The leadership of the Urhobo Progress Union, Youth Wing World wide, under the leadership of Comrade Ovie Igho Anthony has called for the appointment of an Urhobo as substantive Principal at the Petroleum Training Institute.
This decision came on the heels of the compulsory retirement of the incumbent Principal of the institute last week which was partly occasioned by the agitation of the Urhobo youths over what they described as gross marginalization and gang up against Urhobo interest at the Institute. Addressing news men at his Ughelli office, the spokes man to the body, Comrade Marcus Ekure Ovovwero lamented the spate of marginalization of the Urhobo’s at the institute, stating that the only way forward is for Urhobo to get the position of the Principal.
Comrade Marcus said the decision of the body is in accordance with conventional Practice. Responding to the issue of one week ultimatum issued to the management of the institute by the body and its proposed massive protest, Comrade Marcus said that the management sent a letter appealing for calm and stay action on grounds that it was working on their demands and that they would be invited shortly for dialogue.
However, Marcus said the management has deliberately refused to act on the agitation and demands of the Apex Urhobo Youth body which he described as a time bomb sitting on top a keg of gun powder. ‘’We have a feeling the management and governing council board are 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’’, Ekure stated.
He attributed the over time marginalization of Urhobo’s to the exclusion of Urhobos in key positions of authority, stating that the injustice would continue if nothing is done about it.
Meanwhile, reacting to questions on UPU demands, he called for an inclusion of Urhobo in the institute’s governing council board as well as outright cancelation of the ongoing recruitment on grounds that it was riddled with lots of irregularities and malpractices which are inimical to the provisions of relevant established acts and policies.
He claimed that majority of those shortlisted in the name of Urhobo are not as they forged local government of origin certificates in a bid to shortchange the Urhobo’s, demanding that the staff structure of the institute, both at lower, middle and upper level be 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 or other Federal Institutions in the North where Hausas are in charge and dictate the tune’’ Marcus added.
More so, as part of their demands, the body wants the database of contractors handling relevant contracts of the institute, both human and material resources reviewed in line with the local content act.
The body also wants those who have been working as contract staff for over 10 years in the institute fully staffed.
Finally and very cardinal in their demand, is for an Urhobo to be appointed as a substantive principal to fill the vacuum created by the retirement of the incumbent Principal. ‘’The above 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 if nothing is done about our demands’’ Marcus Ekure added.
