Marcus Ekure Ovovwero is the PRO of the Urhobo Progress Union Youth Wing (Worldwide). On this interview with the media, he bares his mind on the struggle against the marginalization of Urhobo nation at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), especially in the ongoing recruitment exercise amongst other issues of strategic importance to the survival of Urhobo nation.
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We Have Been Following with Keen Interest, the Struggle at PTI, What is the Situation of Things Now?
It is very clear that the management and authority of the Petroleum Training Institute want war. Their attitude and disposition towards our agitation so far depicts war. They are daring the youths of Urhobo! We cannot have a school in Urhobo land where our children cannot get admission with ease. It is a shame of monumental proportion that we are being marginalized and oppressed in our own land. This is not obtainable in other parts of the country. Federal institutions in the North are being controlled and dominated by Northerners, those in the West are being controlled by the westerners, and the same is the case with the East, middle belt and other parts of the country. Why should the case of Urhobo be different? This is unacceptable to the Urhobo people!
Please sir we Heard Urhobo’s Working in the Institute are More Compared to Other Tribes, What Then Do You Mean by Being in Charge?
It is not enough to say Urhobos working are more compared to others. The question is how many Urhobo’s are there, what kind of job or positions are they occupying, are their engagements contractual or permanent in nature? Are they involved in the key decision making process? We are not fools! We are not fools who would just go to battle without adequate preparation. We understand the importance of quantitative analysis! We have amazing facts about the position of Urhobo’s in the institute; we have also researched over twelve (12) federal institutions across the six geopolitical zones to know their modus operandi and Vivendi including the PTI in Kaduna. Above all, we understand the position of the local content act and catchment area policy. We swore to protect and defend the interest of Urhobo at all times. We would go at any length in ensuring Urhobo gains its pride of place in all Federal institutions in Urhobo land in line with conventional practice as revealed by our research.
We Learnt UPU is at Logger Head With the Uvwie People Over The PTI Struggle, What is Really the Bone of Contention at the Critical Time of the Struggle When Unity of Purpose is Required?
The situation is very sad and pathetic but I think the disagreement is stemming from lack of understanding and communication gap between both parties. What do I mean, initially, as enlightened people; we understood the need for cohesion, unity and sincerity of purpose. Hence, we called for a meeting with the Uvwie Development Union which is the body projecting the interest of Uvwie in the ongoing recruitment at the institute. During the meeting which held at the Uvwie hall in Effurun, we recognized the fact that Uvwie is the primary host community and that the interest of UPU, as the Umbrella body was to ensure that Urhobo general interest is secured and protected. The fact that must be born in our minds is that there is no way Uvwie interest can replace the collective interest of Urhobo. We were so surprised that after we met with the leadership of Uvwie development Union, and agreed on the need for unity of purpose, we never heard from them again even though they promised reaching us for further meetings. Be that as it may, Uvwie people should understand that no one is fighting or doubting the fact that they are the immediate beneficiaries in this regard, but they shouldn’t set a bad precedence of seeing it as their exclusive rights. They should also know that we would always gain more when we fight collectively as a people rather than fighting as individuals. Urhobo nation today is divided into 24 kingdoms of which Uvwie is just a part of it and the Umbrella body overseeing the affairs of Urhobo nation Worldwide is the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU). It is on record that recently, the UPU Youth Wing, under the leadership of Ovie Igho Anthony has been at the fore front of the struggle for change both at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE) and the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), to ensure that Urhobo gain its pride of place in the institution in line with conventional practices in other parts of the country. Having said that, it is imperative to state that we are gradually mastering our differences as we are currently holding talk with our Uvwie brothers on the need for collective agitation. There is no longer head, like you said, know to me at the moment.
Is There any Difference between UPU and Uvwie Agitation and What Do You Think is the Ideal Thing to Do Under This Situation?
Uvwie people are agitating for slots for their people while UPU agitation goes beyond slots. We believe that to solve the problem of marginalization in the institute, Urhobo must be part of key decision making process in the institute. In other word, we must have an Urhobo man in the governing council board of the institute, we must also have an Urhobo as principal of the institute after the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent principal and in key positions. This is the only bastion, to us, for equity and fairness to Urhobo as a nation. Unlike the Uvwie agitation, this is the template upon which our agitation is founded, not just on the ongoing recruitment alone. That is the more reason why synergy is paramount in this struggle. We must harmonize by mastering our differences as a people because that is the only way we can gain more and not as individuals.
What is the one week Ultimatum to the School all about by the UPU Youth Wing?
We actually gave a one week ultimatum which elapsed on the 11th of March, 2015. But the institute in their letter to us appealed that we should stay action on the ground that management would meet with us as soon as the Principal returns from Abuja. However there was no date specified in the letter. We have a feeling the management is under estimating our capacity as a people of which they are making a very big mistake. There would be no peace in the institute until our collective agitation gains attention and solution. Our position on the recruitment is that, since they conducted the interview in Abuja contrary to provisions of the local content act and catchment area policy, thereby depriving our youths right to information and effective participation, we want an internal interview to be conducted for our people within the institute. It should be noted that the Urhobo people the institute claimed to have shortlisted are non Urhobos who went to our local government areas to obtain certificates of origin. Their claim is totally unacceptable to us as we have proofs against them. We also want the staff structure, both at lower, middle and upper level reviewed in line with the local content act and catchment area policy to ascertain the position of Urhobo in the school. We want to be in charge because the school is in our land. That is the practice in other part of the country and Urhobo shouldn’t be an exception. For instance no other tribe can go to the Petroleum Training Institute in Kaduna and dictate the tune over there where the Hausa are in charge. We also want to know the contractors handling both human and material resources in the institution with view to ensuring conformity to the local content act. More so, we want those working as contract staff for over 10 years in the institute to be ratified. Finally, we want an Urhobo man substantive principal after the tenure of the incumbent principal which would elapse in year 2016. These are the contents of our agitation and we believe we are not asking for too much as it is the current practice in other parts of the country where there are federal institutions. We are prepared to go any length in defense of Urhobo interest in this regard. We have exhausted the 3 ‘’C’’ process of agitation. We have consulted, consolidated and perhaps it is high time we confronted. We are prepared to lead a massive protest to barricade the office of the minister of petroleum resources as well as that of the minister of education and NUC if nothing is done about our demands.
And had the UPU given up on FUPR, There is Rumour that an Ibo Man will soon be appointed the Vice Chancellor. How True is this?
The struggle in the Federal University of Petroleum Resources is synonymous with that of Petroleum Training institute. There is no going back on our position. We have made it clear that we want the true staff structure of the institute at all level, lower, middle and upper to ascertain the position of Urhobo. As per the issue or rumour that Senator Amange Bariga, the chairman of the governing council board, is making an attempt to install a none indigene as Vice Chancellor, that can never happen as we shall make the school ungovernable for him. Just as Urhobo man cannot go to the east or any part of the country and be made Vice chancellor, no other tribe should come and be Vice chancellor in Urhobo land. Besides this being the conventional practice, it is on record that the out gone Vice Chancellor, Professor Effiotor only did one year instead of five years before he was forced on compulsory retirement. So, fairness in this regard demands that an Urhobo man be made the next Vice chancellor of which anything short of that would be an open invitation to anarchy.
What do You Have to Say in about the Internal Crises in the parent body of UPU?
As much as I do not feel it is wise to bring Urhobo issues to public domain, it should be clearly stated that there is neither crises nor division in the Urhobo Progress Union which is our parent body. I seize this medium to advice our youths on social media as well as the press to stop amplifying issues that reduce our values as a people and concentrate on issues that promote us. We should stop joining force with our neighbours to blacklist Urhobo nation irrespective of the situation as no challenge is peculiar to any nation. What is happening at the moment is but temporary. Urhobo Progress Union remains one and under the leadership of Chief Engr Joe Orode Omene . We do not know of any other. Please know body should push Urhobo into division. If any body is aggrieved for any reason, there are established traditional way of seeking redress and not by going on the public domain to wash our dirty linen.
