Many people often think that it was the British who arbitrarily classified us together erroneously, without a careful study of our perculiarity and different ethnicities. They feel and advocate that the British classified different ethnicities together as Urhobo people for administrative convenience, without inputs from the people themselves.
The British came to Urhobo land in the early 1890’s but they do not really understand the terrain very well and needed to learn.
Between 1891 and 1920, all Urhobo lands were placed under Warri District. Warri District then was under Calabar Province.
But by 1922, Warri District had been upgraded to a full Province, the Warri Province. The Warri Province was made up of 4 districts as at 1922. They were 1) Warri District 2) Ughelli district 3) Sapele District 4) Kwale District. The Urhobo people were all Aboriginal and inhabited all the 4 districts of the Warri Province. But something happened in 1927, and the British had to reorganize the people again in 1930 . What was that?? It was the anti Tax riots of 1927. While the riots where actually led by the Itsekiris led by one elder Otuedon, it was the Urhobo one that turned very violent and ugly, and it was the one that really affected the economy of the Warri Province because the Urhobos were the real producers of the hot cake product, the Palm oil. It was so violent that an Okpe- Urhobo boy, called Iyikaghe from ,amoukpokpor village was shot dead in Sapele, and a colonial district officer was almost beaten to death in Kokori. One Oshue of Otor'udu was the leader of the Urhobos in the riots, he summoned all Urhobos to Igbudu in Warri for the decisions to embark on this riots. Uvwie clan was represented by Erumagborie while Okpe clan was represented by the Great Chief Egbele of Onyeke village
By 1927, Okpe clan had no king or no clan head, the last clan head was ANOVWAN of Odjedi village, whom the British met in 1891. But the British dissolved that Government in 1897, because one of the senior Chief, Eyaju Murdered a Pregnant woman. The Udogun at Odjedi was dissolved and each Okpe village now Governed itself.
And so Chief Egbele used this Anti tax riots matter as an opportunity to try and restore the Udogun Government once again in Odjedi in ,1927 after 30 years of hibernation. He was well supported by many Okpes. He was supported by the likes of Chief Temisan of Umiaghwa village of the Evwreke house, Chief Echerusi of Ughoton of the Esezi house, Chief Ogoro of Oha of the Orhoro house. Also supporting him was Chief Emakpor of Ughoton
But he was also opposed by some
And among those who opposed him were some older than him and more Powerful than him.
These ones also believe that Odjedi should stop being the headquarters of Okpe clan and that it was time for Orerokpe their ancestral home be restored and rebuilt as their Capital after being abandoned for about 150 years.
And so Another Odogun Council meeting was started in Orerokpe to Neutralize the Odjedi own.
It was headed by Chief Ayomanor Evwida, the Otota of Amuokpe and also the Otota of the Owhere House, he was supported by Chief Kogoro Ide of Arhagba, the most senior Okpako of the Owhere house. Further supports came from Chief Agbaifo of Aghalokpe the most senior Okpako of the Ogoni family and also Chief Edwin Asan Omarin the Otota of the Ogoni family.
Then you also have Chief Edjebba of of Adeje, a descendant of Odorume of the Orhue house supporting them
Again you have Chief Akalusi Most senior Okpako of the Esezi house supporting them. But by creating 2 faction, they played into the hands of the British, for the Odjedi factions supported the anti Tax riots massively, while the Orerokpe faction was against it . It the end the British arrested all the ring leaders of rioters in Urhobo land. Otuedon the Itsekiri leader fled to Gold coast which is Modern day Ghana. Under arrest, the British wanted to know why the Urhobo riots were very violent compared to the rest people. Chief Egbele explained to them that it was because they were using the Itsekiris, who were not Urhobos, as tax Masters over the Urhobo people, and that being of different tribes, the Itsekiris do not understand their ways and that the Itsekiris used that as an opportunity to oppress them, by confiscating their properties unnecessarily. Egbele,'s statement caused a revolution...Sir M.C Moorhouse, Governor of Southern provinces from Enugu, immediately ordered that an intelligence reports based on ethnicities, be made for all the People in Southern Nigeria and that they should be classified according to their clans, and their own chiefs from their own clans be used as Tax masters over them. Thus the ring leaders were all released and immediately appointed as Warrant Chiefs to also be made Tax collectors, the very thing they fought against. Chief Egbele was asked to dissolve his factional Udogun Council in Odjedi and joined the Chief Ayomanor led Udogun in Orerokpe. The Lt Governor Southern region when visiting Urhobo land in 1934, Presented Chief Egbele with an Royal medal of the British empire for his Advice. And so the British conducted a thorough intelligence reports across the country on the different people, wherein the people where asked narrate their history and anthropology to the British,...these intelligence reports were now used to classify the people for administrative convenience. But did the British alter the narrations given to them by our ancestors when writing the intelligence reports,?? Yes but in a few occasions. For example the Oghara clan rejected the intelligence report written about them that Oghara used to be a slave to the Ologboshere of Itsekiri who set him as a guardian over all Oghara Lands. They also rejected that they were Customary tenants of the Ologboshere family of the Itsekiris. In fact they took the Itsekiris to court in 1942, contested the intelligence report and the Itsekiris themselves opted for an out of court settlement and a consent judgement was given. The boundary between Oghara and Itsekiri was thus given at "Jackson's line" in Ajagbodudu. The Owhowha clan of Ogor, Agbarha, Ughelli and Orogun also reject parts of their own intelligence report christened "Ogelle clan'". Agbarha and Ogor people rejected it claiming that the writer Sir P.V Maine relied too much on the story told him by the OVIE of Ughelli as the Source of their history. According to them, they did not descend from Ogelle as the Ughelli king informed him but they descended from Owhowha... Secondly, Ughelli was not the first born son of Owhowha but it was Ogor. The Protest became so tough that the resident of Warri Province had to order fresh enquiry,..he commissioned Another Colonial district officer called Stanfield, review the works of Maine. This Stanfield did, Stanfield practically accepted the works of Maine except by saying Owhowha was the ancestor not Ogelle and that Ogor indeed was the first born son. This Stanfield findings infuriated, the Ughelli people and their king, who rejected the recent work of Stanfield. And so a 3rd report was commissioned this time to be made by Chadwick, a seasoned colonial officer of Urhobo matters in 1934. And Chadwick also resolved the minor discrepancies in favour of Stanfield. Still the Ughelli people and king disagreed with that findings. And so Rutherford ruled that since the discrepancies were so small, all 3 reports be kept side by side for future references. But with this reports the British started reorganizing the People according to their respective clans. They abolished many districts and upgraded them to divisions. Kwale district was changed to Kwale Division.
Ughelli district was Changed to Sobo Division
A part of Warri District was Combined with the Sapele District to form the Jekri-sobo division.
The other part of the Warri District became the Western Ijaw Division.
The British now removed Agbon and Abraka clans from the Kwale Division and put them under Jekri-sobo but they left Orogun behind under Kwale Division honestly believing that they were Ukwuanis.
But the Orogun people headed by Chief Ogidi vehemently rejected via many protest letters to the white man that despite their proximity to the Ukwuanis and the language similarities, that they are Urhobos. And demanded that they be removed from Kwale Division and be joined with their brothers in the Sobo Division of Ughelli
A referendum was conducted for them and 97% voted and they were moved to join their brothers in 1934.
While all these where going on, the Isokos, Okpes or Uvwie, never objected with any single Petition not to be classified as Urhobos because they were not Urhobos.
In fact while Orogun was rejecting being classified as Ukwuanis and vehemently being added to Sobo Division, Chief Ayomanor, Head of Okpe Clan summoned all Urhobo Chiefs and the newly founded U.P.U to Orerokpe.
The purpose was for them to write you the white man that all the Urhobo clans of the Jekri-sobo division be removed from that Division and be joined to their brothers in Sobo Division with Headquarters in Ughelli or an Independent Western Urhobo Division, be created for them with Headquarters in Orerokpe.
Ayomanor thus started an Urhobo struggle and he was elected the first President of Urhobo General Council.
While Ayomanor was galvanizing the Urhobos for “Independence”, in Far away Lagos an Okpe son and first Okpe Lawyer, Chief Julius Eyituoyo Odiete was Joining other Urhobo sons to Co found the U.P.U Lagos branch. Chief Julius Odiete was the grand son of Odiete Owhebor the Otota of Okpe Clan in Odjedi BEFORE THE WHITE MAN CAME
He had co-founded the Okpe union in Lagos in 1930, as it’s first organising secretary before now coming, to Co-found the U.P.U Lagos branch in 1934, still as it’s first organising secretary.
By 1946, the British had done series of reorganization of the different Urhobo clans based on their Protests and true identity.
By 1937, the British craftily responded to the Ayomanor led Protest and created a Treasury centre for all Urhobos on the Jekri-sobo division in Orerokpe.
Still they continued the struggle….By 1947, it was upgraded from a mere Treasury centre to a full administrative Headquarters in Orerokpe.
Still they continued to struggle.
On the first of May 1949, the British Colonial Government finally removed all Urhobos from the Jekri-sobo division and joined them to their brothers in the Sobo Division in Ughelli.
But by 1955, they were returned back again as a District Council of it’s own with Headquarters in Orerokpe.
So the Colonial Government was stunned and surprised, when for the first time in 1947, the Isoko people petitioned that they were not Urhobos and be given their own All Isoko Division.
The Petition was utterly dismissed, because from the early reorganization days of the late 20’s and early 30’s, there was no single protest letter from the Isoko people that they were being erroneously classified as Urhobos.
Moreover all Historical, anthropological and linguistics investigations carried out clearly shows that the Isokos were Urhobos.
But however credible information was obtained from their petitions.
1) That Ughelli was too far as a divisional headquarters from some extreme parts of Isoko land.
2) So when they come to Ughelli for administrative summons often find it difficult to go back home, on their night Journey home they are usually robbed or raped and this have destroyed many marriages.
3) Some of their Women who decide to pass the night in Ughelli and to continue their Journey back home end up being converted to wives of their male hosts.
These were the merits Identified in their Petitions.
And so the British proposed that a new Division, the Eastern Urhobo Division, being created with Headquarters in Oleh, While Ughelli becomes the headquarters of central Urhobo Division, and Orerokpe becomes the headquarters of Western Urhobo division…These were the state of affairs before the British left us in 1960…..To be continued in Part 2 on what actually led to the Isoko separation from the Urhobos in 1963.
Okpe Quotidians 