By Igho Natufe
On June18, 2025, an Urhobo friend forwarded an article by one Mr. Zik
Gbemre on the above subject. I thanked him for it. I also thank Mr.
Gbemre for penning the said article, because he has broadened the debate
of Okpe Union’s demand for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic
nationality, outside the territory of the Okpe Kingdom. Thus, I shall
disregard his insulting outbursts against my person. We have to focus on
the main ISSUE, which is the retrieval or restoration of the
independence of the Okpe Nation. Let us exchange facts based on
historical and cultural evidences instead of trading personal insults
and falsifying History.
Students of Nigerian history are familiar with the British colonial
policy of fusing diverse ethnic nationalities into one. Outside the
contemporary Delta State, this British policy was more pronounced in the
“Hausa-Fulani” phenomenon which most Nigerians, until recently, assumed
to be one ethnic nationality. We are living witnesses to the awakened
consciousness of the Hausas as they engage in an existential struggle to
extricate themselves from the “Hausa-Fulani” appellation. It was this
same British policy that birthed the false classification of Okpe as “a
clan of Urhobo”. At its infancy they referred to Urhobo as “Sobo”.
Contemporary Okpe nationals were born and raised in this falsity
especially as they relate externally.
This classification has robed Okpe of its ethnic identity, as
contributions by Okpe nationals are credited to the Urhobo and not to
the Okpe nationality. This cataloguing illegally extinguished Okpe
ethnicity and institutionalized the assimilation of the Okpe nationality
by the Urhobo.
For the benefits of Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts, it is pertinent that
we recall the British fusion of Okpe with the Urhobo by providing the
following excerpts from the website of the Okpe Union:
“According to R. E. Bradbury, a renowned British scholar, (The Benin
Kingdom and the Edo-Speaking Peoples of South-Western Nigeria, 1970,
p.128) the classification of Okpe among the Urhobo was influenced by
geographic contiguity and the expediency of British colonial
administration “rather than a linguistic basis.” He concluded that “Okpe
is …closer to the Edo of the Benin Kingdom than are the Urhobo dialects
proper”. In the 1930s the Okpe was placed in “Western Urhobo” and the
Isoko in “Eastern Urhobo.” By administering the Okpe under the Urhobo
umbrella, the British set in motion a process that led to the gradual
but a systematic erosion of Okpe ethnicity which was erroneously
subsumed under the Urhobo. Over time, this grave error of British
colonialism assumed a “truth” of its own as the outside world and
several Okpe began to refer to the Okpe as “Urhobo.” This falsity was
inherited by post-colonial Nigerian governments. A similar fate befell
the Isoko of “Eastern Urhobo.” However, unlike the Okpe, their western
counterpart, the Isokos were able to extricate themselves from the
Urhobo appellation and restored their independence as a distinct ethnic
nationality.”
“Notwithstanding the long years of interregnum, and the attempts by
some powerful leaders to establish mini kingdoms, the Okpe people
remained together as a Nation, thus giving significance to the slogan
“Okpe Agbamua eni” (the unity of Okpe is an Elephant or Okpe Unity
enables the lifting of an elephant). The establishment of the Okpe Union
on May 16, 1930, in Lagos, galvanized the Okpe people into greater
resolve. The Okpe Union, the oldest registered ethnic organization of
Delta State, and in Nigeria, became the mouth piece of the Okpe Nation
and a defender of Okpe Identity. It championed the fight for the
restoration of the Okpe Monarchy and succeeded in doing so when the
British colonial regime approved the coronation of the second Orodje of
Okpe Kingdom, Esezi II on January 1, 1945. Though the monarchy was to
rotate among the four ruling houses, it was however decided by the
Ruling Houses that a prince from the Esezi Ruling house be crowned the
Orodje, as a way of appeasing the gods for the curse placed on Okpe
Kingdom by Esezi l”.
It is instructive to note that, during the Midwest and Bendel State
regimes era, when the current Edo and Delta states were together as one
state, the colonial blurring of Okpe ethnic identity receded
tremendously as Okpe people became practically recognised as a people
with a distinct language. This paved the way for the use of the Okpe
Language for public newscast and language requests and magazine
programmes in the then Bendel Broadcasting Service Radio and Television,
separate from the Urhobo Language. This was continued in Delta State in
the first years of the military regime. Unfortunately, when the first
Civilian Government of Delta State headed by Governor Felix Ibru came on
board, there was established a policy of officially recognizing five
Ethnic Groups in Delta State which were, in alphabetical order, Anioma,
Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri, and Urhobo. The Ikas, Ndokwas (Ukuanis) and the
Enuanis were to express or parade themselves as Anioma people; the Okpe
and Urhobo people were to express or parade themselves as Urhobo people
while the Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri retained their identities that they
already had in the defunct Bendel State.
However, as the James Ibori Government established the DESOPADEC Law
of Delta State in 2007, Ndokwa was officially recognised as an ethnic
nationality in the DESOPADEC Law which rendered the previous ethnic
nationality policies obsolete. In fact, the Delta State Government
followed up by issuing a letter of apology to the Ndokwa Nation for
previously omitting its name from the list of recognized ethnic
nationalities. Unfortunately, the Okpe people did not seize the
opportunity to protest the omission of Okpe. By the time Governor
Emmanuel Uduaghan came on board, the struggle concentrated on having a
Commissioner for the Okpe Nation in the DESOPADEC Commission scaled
through when the House of Assembly moved a motion to dissolve the
Commission. Governor Uduaghan then reconstituted the DESOPADEC Board to
include an Okpe Commissioner in the person of Chief Joseph Egigba. In
2015, the Ika people also succeeded in having the DESOPADEC Law amended
to reflect Ika ethnic nationality in the DESOPADEC Law. One implication
of the recognition of an ethnic nationality in the DESOPADEC Law is that
the group becomes entitled to an Executive Director and a Sub-Budget.
In terms of slots, projects and impact on the area, the difference
cannot be overemphasised. Today, as Okpe which is bigger than several
of the recognised ethnic nationalities in the DESOPADEC, and even has
more quantum in petroluem and gas production is not recognised under the
law.
“Even though the Okpe succeeded in resuscitating the Okpe Monarchy,
the struggle for the reinstatement and recognition of its distinct
ethnic nationality is an ongoing task that the Okpe Union is
spear-heading in collaboration with other Okpe organizations in the
sensitization of the population and the Government of Delta State”. (https://okpeunionng.net/okpe-kingdom-history/)
For more details on the distinctiveness of Okpe ethnic nationality
vis-a-vis the Urhobo, Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts are advised to consult
the Keynote Address by HRM Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, entitled: “Tradition
And Governance In Okpe Kingdom: A Keynote Address Delivered On
September 1, 2007 By Hrm Orhue 1, LL.M., CFR, mni., Orodje Of Okpe
Kingdom At The 3rd Annual Convention Of The Okpe Union Of North America
Held At Marriott Hotel, College Park, Maryland, MD.USA, August 31 –
September 03, 2007’’
In the above referenced Keynote Address, HRM Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom succinctly stated as follows:
“Okpe is a unique ethnic nationality. It has distinctive roots in
ancient history, tradition, culture, customs and language.” He added:
“Our people are rooted in migration from the Bini Kingdom. This
historical experience is similar to most other ethnic nationalities of
the Western Niger Delta. Of all these nationalities however, Okpe
History, language, tradition, and culture are closer to those of Bini
which form part of the Edo group of languages.”
Dr. (Prince) Isaac Sunday Mebitaghan, JP., (A Brief History of Okpe
Kingdom, New Era Publications, Benin City, Nigeria, 2001.) and Rev. Dr.
Charles E, Osume (The Okpe People, Mosogar Antioch Baptist Church,
Mosogar, 2nd Edition, 2022) provided detailed analyses on the origins of
the Okpe people that clearly affirmed the distinctiveness of the Okpe
people as belonging to the same ancestry and language unlike the Urhobo
ethnic nationality.
In its study on the History of the Okpe People of Delta Central,
Udogun Okpe stated emphatically that “Okpe is indubitably known to be a
distinct and autonomous Kingdom, an ethnic entity from its beginning.
The people and their language are distinct and are named after their
progenitor, Okpe, whose four sons (princes Orhue, Orhorho, Evbreke, and
Esezi – OIN) founded the present day Okpe Kingdom”.
As the mouth piece of the Okpe Nation, Okpe Union has been
consistently steadfast in its advocacy for the restoration of Okpe
independence as a distinct ethnic nationality and not a sub-group or
clan of the Urhobo or of any other ethnic nationality in the world. This
position on the retrieval of Okpe independence was strongly restated by
Okpe nationals during the 95th Anniversary Celebrations of the founding
of the Okpe Union on May 16, 2025 in Lagos. For example, in his
comments on the subject at the 95th Anniversary Celebrations, AVM Frank
Ajobena (RTD), former Military Administrator of Abia State, pointedly
reiterated the distinctiveness of Okpe ethnic nationality. While he
rightfully recognized the Urhobos as our neighbours, he however reminded
them that “the identity of a people is fundamental to their
emancipation.” He continued: “I don’t know why our brothers are
apprehensive of Okpe establishing itself as a nationality. We do not
share a common ancestry with the Urhobo people. We do not share the same
language with the Urhobo”.
The Okpe language is very different from the Urhobo, just as the
Urhobo is different from the Ukuani, and the Itsekiri is different from
the Isoko; even though they may all trace their respective origins to
Benin Kingdom. However, due to their proximity and century-old
relationships, it is normal to find commonalities between all these
diverse ethnic nationalities. However, it must be stressed that, the
cosmological bond that binds an Okpe to a fellow Okpe is not the same
that binds the Urhobo people. For example, when an Okpe addresses
another Okpe as “omizu mẹ,” the salutation carries a more profound
sociological and historical significance than the Urhobo’s “omoni.” By
addressing an Okpe as “omizu mẹ,” the speaker is evoking a deep
spiritual bond with his/her fellow Okpe citizen that underlines their
common ancestry as the children of Prince Okpe. This is absent in the
Urhobo, for example. Therefore, we challenge Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts
to provide historical evidences to their claim that “Okpe is Urhobo” and
that we share the same ancestry and language.
Mr. Gbemre’s contribution to the debate on the restoration of Okpe as
a distinct ethnic nationality is so banal that it is shameful to even
consider it as a “contribution”. But, since that is the best he can
offer we will include it in our response. He writes:
“I have observed the inciting utterances of one Prof Igho Natufe and
gullible cheering fans at an anniversary of the Okpe Union in Lagos,
where he chose to resurrect the reckless insult he has been leading some
lunatic fringes within Okpe to smear the larger Urhobo nation in the
name of fighting for Okpe as an ethnic nationality independent of Urhobo
nation.” For him and his cohorts, the demand for the recognition of
Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality is a “reckless insult” by “some
lunatic fringes within Okpe to smear the larger Urhobo nation”. This is
reminiscent of the dark days of colonialism and apartheid in the
colonies and South Africa, as European colonialists and the white racist
regime of South Africa reacted to the demand for independence by
Africans. Perhaps the next action Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts will
contemplate is to employ guns and dogs to truncate Okpe’s agitation for
independence.
His defense that “Okpe is Urhobo” is just to say that “Okpe is not a
tribe. Okpe is one of the kingdoms or clans of the Urhobo tribe or
ethnic nationality. The Okpes were under the Western Urhobo Division in
the past”. This is a gross falsification of History. Firstly, we
challenge Mr. Gbemre and his cohorts to provide historical evidences to
their claim that “Okpe is Urhobo” and that we share the same ancestry
and language. Secondly, they should educate us on the establishment of
the “Western Urhobo Division”. Was it a division established through a
bilateral agreement between the Okpe and the Urhobo? Or was it a
division imposed by the British Colonial Government?
It is important to point out one remarkable move by the Okpe people
before the Independence of Nigeria. Between 1953 and 1954, the Okpe
Union (supported by HRM Esezi II, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom) wrote to
the Western Regional Government in Ibadan that the Okpe Area of Western
Urhobo Division should be joined with Sapele Municipality to form an
Okpe Division. Though the application did not scale through because of
the consideration of the power balance of the Delta Province in the
estimation of the then Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi
Awolowo, the move was a strong indication of the resolve of the Okpe
people that they have always been a distinct ethnic nationality.
In his diatribe, Mr. Gbemre wondered into territories unrelated to
the Okpe Union’s advocacy for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct
ethnic nationality. In his attempt to prove to his readers that he knew
me, he demonstrated a complete lack of knowledge of me. Let us review
his piteous references to me, as his subject of enquiry. He wrote:
“For an insight into this deep seated hate campaign, this mischievous
Professor Natufe was elected with the identity, Igho Natufe by Urhobo
Historical Society (UHS) as Vice President until 2004 when he was forced
to resign after his attack on Urhobo prominent personalities, including
Chief Benjamin Okumagba and others in a London Event during his
presentation”. If Mr. Gbemre had conducted a thorough research on the
UHS, he would have discovered that it has no positions of “President”
and “Vice President”, but Chair and Deputy Chair.
He further displayed a gross lack of knowledge of his supposed subject by stating that:
“After his sack as UHS Vice President, he deleted “Igho” from his
name and resorted to bearing Omajuwa as first name then. Just recently,
same “Igho” he discarded has become his second name. He is now known as
O. Igho Natufe, deliberately veiling Omajuwa, his Itsekiri identity”. I
challenge Mr. Gbemre to provide his evidence of when I allegedly
“deleted Igho” from my names and “just recently” restored Igho. It is
very shameful of him to knowingly engage in such a misinformation. If he
had taken the pain to consult the UHS
website (http://www.waado.org/EditManageCom.html),
he would have known that my name has always been O. Igho Natufe as
listed in the Editorial & Management Committee and Officers’
columns. I am very proud of my role during my tenure in the UHS.
It is interesting that Mr. Gbemre is obsessed with me bearing an
Itsekiri name. In case he and his cohorts are unaware, my maternal
grandfather was an Itsekiri (from Obotagharenda) while my maternal
grandmother was an Urhobo (from Okpara Inland). My paternal grandparents
were both Okpe (from Sapele and Amuokpe, respectively). My paternal
grandfather had four wives: three Okpes and one Urhobo (from Orogun).
For his information, three of the four children (my uncles and an aunt)
from the Urhobo wife were given Itsekiri names, including Uncle Dr.
Victor Amoma Natufe, the current Most Senior Okakuro of the Okpe
Kingdom. There are hundreds of thousands of Okpe and Urhobo that bear
Itsekiri names, irrespective of whether
they have blood relationships or not with the Itsekiri. We have Okpe
families that bear Itsekiri names, including Okakuro Onoriode Temiagin,
whose surname was in fact changed from Ofotokun. I wonder why Mr. Gbemre
has a headache with Okpe nationals bearing Itsekiri names. He should be
concerned with the number of Urhobo nationals that bear Itsekiri names.
Unable to discuss the historical, political and cultural roots of the
rationale for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality,
Mr. Gbemre resorted to attacking certain political leaders he described
as “political power brokers and political jobbers” that are “beautified
with chieftaincy titles” in Okpe Kingdom. Now he, a non-Okpe wants to
dictate to the Okpe Monarchy on the prospective candidates suitable for
chieftaincy titles in Okpe Kingdom.
He claims without any proof that: “Igho and Natufe are pure Urhobo
names. The name ‘OREROKPE’ which is the ancestral headquarters of Okpe
Kingdom/Clan is Urhobo language/name meaning the Town of Okpe”. He
obviously does not know that Igho, for example, belongs to the Edoid
group of languages, including the Bini, Esan, Isoko, Okpe, and Urhobo
ethnic nationalities, respectively. Similarly, Orerokpe is an Okpe name
or expression just as there is “OREDO” in Benin. Given his knowledge on
the origins of names, we expect him to also declare “Okoro” as a name
exclusive to the Urhobo. He should also confirm that “Zik” is an Urhobo
name.
In addition to the fact that the Okpe people have their distinct
ancestry, history and language (which Urhobo people do not understand at
all), the world view of the Okpe people has always been that they are a
distinct people. This is reflected in how they name products indigenous
to them. Their own food, pomade, soap, medicine, etc are named with the
word or description “Okpe” at the end.
Despite his condemnation of the agitation for Okpe independence from
the Urhobo appellation, it is significant to note that Mr. Gbemre also
recognized the right of Okpe Nation to extricate itself from the false
Urhobo nationality. He agreed that “Okpe has right to even ask to be a
state of its own in the Nigerian federation. Nothing wrong with that”
The study of ethnic relations in Nigeria or ethnic relations in any
Nigerian state, including Delta State is fundamentally a study in
international relations anchored on the principles of peaceful
coexistence and good neighbourliness. Adherence to these principles is
imperative for the system or sub-system to function harmoniously. While
competition between the ethnic nationalities helps to spur societal
development, it is vital that inter-ethnic competition does not lead to a
breakdown of the system. Thus, each component of the system in Delta
State, listed in alphabetical order, Aniocha, Ika, Ijaw, Isoko,
Itsekiri, Ndosumili, Oshumili, Okpe, Ukwuani, and Urhobo are required to
adhere to the principles of peaceful coexistence and good
neighbourliness while promoting their respective nationality interests.
The ethnic mosaic of Delta State presents us an opportunity to
construct and maintain a vibrant and successful multi-ethnic polity. The
tendency of any ethnic nationality attempting to impose itself as a
great power in Delta State or in any of the Senatorial Districts must
not be allowed, as it is a recipe for a collapse of the system.
In the Delta Central Senatorial District which we, Okpe, share with
the Urhobo, the policy of the Okpe Nation is strictly based on mutual
respect, good neighbourliness, and peaceful coexistence. This also
informs Okpe Nation’s relationships with the other ethnic nationalities.
Okpe Nation shall define its policy based on the principles of peaceful
coexistence, and will never permit any other ethnic nationality to
intrude in our policy formulation and implementation. We firmly believe
that it is only on the basis of this construct, and a strict adherence
to it by all ethnic nationalities, that peace and development can be
attained in Delta State.
We urge all ethnic nationalities in Delta State to collaborate with
the Okpe Nation in building a stronger and peaceful Delta State.
Prof. O. Igho Natufe is the President General, Okpe Union Worldwide
