By
Prof. O. Igho Natufe,
Barrister
Kingsley Ehensiri Akpederin and
Barrister
Victor Oruno
On November 5, 2025, an undated video of HRM Orhue
l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, appeared on several Okpe platforms, as well as on
some non-Okpe platforms.
In the video, Orhue l categorically declared that
“Okpe is a dialect of the Urhobo” and therefore not a distinct ethnic
nationality. This declaration injected another level of schism between the Okpe
Union and HRM Orhue l.
The Okpe Union
considers the declaration a falsity by a Monarch who is supposed to know
the truth.
Coincidentally, but not surprising, HRM Orhue l
directed Okakuro O. P. Biadoyo, the Secretary of Udogun Okpe/Okpe Traditional
Council to send the names of 20 Okpe nationals to the Chairman of the Urhobo
Progress Union Electoral Committee as delegates “to vote in the National Council Election of Urhobo Progress
Union (UPU)”.
At its meeting on November 15, 2025, the National
Executive Council (NEC) of the Okpe Union (Worldwide) exhaustively discussed
the Orodje’s declaration. Relying on
historical facts in debunking the grave errors in the Orodje’s declaration, the
union provided the evolution of the Orodje’s disturbing flip-flop of policy
pronouncements; a flip-flop which falsifies Okpe history.
There were three main migratory waves from Benin
Kingdom to the present territory of Delta Central Senatorial District in the
Ogiso period of Benin Monarchy.
The first was in the 1170s under the reign of the
1st Oba of Benin, Oba Oronmiyan (1170 – 1200 AD) that saw the settlement of a
group known as “Usobo” (Urhobo) in Ughelli and other villages. The second wave
was the last Usobo migration that settled in contemporary Abraka in the 1370s,
under the reign of the 10th Oba of Benin, Oba Ogbeka (1370 – 1400 AD).
The migration of Okpe from Benin Kingdom occurred
during the reign of the 16th Oba of Benin, Oba Ozolua (1483 – 1504 AD). Oba
Ozolua conquered several territories, including Ijebu Ode, Ondo, and towns in
contemporary Edo State. For his unprecedented military conquests in Benin
history, he earned the appellation “Ozolua, n’ ibaromi” meaning “Ozolua the
Conqueror”. He had several sons, including Prince Eze of Aboh, and Prince
Igboze that migrated to contemporary Delta Central Senatorial District in 1550,
and whose son, Prince Okpe had four princely sons: Orhue, Orhoro, Evbreke, and
Esezi. They resided individually and collectively in several villages, moving
from Olomu to Okperikpere (Okpe Isoko) and through contemporary Ozoro en-route
to Orerokpe.
It is instructive to note that, when the Four
Princely Brothers, our forefathers founded the Okpe Kingdom with its
headquarters in Orerokpe, it was established as an independent ethnic
nationality and not as a clan or an appendage of any other ethnic nationality.
This historical fact underlines the distinct ethnic
nationality of the Okpe of Delta State which was extinguished by the British
Colonial Office.
For purely its administrative convenience, the
British Colonial Office fused diverse ethnic nationalities into one. This
British policy gave rise to the falsity of classifying Okpe as a clan of
Urhobo. Most contemporary Okpe were born and raised in this falsity.
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 to the Urhobo”. In the 1930s
the Okpe was placed in “Western Urhobo” while the Isoko was 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 attempt to
deny 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.
Okpe and Urhobo do not share a common ancestry, or a
common language. The Urhobo argument that Okpe is “Urhobo” is anchored on the
concept of transferred colonialism from British rule to Urhobo rule in
post-colonial Nigeria. This diabolical plot is facilitated by internal fifth
columnists that, in most cases, have an Urhobo parent and therefore posit that
“Okpe is Urhobo”.
As stated by a senior Chief in the Palace of the
Orodje of Okpe of Kingdom, this group of supposedly Okpe nationals has captured
policy formulation and implementation in Okpe Kingdom. The enemy is within.
For more than seven decades, there has been a
growing realization among leading Okpe personalities to follow the Isoko
example. Two subjective factors seem to conspire against this legitimate
proposition. First, the Urhobo argument is that, Okpe will be weakening the
Urhobo nation if they emulate the Isoko. Second, some Okpe, after being
assimilated into the Urhobo fabric as a consequence of flawed colonial policy,
seem conditioned to accept Urhobo as their nationality. Both viewpoints
are based on weak and false argumentations. To endorse either is to condone the
denial of Okpe nationality. And to suggest that by upholding their
nationality the Okpe will weaken the Urhobo nation, we are invited to accept
the lie that “Okpe is Urhobo”. On the contrary, the extrication of Okpe
from Urhobo will strengthen the independence of both ethnic
nationalities. They each need to re-define their respective identities.
The uniqueness of the Okpe Nation is that each Okpe
national is a descendant of one or two of the four ruling houses of the Okpe
Kingdom, as depicted in the above GENEAOLOGY OF THE OKPE PEOPLE: Orhue, Orhoro,
Evbreke, and Esezi. Thus, the Okpe ethnicity satisfies all the properties of
statehood and nationality as the nationals share the same common ancestry, the
same language, culture, and traditions. The Okpe Kingdom has a clearly defined
territory under a single monarchy and a permanent population of Okpe ethnicity.
In fact, Okpe is one of the few ethnic nationalities in Nigeria that possess
these clearly defined properties. The others are, inter alia, in alphabetical
order, Benin, Nupe, and Itsekiri, etc.
Major General Felix Mujakperuo (RTD) was crowned as
HRM Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe Kingdom on July 29, 2006; after a 2-year
interregnum. He immediately positioned himself as the chief advocate of Okpe as
a distinct ethnic nationality. Not only did he and several Okpe chiefs
participate actively in the deliberations of the 1st Okpe Voice World
Conference held in Sapele, October 17–18, 2006, he hosted a delegation of Okpe
leaders drawn from the Okpe Union Nigeria, the Okpe Union of North America
(OUNA), and the Okpe Union UK, under the auspices of the OKPE VOICE, at the
Palace, on October 20, 2006, to review and approve the resolutions and
communiqué of the Conference. The communiqué included, inter alia. the
recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality, the establishment of an
all Okpe federal constituency, the teaching of Okpe language in all primary and
secondary schools in Okpe Nation, etc.
HRM Orhue l, delivered a powerful landmark address
entitled "Tradition and Governance in the Okpe Kingdom: A Keynote Address
, on September
1, 2007 At The 3rd Annual Convention Of The Okpe Union Of North America Held At
Marriott Hotel, College Park, Maryland, Usa August 31 – September 03, 2007.
This was a defining moment in the struggle for the recognition of Okpe as a
distinct ethnic nationality. The Orodje succinctly declared: “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.”
It should be stressed that, not only did Orhue l
endorse the conclusions of R. E. Bradbury and Rev. Dr. Charles E. Osume, (The
Okpe People, 2006 edition), about the origin of the Okpe, he classified Okpe as
“a unique ethnic nationality” with “distinctive roots in ancient history,
tradition, culture, customs and language” irrespective of its similarity “to
most other ethnic nationalities of the Western Niger Delta.”
Regarding the wrongful excision of Okpe territory
from the Okpe Kingdom, HRM Orhue l was very categorical in expressing the
position of the Okpe on this issue. He averred:
“Let me also mention briefly that although the Okpe
Kingdom covers the two local government areas of Sapele and Okpe, our people
and communities are located in towns and villages presently and wrongly
included in some neighbouring local government areas, for example, Ohorhe in
Uvwie Local Government.”
In the above keynote address, HRM Orhue l positioned
himself as the chief promoter and defender of Okpe national interest. He
subsequently established an Udogun Okpe Education Committee to liaise with the
Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to ensure the
recognition of Okpe Language as a teaching subject in Okpe Nation.
By 2010, the Orodje began to move away from his role
as the chief promoter and defender of Okpe Identity in favour of his personal
aggrandizement. He cautioned the then NEC of the Okpe Union (Worldwide) to stop
the agitation for the recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality,
because, according to him, the advocacy will diminish his chances of becoming
the Chairman of the Delta State Traditional Rulers’ Council. That
notwithstanding, the Orodje was trying to walk on both sides of the street at
the same time by internally espousing Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality
while externally he was collaborating with the anti-Okpe Identity forces to
undermine the internal cohesion of the Okpe Nation. Internally, in a
study initiated and financed by HRM Orhue l, 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 founded the present
day Okpe Kingdom.”
But externally, simultaneously, the Orodje’s
emissaries, mostly Palace Chiefs, continued their anti-Okpe Identity narratives
by their false claim that “Okpe is Urhobo”. The Orodje’s declaration that
“Okpe is a dialect of Urhobo” lends credence to the statements of his
emissaries that “Okpe is Urhobo”. The dictionary defines dialect as “a
particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social
group”, while a language is “the principal method of human communication,
consisting of words used in a structured and conventional way and conveyed by
speech, writing, or gesture”. From all available historical sources, Okpe is a
distinct language from the Urhobo language. The Orodje’s declaration is not
only a blatant distortion of Okpe History, but a shameless public denial of
Okpe Identity. History will Judge if this seismic shift was influenced by the
Orodje’s personal interest or by Okpe national interest.
Commenting on an article entitled “IS OKPE STILL
URHOBO?”, two brilliant Okpe sons responded in strong defence of Okpe
Identity. Barr. Ehensiri Akpederin declared: “When the leadership
of a people claim the identity of a neighbouring nation for political
correctness, they have wittingly or unwittingly opted to destroy their own
identity, language, arts and the self esteem of the people of their nation or
ethnicity. May the Okpe Nation be saved from betrayers”. Prof. Kenneth Eni
opined: “Well, it's only a few Okpe people who do not know their roots that
will trumpet Okpe as Urhobo. The Urhobo people have not really considered Okpe
as Urhobo. This is not coming as a surprise to me. The more Okpe is not
included in this type of affair, the better for the identity struggle.”
It is obvious to all perceptive observers and policy
analysts that the Orodje has sacrificed Okpe national interest for a pot of
ukodo prepared by his political masters ahead of the 2027 elections. This is
political correctness gone awry. The Okpe Union, and indeed all sons and
daughters of Okpeland, are greatly distressed by the video of HRM Orhue l
making rounds about our identity. As proud children of Okpe, we have access to
several literatures and ancestral information about our origin which has never
been disputed by the Orodje who is the traditional ruler as at today. Perhaps
he is in possession of new facts and documents which have altered our ancestry.
The time to produce it is now. It is highly regrettable that our revered Traditional
ruler would grant such weighty interview about the core of our existence
without presenting facts and references.
There is no linguistic or empirical research that
has determined that any of the languages of the Edoid Group of Languages is
easier to understand by the speakers of the others in the language group as to
position one as a general language or dialect. Indeed, it is acknowledged by
many that a large segment of the Uvwie people understand the Okpe Language.
However, this has not driven the Okpe people or leaders to conclude that the
Uvwie Language is a dialect of the Okpe Language. Similarly, as close as the
Esan Language is to the Edo Language, Edo leaders or scholars have never
claimed that it is a dialect of Edo Language but as one of the languages of the
Edoid Group of Languages just as Etsako, Okpe, Isoko, Urhobo and others.
Thus, we are shocked and disappointed by the
Orodje's declaration, which undermines the rich cultural heritage and dignity
of the Okpe people. As the mouth-piece of the Okpe Nation, the Okpe Union
rejects the Orodje's de-marketing of our ethnic nationality and asserts our
pride in our identity, culture, and sovereignty. While we sympathize with
various political actors who in a bid to score political mileage have been
manipulating ethnic boundaries for political gains, we cannot comprehend how
the custodian of our rites and traditions will join the fray. Several monarchs
and army generals have betrayed their respective countries. Why did the
Orodje shift from his strong position as a promoter of Okpe as a distinct
ethnic nationality that he brilliantly articulated on September 1, 2007, to
become an apologist for Urhobo ethnic nationality? Historians will
compare the declaration of Orhue l and the dictatorship of Esezi l, to
determine which of the two is more injurious to the Okpe Nation.
We call on members of the Okpe Union (Worldwide),
and indeed all Okpe sons and daughters to remain united under the umbrella of
the Okpe Union in the continued advocacy for the recognition of Okpe as a
distinct ethnic nationality. The struggle is going to be long and difficult,
but the redemption of the Okpe Nation is worth the battle. A kingdom exists
because there was a Nation that produced it. Thus, a king or an Orodje cannot
be superior to the Nation that birthed it. This is particularly true of the
Okpe Kingdom where the Okpe Nation congregates to elect one of its male
citizens as the Orodje via a democratic electoral process. The sovereignty of
an Orodje does not grant him an absolute or dictatorial power or authority, but
is derived from the results of the electoral process on behalf of the Okpe
Nation. When the four princely brothers, our ancestors – Orhue, Orhoro,
Evbreke, and Esezi – decided to establish the Okpe Kingdom, they did so from
the bowel of the Okpe Nation. Thanks to the Okpe Union, the Okpe Kingdom in the
modern era was resuscitated in 1945 after an interregnum of 166 years. (See
https://okpeunionng.net/orodjes-of-okpe-kingdom/) During this period, there
were no Orodjes because there was no kingdom, but Okpe Nation continued to
exist and represented by power brokers in several Okpe communities that
exercised independence and sovereignty.
It is therefore our historical and sacred
responsibility, as members of the Okpe Union, to ensure that the Okpe monarchy
remains a symbol of unity and strength of the Okpe Nation, and not to
degenerate into anarchy and dictatorship.
Prof.
O. Igho Natufe,
Barrister
Kingsley Ehensiri Akpederin and
Barrister
Victor Oruno write from Okpe Union Headquarters, Lagos
