Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Agenda for the new UPU PG

By Francis Ewherido
29 November 2016   |   4:00 am
In the first week of December this year, the Urhobo Nation via delegates from the 24 clans will go to the polls to elect a new executive for the Urhobo Progress Union
Urhobo Progress Union members.  PHOTO: ngr.ng

Urhobo Progress Union members. PHOTO: ngr.ng

In the first week of December this year, the Urhobo Nation via delegates from the 24 clans will go to the polls to elect a new executive for the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), the apex socio-cultural body of the Urhobos. At every point in time, prevailing circumstances should determine our choice of leaders, leaders who can rise up to the prevailing situation. That of the Urhobo Nation is not different.

So this is not just an election; it is an opportunity to put in place an executive that can help the Urhobo Nation take on all the challenges confronting it. We need a UPU that can reposition the Urhobo Nation to take its rightful place among other nationalities within and outside Delta State. The bitter truth is that for some time now, the Urhobos have been mouthing fifth or sixth biggest ethnic group in Nigeria without the corresponding clout.

The Bible says where there is no vision, the people perish. That is why vision is one of the major qualities of great leaders. When the Israelites were languishing in captivity, God sent Moses to rescue them. The last few years have been difficult and we need a president general with great wisdom and managerial capacity in the mould of Moses.

We also need a president general (PG) who is financially comfortable and does not need to use the UPU platform to amass wealth. The Urhobos deserve a PG with clout and connections, whose reputation goes before him, whose name opens doors. We need a PG who will call our target direct and our target takes the call or returns it, if he is not available at that time. We need a PG who will use his wealth of experience, influence and connections to bring development to Urhoboland and provide a purpose-driven leadership for Urhobos.

What we need at this point in time is an accomplished Urhobo man as PG, somebody with vision and capacity.
It would have been wonderful to have consensus candidates, but we are in a free world. So all those interested in positions should come out and tell the Urhobo Nation their plans. Leave mudslinging aside and give the Urhobo Nation your manifesto. Today, there is an army of unemployed youths in every town and village in Urhoboland. Tragically, some of them have little or no formal education or skills to earn meaningful living. It is a ticking time bomb that needs to be defused. Even scarier are their mindsets and orientation. While growing up in the old Midwest, later Bendel State, the dominant paradigm was excellence. Youths wanted to excel in academics, sports and other endeavours.

We were number one in academics and sports, feats we were very proud of. Today’s youth wants to hammer (make money suddenly) and become “successful” overnight, no systems, no processes. There is a monumental lack of intellectual rigour. We therefore need a UPU led by a visionary to interface with government and development partners to build human capacity in the Urhobo Nation. We need a new paradigm to replace the microwave mentality.

For some time now, politicians, opinion leaders and some corporate organisations have been giving Urhobo youths fish. This has not taken them anywhere. Urhobo youths need to leave their comfort zone of collecting fish from the aforementioned and learn how to fish. That is the pathway to self-sustenance and independence. It is also more enduring. We need a PG who can help set the agenda for a new paradigm, a new thought process.

I am very aware that an array of prominent and competent Urhobo sons are angling for the position of president general. In my humble opinion, the PG cap fits Olorogun Moses Taiga the most. He has already presented a blueprint of what he wants to accomplish as PG. Among other things, he promised to renovate Urhobo College, Effurun, one of my alma maters; help to establish an Urhobo University named after Mukoro Mowoe, the pioneer president of UPU; give the UPU Uvwiamuge House a massive uplift and start a micro credit scheme for Urhobo rural women as a catalyst to uplift the standard of living of our local communities. Taiga is an accomplished business man, entrepreneur and administrator. He is well connected locally and internationally. He is a man of great stature, physically, financially and intellectually. His presidency will bring many good things to Urhoboland. The interest of the Urhobo Nation should be supreme. Urhobo ovuovo.
Ewherido is a Lagos-based insurance executive.

In this article

2 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    Buycement
    direct from the factory for a promo price of #1000 per bag and #300 to deliver per bag,
    order a minimum of 100bags,trailer load of 600bags,trailer load of 900bags,
    contact manager Mrs Grace on 2348060478998 or assistant Mr Emmanuel on 2348036909383 for inquiry

  • Author’s gravatar

    Well package, but you should have mentioned some other contestants for the election of P G of UPU.