised Nigerians for condemning the action of the Federal Government.
‘’We are encouraged that citizens are publicly condemning the latest development wherein the Federal Government has instead of ensuring that our client is accorded justice now filed an extremely curious criminal charge against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan”.
‘’Our client expresses deep gratitude as she continues to be positive that injustice against her shall not be sustained” the statement added.
QUEENS LAW CRADLE
LEGAL PRACTITIONERS, ARBITRATORS, CONSULTANTS
www.queenlawcradle.com
CURIOUS MATTERS ARISING FROM CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST SENATOR NATASHA AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Between March 11 and May 19, 2025, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan filed twelve formal petitions addressing serious threats to her safety, defamatory conduct and unlawful actions against her.
These petitions, submitted either personally or through legal representatives, have received no substantive response from the Nigeria Police Force or relevant authorities. Furthermore, her witnesses have yet to be invited for clarification or adoption of their complaints.
For transparency, the pending petitions are as follows:
March 11, 2025 – Petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) regarding cyber stalking, hate speech and discriminatory conduct by Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi
March 25, 2025, – Personal petition to the IGP raising security concerns about Senator Godswill Akpabio
March 31, 2025 – Petition to the IGP on the withdrawal of police security detail and immediate safety risks
April 4, 2025 –Petition exposing an assassination plot implicating Senator Akpabio and Former Governor Yahaya Bello
April 24, 2025 – Legal request for status updates on prior petitions, emphasizing abduction and security threats
April 28, 2025 – Petition on conspiracy, abduction and attempted assassination of her protocol officer, Hon Jude Sule
April 29, 2025 – Internal Police Communication on abduction, threats, instructing investigation by the DCP Monitoring Unit
May 2, 2025 – Petition detailing cyberstalking and Defamation by Senator Nwebonyi
May 6, 2025 – Petition addressing cyberbullying and misrepresentation by Dr Sandra Duru
May 15, 2025 – Petition citing criminal conspiracy and defamation by Senator Akpabio and Dr Duru
May 19, 2025 – Petition to the Attorney-General of the Federation on police failure to investigate earlier complaints
May 19, 2025 – Additional Petition to the IGP reiterating concerns over non-investigation of cases involving Senator Akpabio.
DISPARITY IN ATTENTION TO PETITIONS
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s serious complaints remain ignored, counter petitions by Senator Godswill Akpabio and former Governor Yahaya Bello – individuals named in her original allegations – have been swiftly acted upon, leading to a criminal charge against her. This selective response raises deep concerns about biased enforcement of justice.
CALL FOR FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE
Justice must be impartial. The ongoing refusal to investigate Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petitions- many of which implicate key figures and address critical safety concerns – undermines public confidence in due process. The public expects law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies to uphold fairness, the rule of law and impartial justice in all matters involving her.
COMMITMENT TO LEGAL PROGRESS
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently out of the country on personal engagements but remains fully committed to due process. In our capacity as part of her legal team, we have received official communication regarding the charges, and she will make herself available at the earliest opportunity once an arrangement date is confirmed.
We are encouraged that citizens are publicly condemning the latest development wherein the Federal Government has instead of ensuring that our client is accorded justice now filed an extremely curious criminal charge against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Our client expresses deep gratitude as she continues to be positive that injustice against her shall not be sustained
Dated this 25th of May 2025
NWOGWUGWU ESQ