Marcus Ekure
Marcus Ekure is the President of Urhobo Progressive youth Association(UPYA), the body in charge of the Urhobo youth database/empowerment center and the National PRO of the UPU Youth Wing. In this interview, at his Ughelli office, he speaks on variety of issues bordering on the progress and survival of Urhobo as a nation.
In the light of the forthcoming election, there has been a lot of agitation over Urhobo governorship quest and the power shift or rotational governance, as a spokesman of the Urhobo youth what is your take on these?
Like I have always maintained, there is nothing like power shift in the vocabulary of democracy which we operate. It is a violation of democratic tenet. Democracy which according to Abraham Lincoln, is the government of the people by the people and for the people, is but a game of number. It gained its origin from the days of Athens when people came together to collectively decide on issues of strategic importance to their success and survival as a people. But as society began to grow in population and structure, there became need for representative government which heralded the concept of Democracy which is been practiced in Nigeria and most parts of the world today. However, if the people of a nation or state, for one reason or the other find need for adjustments, there should be a collective means of reaching such consensus either by a way of opinion poll, meetings of representative of all ethnic groups in the state or otherwise. However, it should be noted that there was never a time the people of Delta state came together, either by way of opinion poll or otherwise to agree on power shift or rotation. Deltans are not fools, our leaders must lead by example if the eroding societal value system which has formed a very bad institution for the youth of today must be corrected. Even within the ruling party, there was never a time they came together collectively to inform the decision of power shift which some political traders are currently thriving on. Even if PDP members collectively did, the party is just but a spectrum or part of the whole and as such cannot represent the interest of all.
BUT SIR, OUTSIDE DEMOCRACY, DONT YOU THINK IT IS ONLY FARE AND EQUITABLE FOR DELTA NORTH TO RULE SINCE IT HASN’T HAD A TASTE OF THE GOVERNANCE BEFORE?
That is even the problem! As a person, am not comfortable with the way some people stress this issue of equity and fairness in the delta north context. They make it want to look like Urhobos see the governorship position as their birthright. But it is not so! Fairness in democracy lies in the majority winning an election. It is imperative to look into issues quantitatively in this regard. If fairness and equity is anything to go by, then it is clear that it is even the Aniomas that are not being fair to the Urhobos. The Urhobo nation has been blessed as the largest ethnic nationality in the state, 5th in Nigeria, 10th in Africa and 33rd in the World but today has nothing to show for it. Delta north has the state capital and 16 juicy federal appointments including the ministry of finance headed by Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Prof(Mrs) Joyce Ogwu as the Nigera’s representative at the UN, Mr Godwin Emefiele as CBN governor, Dr Cairo Ojugbo as Vice chairman PDP south-south/ chairman Calabar Export Processing Zone, Mr Peter Idabor as Executive Secretary NOSDREA, Prof Sylvester Monye as immediate past presidential Adviser, Dr Ngozi Olejeme as Chairman National and Social Insurance Health Trust Fund and SURE-P. Yet with this visible imbalance, all some people see is rotational governorship. Besides, it is on record that in the last presidential election, of the 1.3 million votes from Delta state, Urhobos gave 824,000 votes Delta north gave only 128,000 which represents a microscopic few compared to that of Urhobo. And natural law of fairness and equity demands that he who gives more should get more but rather the reverse has been the case for Urhobo nation.
SO YOU THINK THE URHOBO GOVERNORSHIP AGITATION IS A WORTHY ONE?
Yes of cause! Permit me to add that the Urhobo governorship quest as could be seen from my quantitative analysis is not built on self centeredness or greed but on transparency, fairness and justice. The Urhobos are not saying Delta state is their exclusive preserved right. But rather, we are saying give to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God. What we are saying is that with all the visible imbalance in favour of the North already, the Governorship cannot go to Anioma. What the Urhobo people are saying is that few persons or cabal cannot decide on an issue and impose it on the entire people of Delta state. If power belongs to the people as established by Social contract theory, then let them collectively decide collectively the altitude of power in the state irrespective of ethnicity.
WE’V BEEN FOLLOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE IGHELE SINCE ITS INAUGURATION, PARTICULARLY ON FUPRE AND THE UVWIAMUGE DECLARATION. FUPRE COUNTERED YOUR CLAIM OF URHOBO MARGINALIZATION BY PUBLISHING FACTS ON STAFF STRUCTURE. WHAT IS THE CURRENT SITUATION?
One very issue of strategic importance to national development is that of unemployment. Today people talk of youth restiveness and all forms of criminalities in our society. These are all product of unemployment and idleness amongst our youths. The Comrade Ovie Igho Anthony led transformational UPU Youth Wing has a lot in its economic empowerment plans for the youths to ensure that crime rate is reduced reasonably. And cardinal in this plan is the review of staff structures of all existing companies and businesses in Urhobo land with view to ascertaining, in line with local content act and catchment area policy, the number of Urhobos in these companies. In no time the body shall publish its riot act. On the issue of FUPRE, it is clear that the management wants war as they have almost defiled all options of peace offered to them by the Urhobo youths. Yes the management did a counter response to our claim of marginalization like you said by publishing a fictitious number and percentage of Urhobos in the lower cadre of non academic staff, the number of Urhobo lecturers in the institute but didn’t publish that of the top management cadre for us to see. To them, we have become fools that they can cocoon to believing what they published was the true state of affairs of the staff structure. When I said there is a grand conspiracy against the Urhobo nation at FUPRE, some persons may not understand me. And the unfortunate thing is that some of our leaders and even traditional rulers are playing balls with the perpetrators. We have lots of fact with us and in due course, lots of things underground would be blown open. There are lot of irregularities and corrupt practices going on at the institute which can only be attributed to incompetence, first on the part of the governing council chairman, Senator Amange Bariga and the acting Vice Chancellor on the other hand. Take for instance the University in the past 2 years has repeatedly advertised vacancy at different interval for principal offices such as the Vice Chancellor, Registrar, bursar, librarian etc yet the institute is yet to get substantive principal officers. Contrary to the provision of the law, all the principal officers have been on acting capacity for the past two years for only God knows why. Also, the Chairman of the board disregarded all suitable and qualified applications across delta state for the post of the bursar and appointed his in-law who has no iota of experience as he has never worked in any educational institution such as school of health, College of education, polytechnic, University. The office of the bursar is a technical and sensitive one that requires experience and filling such positions should be on merit and not favour. We heard from a grape vine source that the Chairman of the University governing council board, Senator Bariga Amange is working towards installing an Ibo man by name Professor Chidi Ibe as the next Vice Chancellor instead of Urhobo. You see why I said they have chosen the option of war! In the first instance, It’s on record that the immediate past VC served for about a year instead of 5 years due to ill health. To this end, It is only fair that an Urhobo be appointed next VC of the institute. On the other hand, the practice in all Federal institutions of higher learning in Nigeria today is such that host communities now provide their Vice chancellors. We cannot pretend to be ignorant of this trend. In the east, federal institutions there such as Nnamdi Azikiwe University, University of Nigeria (UNN) are being run by the Ibos as Vice Chancellors. The same is the case in the North, West and other part of the country including the Niger Delta University in Ntueke region of Bayelsa state. In UNN, the VC is Prof. Benjamin C. Ozumba, an Ibo man from the senatorial district where the school is situated. In the same vain, Prof Faraday F. Orumwense who is the current VC of UNIBEN is also from the senatorial district where the school is cited. What about University of Maiduguri, the VC, Prof Ibrahim A. Njodi is also from the senatorial district where the school is cited. Also Prof I. F Adewale of University of Ibandan is an Indigene of the host senatorial district. More so, the VC of UNIPORT, Prof Joseph A. Ajienka hails from the host senatorial district. We could go on and on! But the question is, why should Urhobo case be different. Maybe to them, Urhobo youths are harmless and cannot fight for their right! I however seize this medium to correct that impression and to bring to their notice slogan of the Com Ovie Igho Anthony led transformational UPU Youth Wing: ‘’NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL’’. Very soon FUPRE and PTI would hear from us.
BUT YOUR PRESIDENT COM. OVIE IGHO ANTHONY DECLARED HE WAS GOING TO SHORT DOWN ACTIVITIES AT THE INSTITUTE BY END OF JANUARY? WHAT IS THE POSITION OF THINGS NOW?
Yes but for the swift intervention of the Ijaw National Youth Council President, Com Udengs Eradiri my president had already concluded necessary arrangements for a massive and ground breaking protest towards the end of January. He made it open during our meeting with the leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) which held at Ughelli early January this year but the IYC National President Comrade Udengs Eradiri pleaded with him on grounds that he was going to call the Chairman of the Governing Council Board and ensure there is peaceful resolution between both parties of which he is working on. With the emergence of the new IGHELE, is certainly no longer business as usual as we would do everything within our reach to position the Urhobo youths in their rightful place. Urhobo has been taken for granted in so many areas even in Urhobo land. Imaging the Petroleum Training Institute for instance, Urhobo is not well represented there as you cannot find Urhobos in any of the top management and key positions. The Principal down to the registrar, bursar, Chief librarian, Human resource director ,etc, are all none Urhobos. Yet, like FUPRE, they may come out tomorrow and publish number of cleaners, security and gardeners as the percentage of Urhobos in the institute. We are going to quantitatively engage them to ensure that Urhobo youths get their dues. We are yet to see reasons why the ongoing recruitment exercise should be taken to Abuja and why the school cannot have a substantive principal. That alone, no doubt, has left more questions than answers as far as we are concern.
CAN YOU TELL US SOME OF THESE PLANS YOU SAID THE UPU YOUTH WING HAS FOR THE URHOBO YOUTHS?
First of all we want to institutionalize structure of the UPU Youth Wing across the 24 kingdoms of Urhobo to ensure equitable and effective representation and distribution of opportunities cum information. Our President and his executive members have also concluded arrangements to create other organs of the body that would be saddled with different responsibilities. For instance, there would be the Political Unit, Research Unit, Fund raising/treasury Unit, Economic/Empowerment Unit and most importantly, there would be a general thing thank cum advisory board that would comprise great minds and brains drawn from different works of life across Urhobo nation. Like I said earlier, we shall publish our riot act soon for all companies in Urhobo land to see. And as we carry out these search and opportunity drive, we felt there would be corresponding need to have a pull of CVs of qualified Urhobo Youths (both graduates and artisans) where CVs would be drawn for job placement across the kingdoms. Hence we are putting in place a databank of CVs where our youths would go and submit their CVs and credentials according to their kingdoms and disciplines. There is also plan to set up a scholarship fund from where we would be awarding scholarship to deserving youths of Urhobo to study within and outside the country. We also have plans to set up a skill acquisition institute where the youths would be trained on relevant skills. These and many more are part of the strategies which the Comrade Ovie Igho Anthony led administration has put in place for the Urhobo youths. The result of the actualization of these plans would undoubtedly reduce youth restiveness and criminality in our land.
FINALLY MR MARCUS, WHAT IS THE CURRENT STAND OF THE YOUTH WING REGARDING THE ISSUE OF THOSE PDP CANDIDATES WHO BETRAYED THE URHOBO COURSE IN THE LAST PDP PRIMARY AND WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR THE YOUTHS?
Initially we vowed to ensure they do not campaign in Urhobo land as a means of deterrent but alternatively, we have decided not to resort to such as it would be tantamount to violation of their constitutional right to freedom. Our resolution was guided by the fact that Urhobos are not fools as they know the enormity of the betrayer and the effect on the survival of Urhobo nation. The Urhobo people also know the position of UPU on the matter that the only way to stop this betrayer syndrome in Urhobo land is to ensure these persons do not win their respective political seats which they were promised as reward for their betrayer. On our own part, we are going to mobilize against them across various kingdoms to ensure they fail. This has nothing to do with political party but Urhobo interest as the UPU Youth Wing is an embodiment of youth leaders across various political parties including the Peoples Democratic Party.
YOUR ADVICE FOR THE URHOBO YOUTHS?
Our youths today have become victims of circumstances and always at the receiving end of the actions of these politicians. Some of them are trading with the future of the youths as their interest in politics is built on selfishness and self-centeredness. A man who has no good people based antecedence cannot promise us a better tomorrow! We should always interrogate their antecedence. Like I said before, our youths should know that as youths, we owe our allegiance first to our Urhobo nation and as such should put Urhobo first in everything we do. In other word, they should do everything within their power to support and protect the interest of Urhobo nation in the forthcoming election. They shouldn’t allow themselves to be used be betrayers and detractors of Urhobo.
