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Urhobo Historical Society |
in the Socio-economic and Political Development of the Urhobo Nation
Associate Director/Head of Research, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group
Being paper delivered at the Annual Atamu Day of the Atamu
Social Club of Nigeria, held at University of Lagos, Akoka, on
Saturday, March 20, 2004.
It is my great honour and pleasure to be part of this august
gathering. I thank the organizers of the event for giving me the
opportunity to share my thoughts with you about one of the most
critical strategies for engineering desired social change, namely,
networking.
Our assembling today constitutes a special forum for us to reflect on
our journey so far and to identify those areas we have not fared well
and how to collectively move the Urhobo nation forward. I am not here
to berate anyone but I must state one fact: if the Urhobo nation
succeeds, we all have succeeded; if it fails, we all have failed. But
as a nation with enormous human and natural endowment, the Urhobo have
no business with failure. And because we have not done very well
collectively as the sixth largest ethnic group in
The Urhobo Nation
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, before delving into the business
of the day; permit me to briefly refresh our mind on who we are and
where we are coming from. As I earlier mentioned, the Urhobo nation
today remains the sixth largest ethnic community in
In terms of human resources, we have produced and are still producing
great and notable sons and daughters in all fields of human endeavour.
There is hardly any field where an Urhobo son or daughter, either in
the country or in Diaspora has not excelled. We have also produced
prominent and forthright leaders, who have fought in various
capacities for the progress of our people. Amongst them are Chief
Jereton Mariere (whose statue we are commissioning today), Chief
Mukoro Mowoe, Chief Omohwovo Okoro, the founder of the Urhobo
Brotherly Society (now Urhobo Progress Union), Chief Agboter, Chief M.
G. Ejaife, Chief Adogbeji Salubi, Chief David Ejoor, Senator D. O.
Dafinone, the Ibrus and of course, our illustrious son, the present
Executive Governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, just to
mention a few. We have also able-bodied youth as epitomized in Atamu
Social Club of Nigeria, a club that has brought to the fore the
exemplary leadership qualities inherent in the youths of the Urhobo
land. We as a people were known to be highly united, with strong
cultural background, despite some minor linguistic differences that
exist among some of the clans. But of late, we have begun to allow
personal and narrow interests to becloud our sense of collective
interests and corporate survival. We have existed as a nation and must
remain a nation for the progress and development of Urhobo land.
In recent times, the Urhobo nation has started to witness a gradual
but progressive marginalization in the scheme of things in the
Nigerian federation. In spite of our enormous human and natural
resources and contribution to the common wealth of
Our people live daily in fear of the unknown; we kill and destroy one
another daily from external incitement. We lose gradually our greatest
assets, the youths to war and different forms of crisis. Our land is
increasingly being militarized and our people intimidated and molested
at the least provocation. We are gradually losing grip of the
development of our land and the human resources, and urgent attention
is required to address the situation. The onus of moving the land
forward falls on all of us. We must redirect our energies and work
assiduously as a united and forward-looking people.
There has been an on-going call for our people to unite and have one
strong voice to achieve our common vision. We cannot continue to allow
our nation to be exploited and destroyed without running to its aid.
With our heavy contribution to the wealth of this nation, we do not
deserve to be marginalized in any form and at whatever level. As it
is, the Urhobo nation has nothing to show for the enormous oil wealth
in the area. As a result, there is increased poverty and frustration
and unemployment among the army of youths. We cannot watch our
proceeds being massively used for the development of other parts of
the country while our people remain in abject poverty. Allow me to
illustrate this with one example. The power generating station at
Ogorode district of Sapele was expected to serve Sapele and other
surrounding communities. But this was not to be; rather the
electricity was fed into the national grid to serve privileged areas
in other parts of the country, while the people living around the
source of power stayed in perpetual darkness, unlike other areas where
such generating stations were sited, like the Shiroro and Kainji dams,
and Egbin Thermal station. How can one justify or rationalize this
gross injustice.
As I said earlier, I am not here to berate anyone, but remembering
such things makes me weep for our people, because rather than seek for
useful solutions to all these, we allow our minds to be dissuaded,
seeking selfish and narrow ends at the expense of collective
interests. There is a serious task which involves developing the area,
empowering the people and ensuring that the Federal Government
concedes sufficient compensation to our land that bear the brunt of
environmental degradation and other sundry problems associated with
oil exploration. We have what it takes to actualize our dreams and
vision for the Urhobo land and one possible way of realizing this
great vision is through networking.
What is networking?
There are no fixed definitions for �networking.� The term is used in
many ways and has a variety of meanings to different people. Of all
the available definitions, I would like to conceptualize networking
along the thoughts of Professor Paul Starkey. According to him,
�networking is a process by which two or more individuals or
communities collaborate to achieve common goals.� Networking can also
be seen as the communication and exchange processes by which an
extended group of people with similar interests or concerns interact
and remain in contact for mutual assistance and support. Networking is
a means to an end.
Networks are increasingly important, whether local, national or
international. People talk about networks in communities, in
businesses and in organizations. For some people, networking seems
just another jargon. But many organizations and, more recently,
communities now recognize networking as a valuable means of sharing
information, of furthering common objectives and values, and most
importantly, as a strategy for promoting socio-economic and political
growth and development of communities and nations.
Basically, there are two main types of networking-bonding (i.e.
associative networking) an bridging (i.e. dissociative networking).
Bonding involves the sharing of information among people with common
characteristics, norms or belief systems. It is a horizontal form of
networking, and one would say that networking by the Urhobo people
today is largely of the bonding type. On the other hand,
dissociative networking (bridging) involves building alliances across
cultural boundaries for strategic reasons. The use of dissociative
networking has been described by networking experts as the most potent
strategy for advancing community development efforts, especially in a
multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and politically complex nation as
In
Characteristics of a network
Most networks have some or all of the following characteristics. They
are:
* Venues for social action through exchange and mutual learning.
* Sustained through some form of communication and information
sharing.
* Committed to a jointly-developed structure and shared
responsibility.
* Based on commitment to shared objectives and means of
action.
* A group of communities/organizations and or individuals who
come together to pursue joint goals or common interests.
Benefits of networking
Individuals, groups and communities consciously or unconsciously
engaged in networking because the socio-economic and political
problems and issues that they face on a daily basis (especially in a
competitive environment such as ours) are too large and weighty for
them to tackle on their own.
Networking is used as a strategy of giving greater impact to
individual or group efforts. It involves synergy and has become highly
fashionable in moving communities forward across the globe. We must
learn to synergise efforts through bond networking and, more
importantly, strategic alliances with other ethnic nationalities to
fast-track our efforts at socio-economic and political growth and
transformation. No human being or community is an island, and we
cannot do it alone.
Basically, networking will help us as a group to:
* Accomplish those things we cannot accomplish alone � complex
development problems and issues that seem overwhelming, e.g. resource
control and real political and fiscal devolution of power to states
and local governments.
* Influence others, within and outside the network.
* Promote exchange of ideas, information, knowledge, insights,
experiences and skills through cooperative programmes and
arrangements.
* Provide a needed sense of solidarity, moral and psychological
support.
* Link people of different levels, disciplines, communities and
background.
* Broaden the understanding of an issue or struggle by bringing
together different constituencies.
* Provide the critical mass needed for local and national advocacy
and lobbying � networking has been quite useful and successful at
influencing decision-makers both within and outside the network.
* Reduce duplicating efforts and wasting of resources.
* Open opportunities, strengthen and sustain capacities.
* Under certain circumstances, mobilize financial resources for
development.
Problems of networking
Networks all over the world can face many organizational problems.
Some of these are structural and financial in nature, while others
relate to more subtle networking matters. Most networks tend to have
different levels of membership; a core of critical agenda-setters and
activists, and a periphery of user-members. The first are key, as the
�spark-plugs� and leaders of the group � generally interested and
persuasive, knowledgeable and respected. The latter are people who
belong to the network, but operate as members-at-large, using its
information and products, but not contributing much of their own
inputs. Some members of this category may constitute the black-sheep
of the network and may at some occasions work at the background to
derail the efforts of the networks or do things to tarnish the image
and reputation of the group. It is on record that some Urhobo sons and
daughters use their respective privileged positions not only to
advance their selfish interests but in the process work to undermine
the collective interests of the Urhobo nation. It must be mentioned at
this point that unity, cooperation and solidarity constitute the key
building blocks of networking. Their absence remains a threat to the
group�s vision and aspirations.
Networks can also easily become dominated by some powerful and highly
influential members, and personal interests maybe promoted as
collective interests. Sometimes, jealousies and rivalries may become
the order of the day among some of the influential members, to the
extent that the objectives and vision of the group are undermined. In
all of these, there must be effective leadership to ensure sufficient
internal cooperation and unity to enable members to see the value in
acting collectively to build for the common good of the group. As
things are, it appears we not only lack the charismatic leadership but
the principle of shared values and oneness needed to move the Urhobo
nation forward to greater heights.
Within the Urhobo nation, there are numerous socio-cultural groups
and associations, but we must understand that these associations,
including the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), as they are presently
designed, run and managed, may not take Urhobo land to the Promised
Land. Apart from the fact that many of them have existed without
visible achievements and contributions to the well-being of the Urhobo
nation, they remain crisis-ridden and private interest-driven
platforms. Some members of these associations use them to profile
themselves for government favour in terms of appointments and
contracts at the expense of the collective interests. Their voices are
never heard on critical national issues affecting the Urhobo nation
and when it is necessary to act they turn blind eyes and keep mum.
Even the UPU for close to three decades was incapacitated and
completely lost focus due to the tough gale of leadership squabble and
internal politics. I am not too sure right now if these malignant
tendencies have been completely removed from the apex body of the
Urhobo nation.
The challenge is how to build a formidable unifying force, capable of
delivering results of socio-economic and political engineering for the
present and future generations of the Urhoboland. It is clear that
given our continuing socio-economic and political marginalization,
many of the Urhobo associations may not claim to have discharged fully
the responsibility and obligation of promoting the well-being of the
Urhobo nation.
Way forward
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, all Urhobo sons and daughters
have a key role to play in ensuring the socio-economic and political
transformation of the Urhobo nation not only through bonding among
ourselves but through strategic alliances and building bridges across
our cultural boundaries with other ethnic nationalities. This requires
the elimination of conflicts and crisis in our land, fostering team
work, unity and cooperation, and articulating a �Marshal Plan� for the
rapid development of the Urhobo nation. The UPU must live up to its
responsibilities and work out programmes of coordinating the
activities of the different socio-cultural groups and associations in
the land.
We should work towards a conference of all Urhobo socio-cultural
groups and associations to be held annually, (different from the
Urhobo National Day and devoid of cultural carnival) under the
auspices of UPU to brainstorm and fine-tune concrete development
strategies to move the Urhobo nation forward. All hands must be on
deck to give Urhoboland the attention it deserves at this point in our
development process. Any deliberate and serious effort to promote the
socio-economic and political development of the Urhobo nation must be
addressed through strategic alliances with other ethnic minorities
especially in the South-South zone. The utility in this mechanism is
enormous and if effectively utilized may jump-start the economy of
Urhoboland for rapid socio-economic and political transformation. The
present-day Nigerian situation makes this mechanism imperative for us
to adopt.
Besides, it is essential that all Urhobo socio-cultural groups and
associations synergise to adopt consistent, coherent and transparent
programmes for the development of Urhoboland. There is a need to
harmonize efforts, build consensus and adopt common strategies in
tackling the various problems of development confronting the Urhobo
nation.
I thank you for your time and patience and pray that God will help us
to realize our dreams for the Urhobo nation.