WE ARE NOT PART OF WARRI KINGDOM, PEOPLE OF UGBORODO COMMUNITY TELL BUHARI *** COMMEND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR PASSING BILL ESTABLISHING NIGERIAN MARITIME UNIVERSITY, OKERENKOKO INTO LAW

By Tejiri Ebikeme

The people of Ugborodo Community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State have maintained that they are not part of Warri Kingdom, insisting that they are autonomous Kingdom.

They commended the House of Representatives for passing the Bill Establishing the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko into Law and urged the Federal Government to step up the take off of the University.

Ugborodo Community Council of Elders had in a recent open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari said that the Community is part and parcel of Warri Kingdom.

But in a swift reaction, the people of the Community in a petition to President Buhari,urged the Federal Government to count them out of Warri Kingdom, describing those parading themselves as Ugborodo Community Council of Elders as “fake and stranger elements based in Warri”.

In a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari signed by Pa Douglas Omagbemi (Ugborodo Community), Pa Pasco Oritsegbami (Elder, Ugborodo community) and Hon Thomas Metseagharun (The Toritsemogha of Ugborodo Community), they insisted that they are not part of Warri Kingdom.

“Ugborodo is in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, close to Gbararmatu kingdom and not near to the Olu and his Kingdom in Warri South Local Government. Those parading themselves as Ugborodo Community Council of Elders should be ignored completely”.

They clarified that;”Our Letter Head Carries Palm Trees, but that of other Itsekiris carries a Crown and Sword. We are on our own and we want the whole world to know this”.

According to them;”The Olu of Warri Kingdom and his numerous Chiefs should also allow the Ugborodo people  to rule themselves without influencing and interfering in their affairs. All these palace meetings with the sole aim to invade Ugborodo when we do not have any strategy yet to handle other threats is laughable. We are only good in fighting ourselves”.

“The word Olaja means king or owner of a property or thing. According to historical facts, the Olaja Orori or the Eghare Aja is not installed by the Olu of Warri and none of them are answerable to him in any capacity. The Ugborodo culture and traditions are very different from that of other itsekiris in burial rites and even where they are buried. All the lands that have been given out in Ugborodo till date is through the Olaja Orori and the Eghare Aja  on trust on behalf of Ugborodo people. The Olu has never given out any land belonging to Ugborodo because he do not have such powers”, they informed the President.

While commending the House of Representatives for the recent passing of Bill Establishing the Nigerian Maritime University Okerenkoko into Law, they averred that;”Mr President, let no one deceive you about the location of the Nigerian Maritime University Okerenkoko. The place where the University is located belongs to the people of Gbararmatu kingdom of Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta and we the people of Ugborodo Community are in support of the University and it’s location. We the people of Ugborodo Community want to go to School and therefore, we need the Nigerian Maritime University Okerenkoko. The Federal Government should let the University get off the ground now. The University will bring rapid development to the entire Niger Delta Region”.

“We want to commend the House of Representatives for passing the Bill Establishing the Nigerian Maritime University Okerenkoko into Law. This is a welcome development. The Federal Government should do the needful now for the smooth take-off of the University to put all controversies surrounding it to rest”, they stated.