Okpe People Have No Secessionist Intentions, Says Prof Igho Natufe (end of pt1)



......Insists Okpe Is Okpe, And Not a “Clan” of Any Other Ethnic Nationality in Nigeria or Anywhere In the World


Challenges of Development in Okpe Nation: In his address to representatives of the Sapele Memories and Development Foundation at his Palace in Orerokpe on April 26, 2024, His Royal Majesty, Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe faulted the role of “successive governments” in the decay of Sapele and the Okpe Nation. (See, Ediri Oyibo, “Orodje Okpe welcomes move to restore Sapele’s lost glory”, Orodje Okpe welcomes move to restore Sapele’s lost glory (thenewsguru.com), April 26, 2024.) Given the thrust of HRM’s criticism of government policy vis-à-vis the situation in Sapele and Okpe Nation, it is important to quote the relevant segments of the Orodje’s statement. He declared: “Successive governments have never been fair to Sapele. That is the truth.”


Speaking further, the Orodje of Okpe could not conceal his frustration as he lamented: “One thing that is very painful to me is the Sapele Technical College. The college had the same status with Kaduna Technical College, Yaba Technical College, Ibadan Technical College and Enugu Technical College. They are all of the same status at the same time. But all the other ones, it is either they are now universities or polytechnics. Sapele Technical College is now like a secondary school. If the college is a university or at worse a polytechnic by now, the situation of Sapele would have been different.”


While we share the Orodje’s lamentation on the neglect of Sapele and Okpe Nation by “successive governments”, we situate the problem more in the failure of Okpe elected/appointed political and traditional leaders for the stunted growth and development in Okpe Nation. These leaders played and continue to play pivotal role in the electoral “victories” of the governing parties: the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the federal level from 1999 – 2025; the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the federal level since 2015; and the PDP at State and Local government levels since 1999, with Okpe indigenes representing Okpe Nation in the Senate and the House of Representatives, at different occasions, and holding key ministerial portfolios in the Delta State Government, for example, Agriculture, Education, Works, and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, etc. Collectively, they failed to use their positions in government to impact positively on the growth and development of the Okpe Nation, as evidenced in the dilapidating state of public education institutions and the roads, and the absence of industries in Okpe Nation, compared to, for instance, the Isoko Nation. What was the role of Okpe leaders on the (then) proposed establishment of a university at Degheli? What positive impact have the two local government councils in Okpe Nation (the Okpe LGC and the Sapele LGC) had on the socio-economic development in Okpeland since 1999?How much does the Delta State Government receive quarterly from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)? How much of these are allocated to, for example, the ministries of Agriculture, Education, Works, etc? How much monthly or quarterly is allocated to each local government council in the State from the actual amount received from the FAAC? These Okpe political and traditional leaders play critical role in the “successive governments” that have contributed to the under-development and impoverishment of the Okpe Nation. If we are unable to interrogate Okpe political and tradition leaders on their poor stewardship impacting on Okpe Nation, then we lack the moral justification to interrogate non-Okpe political leaders on the stewardship of their respective portfolios impacting on Okpe Nation. A people get the government that they deserve.


Attracting and Retaining Investors in Okpe Nation: In his celebrated book titled Politics: Who Gets What, When, How, published in 1936, Harold Lasswell opined that politics is a process engaged by elected officials to determine “who gets what, when, where and how”. This formulation subsequently influenced the widely held notion of politics as a contest for power for the distribution of resources in the polity. Thus, politics is a process of resolving societal conflicts that arise when determining who gets what, when and how. In short, politics is an ideological struggle for power for the acquisition and distribution of resources. Access to power determines the distribution of these resources to particular constituencies in a polity.


If restructuring is to be pursued logically in Nigeria, then the current power equilibrium must be addressed equitably. From the perspective of the Okpe Nation and the Niger Delta region, the concentration of seaports around Lagos grants overwhelming power to the Yoruba and the entire South West region of Nigeria. Sapele seaport, a natural seaport, which was second to Lagos before the military coup of January 15, 1966, has been completely abandoned, while Calabar, Koko, Port Harcourt, and Warri seaports have been left to rot, and severely underutilized. Regarding the abandoned Sapele seaport, HRM Orhue l, Orodje of Okpe expressed the views of Okpe and fellow Niger Deltans when he declared: “Meanwhile, there is politics about ports in Nigeria. It is as if there is a deliberate policy to make sure that ports in the Niger Delta are not functional. You want to import something to Warri; you have to go through Lagos. It was a deliberate act.”


(See Ediri Oyibo, “Orodje Okpe welcomes move to restore Sapele’s lost glory”, Orodje Okpe welcomes move to restore Sapele’s lost glory (thenewsguru.com), April 26, 2024.)
While political leaders of the Yoruba Nation have used their access to power to monopolize the concentration of seaports in their region, it must be stressed that this monopoly has caused a grave disequilibrium in access to power on the distribution of seaports in the Niger Delta region, including the Sapele seaport. It makes no sense to concentrate Nigeria’s import-export business in only the Lagos seaports. For example, it is baffling that imports from Asian countries are directed to Lagos ports, when Calabar, Port Harcourt, Sapele, and Warri seaports are closer to Asia than Lagos. This phenomenon clearly demonstrates an over balance of power problematic which we need to address in Nigeria, if restructuring is to be taken seriously.


It must be acknowledged that, since the establishment of Delta State in 1991, Okpe political leaders have performed very poorly in attracting businesses to Okpe Nation. Their access to power has not led to infrastructural development in Okpe Nation, compared to, for example, the achievements of Isoko political leaders in Isoko Nation. In fact, the Isoko Nation has debunked the argument that you need a governor of your ethnic nationality to develop your region. The Isoko political and traditional leaders conscientiously utilize their access to power to benefit their constituencies while, sadly, their Okpe counterparts are primarily concerned about their respective pockets.


Okpe Union shall continue its advocacy of investments in Okpe Nation, including reaching out to the Delta State Government on this important subject. We shall intensify our lobbying of both the Federal and State governments to ensure the revival of Sapele seaport and the attraction of industries to Okpe Nation. We shall utilize the extensive experience of Okpe nationals, especially those in the Diaspora, to identify prospective investors to invest in Okpe Nation, under the framework of a public-private partnership (PPP). To help this process, the state government must improve the infrastructural deficits in Delta State, especially in Okpe Nation, to make the environment attractive to foreign and domestic investors. An environment where an investor has to provide electricity, water, and good roads is hardly conducive for economic growth and development.


In Lieu of a Conclusion Okpe Union will continue to play a catalytic role to instill positive change in Okpe Nation, by liaising with other Okpe organizations on the strategies for development.


The fragility of the Nigerian state is aggravated by the insecurity in the country. We call on the federal government to take immediate actions to evacuate Fulani herdsmen, bandits and terrorists from the territories of the indigenous ethnic nationalities across Nigeria. While we advocate for the unity of Nigeria, we strongly believe that the unity can only be strengthen if it is anchored on the principles of justice, fairness and equity, serving the interests of the indigenous ethnic nationalities in the country.


We are facing an existential crisis in Nigeria. A resolution of this crisis requires inputs from all indigenous ethnic nationalities at a round table conference, if the National Assembly proves incapable of producing a renewed federalism of the 1963 variant. If not properly handled, the current crisis can lead to unwanted confrontations between ethnic nationalities with severe consequences for Nigeria. It is on record that the Hausas have given the Fulanis an ultimatum to vacate their territories.


We, Okpe, have no secessionist intentions. But, we recognize that the Nigerian edifice is cracked and hemorrhaging. We are committed to working with other ethnic nationalities in restructuring the Nigerian edifice to guarantee the safety of all indigenous ethnic nationalities, on the basis of justice, fairness and equity, where our rights are recognized and protected under a renewed federal constitution. However, if by omission or commission, the Nigerian edifice disintegrates, we pray it is via the velvet model of Czechoslovakia and not via the Yugoslav variant.

God bless Nigeria.
God bless Delta State.
God bless Okpe Nation.
God bless Okpe Union.
God bless the Orodje of Okpe.