As the Urhobo nation buries its departed national leader, Gen. Patrick Aziza, the solidarity and brotherhood it shares with other ethnic nations in Delta becomes issues for discussion, writes BOLAJI OGUNDELE
The death of the President-General of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Gen Patrick Aziza, seems to have shown that the ethnic groups in Delta State are closer than previously thought. Ethnic nations in the Delta Central and South senatorial districts have paid condolence visits to both the UPU and the family of the deceased. Although Isoko and Ijaw nations had earlier visited and expressed their sadness at the loss of Gen. Aziza, it was the separate visits of Itsekiri nation and that of a union formed by three ethnic nations of the two districts; Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri Leaders’ Forum (3IS) that revealed the alignments going on in the state.
During last week’s condolence call on the late Gen. Aziza’s family, the first revelation was made when the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought called. The group, led by its Secretary, Chief Edward Ekpoko, had expressed personal grief at the loss of the man it described as a bridge-builder, who had invested so much personally to cement the decades of relationship that had existed between the Itsekiri and Urhobo nations. After describing the sterling qualities of Aziza, pointing how he had commenced the process of building a bloc out of the tribes in the two senatorial districts, especially with the Itsekiri, which who Urhobo share one of the closest and strongest traditional bonds.
Ekpoko emphasized the high esteem his organisation holds UPU, for two basic reasons; one being the fact that it is second oldest ethno-cultural organisation in Africa, following after the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa and the second being that fact that it is the organisation that had consistently been involved in the struggle to give the Urhobo nation it’s pride of place among all other ethnic nations in the world. He went further to emphasise the long standing relationship between his nation and that of Aziza, noting particularly the spirit of camaraderie, which had demanded over the years that the two nations always share in each other’s joy and pain, hence the request that the UPU carries the Itsekiri nation along in the burial plans as they Itsekiri would wish for nothing more than taking part in the burial responsibilities, as a family member would.
“The death of Gen. Aziza is a loss, not just to the Urhobo, but also to us the Itsekiri, just as you have lost him, we have lost him too. As we mourn him, we mourn him as a great bridge-builder because he had managed to initiate a process of strengthening the bond between our nations when he was untimely taken. We will only request that you make an accommodation for the Itsekiri nation in preparing his final burial rites, we desire to also play a role as part of his family because as he was leader to the Urhobo, the Itsekiri also saw a leader in him. We also wish to ask for the Urhobo nation to honour this great man’s memory by sustaining his bridge-building legacies and not allowing the efforts he invested in building a strong union and a common bloc with other ethnic nations in this part slip into waste,” he said.
Almost at the heel of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought arrived the Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri Leaders’ Forum (3IS), an organisation which is also led by Ekpoko. Leaders from the other two ethnic nations, whose organisations had made individual showings prior to last week, joined their Itsekiri co-compatriots in the expansive compound of General Aziza in Adagbrasa, Okpe council area of Delta State. The message, which was delivered by the 1st Vice Chairman of 3IS, Chief Dennis Etaluku, was not far from what the Itsekiri leaders had already relayed. “Just as we were putting our heads together to forge a united front, we lost the captain and we believe it is native for us to come and commiserate. We have come to mourn with you and to let you know that we are with you. We want to tell you that another Aziza will come”, he assured.
The 3IS also donated N50,000 to support the efforts of the family and the UPU in hosting those who would be visiting to commiserate with them. Etaluku, however, told the family that his organization had decided to be part of the burial ceremonies of the departed Urhobo leader, urging both the UPU and the Aziza family to inform them when the time has come.
Responding to the two groups, Acting President-General of the UPU, Chief Joe Omene, thank the Delta South leaders for the show of condolence, saying it was long expected. He said: “People have come from far and near much earlier to do what you have come to do today, but it has always been our feeling that the external condolences would not have been complete if our immediate brothers from Delta South had not paid their own visit. We have a long bond of brotherhood with the Itsekiri, although to the outside world we tend to paint ourselves as being far from each other. We can assure you that we will sustain the bridge building efforts of our late leader towards a more unified enduring Delta State.”
