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URHOBO ICONS IN PERSPECTIVE

PRESENTED BY

ENGR. OVIE UKOCHOVWERA(MNSE)

TO URHOBO WORLD UNITED

(UWU) ON SATURDAY THE 28TH

OF DECEMBER 2013

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#1.Chief Mukoro Mowoe(late)

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Chief Mukoro Mowoe(late)

Umukoro Oghenemohwo (the latter

name was shortened and corrupted toMowoe) was born in 1890. His father was

Oghenemohwo and his mother

Onokporere both of Evwreni.

He was a major trader in palm produce,

rubber and other commodities. As a

general merchant ,Mowoe was both an

importer and exporter. He exported

rubber and piassava.

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Chief Mukoro Mowoe(late)

He was the first legislator to represent

Warri Province in colonial Nigeria.

He was the premier nationalist of theUrhobo people in the Western Niger

Delta of Nigeria who also helped infacilitating the unification of all thevarious kingdoms to make up the Urhobo

Nation. He died in 1948 ,at the age of 58.

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#2 Oshue Ogbiyerin (late)

Oshue was from Orhunhworun Town in

Udu Kingdom.

He lead the major revolt to protest theBritish imposition of head tax (osa

uyovwin) when it was introduced in

1927.

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#2 Oshue Ogbiyerin (late)

He mobilized other nations/ethnic groups

in the Western Niger Delta to oppose the

tax. In July 1927, representatives of thevarious ethnic nationalities of Urhobo,

Isoko, Ukwuani, Itsekiri, and Ijaw held a

congress in Igbudu area of WarriTownship.

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#2 Oshue Ogbiyerin (late)

The congress passed resolutions, which

included a trade embargo on exports to

Britain, the abolition of colonial judicial

and administrative institutions and

declaration of the Warri Province as an

independent republic of free nations.

Oshue himself was addressed as head ofstate and "excellency" before his arrest

and detention.

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#2 Oshue Ogbiyerin (late)

The anti-tax movement was so effective

that it spread across the Niger to OwerriProvince in 1929 where the women

spearheads of it were attacked by

colonial troops, leading to the death of50 protesters-the "Aba Women's Riot".

The anti-tax uprising compelled the

British to review the Indirect Rule

project.

#3 Hi R l M j B j i

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#3 His Royal Majesty, Benjamin

Okumagba (JP) (OON), Okumagba 1,

the late Orosuen of Okere UrhoboKingdom.

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Benjamin Okumagba (JP) (OON)

Benjamin Okumagba was born 20th of

October, 1928 to the families of late

Chief Okumagba Eboh of Okere -Urhobo

kingdom, Warri in Warri South Local

Government Area and late Princess (Mrs)

Osikomuenu Okumagba (nee Ojakovo)

from the royal family of Agbarha inUghelli North Local Government Area

both of Delta State.

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Benjamin Okumagba (JP) (OON) He was selected and appointed by

statutory Kingmakers of Okere Urhobo on

February 22, 2008 in accordance with the

Traditional Chieftaincy Declaration of

Okere-Urhobo Kingdom, Warri.

Under his dynamic and visionary

leadership, the UPU started the

construction of the first phase of the ultra-modern Urhobo cultural centre at

Uvwiamuge-Agbarho which will serve as a

unifying centre for the entire Urhobo nation.

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Benjamin Okumagba (JP) (OON)

He was selected and appointed by

statutory Kingmakers of Okere Urhobo

on February 22, 2008 in accordance with

the Traditional Chieftaincy Declaration of

Okere-Urhobo Kingdom, Warri.

He died on April 16th, 2012 ,at the age of

83.

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#4 Chief Omokomoko Osokpa (late) Born in March 23, 1920, Chief

Omokomoko Osokpa began playingmusic in 1933.He hailed from Obodete-

Orogun in Orogun Kingdom in Ughelli

North Local government Area of DeltaState.

He was a renowned Urhobo musician.

Despite his challenge with his eyesight,he was well known for playing

instruments with dexterity and rendering

his songs with great expertise.

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Chief Omokomoko Osokpa (late)

He sang about the mysteries of life and

death, about family values as of old,

about the challenges of poverty, about

Urhobo unity, about outstanding Urhobo

pioneers and heroes as well as the

bastardization of Urhobo culture by

outside forces.

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Chief Omokomoko Osokpa (late)

He propagated Urhobo traditions and

culture with his music. He was the

Urhobo musical equivalent of Oliver De

Coque, Osita Osadebe, Fela AnikulapoKuti, Shina Peters, Ebenezer Obey, Bob

Marley, Elvis Presley, and Michael

Jackson. He died in 2005.

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#5 Ambassador Princess (Mrs.)

Elizabeth Ogbon-Day (late)

b d ( ) l b h

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Ambassador Princess (Mrs.) Elizabeth

Ogbon-Day (late)

Elizabeth Agbarharukevwe was bornDecember 29, 1949 to the Ogbon Royal

family of Olomu Kingdom of Delta State.

She was appointed Ambassador byPresident Shehu Shagari in early 1981,

first as the Nigerian Counsel-General to

Hamburg, West Germany, and then asAmbassador to the Philippines from the

latter part of 1981 till December 1983.

A b d P i (M ) Eli b th

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Ambassador Princess (Mrs.) Elizabeth

Ogbon-Day (late) Ambassador Princess (Mrs.) Ogbon-Day

was very active politically and she

contested the primaries of the PDP in

2007 for the highest office of the land the presidency, alongside the late

President Yardua, Dr. Peter Odili, Chief

(Mrs.) Sarah Jubrin and a host of others. In the 2011 elections, she contested for

the Senate seat of Delta Central

Senatorial District.

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Ambassador Princess (Mrs.) Elizabeth

Ogbon-Day (late)

She died on Sunday, May 6, 2012, at the

age of 62.

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#6 Justus Esiri (late)

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Justus Esiri (late)

Justus Esiri was born 20 November 1942

to the Esiri family of Oria-Abraka,Oria-Abraka Kingdom of Delta State.

He attended Urhobo College and later

went to Germany to study engineeringwhere he developed an interest fortheater. Thus he began his acting careeron stage in Germany. He was the only

Nigerian male performing on stage in theyears 1968/69.

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Justus Esiri (late) He was a renowned artist in the Nigerian

film industry and African film industry atlarge. His fame was launched widely for

his role in the ever popular African TV

series, The Village Headmaster, where heplayed the "Headmaster".

He acted in 128 films.

The Thespian died on February 19, 2013

at the age of 71 following complications

from diabetes.

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#7 Senator Pius Akpor Ewherido (late)

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Senator Pius Akpor Ewherido (late)

He represented Ughelli South

Constituency at Delta State House ofAssembly (DTHA) from 1999 to 2007

where he held the position of Deputy

Speaker and Speaker respectively. He then represented Delta Central at the

Nigerian Senate having won the 2011

Senatorial Election. He didnt complete

his tenure. He died on 30 June 2013 at

the age of 50.

Senator Pius Akpor Ewherido (late)

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Senator Pius Akpor Ewherido (late)

He touches the lives of his constituents

by provision of economic empowermentto women and youths, scholarships, ICTCentre in Delta State University, Abrakaand Ughelli, among other things.

He sponsored the project to get Urhobolanguage into WAEC/NECO examinationsyllabus .

Ewherido in less than two years in theSenate sponsored four Bills and over 10motions.

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#8 Blessing Okagbare

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l k b

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Blessing Okagbare

She won her third gold at the end of the

African 2010 championship as part of theNigerian 4x100m women's relay team.

The team of Okagbare, Osayomi, Lauretta

Okoh and Agnes Osazuwa set a newgames record with a run of 43.43s.

At the 2013 World Championships in

Moscow, Okagbare won the silver medalin the long jump. She also placed third in

the Women's 200m race.

#9 OLOROGUN (DR ) MICHAEL

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#9 OLOROGUN (DR.) MICHAEL

CHRISTOPHER ONAJIREVBE IBRU, OFR,

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Olorogun Michael Ibru,OFR

Michael Ibru was born in 1931 to the

family of late Pa EPETE IBRU, a

missionary worker, who also was a

Nursing Superintendent at Igbobi

Orthopaedic Hospital and late Madam

JANET OMOTOGOR IBRU, a fish trader

who traversed the creeks of the Niger

Delta to transact business.He hails from

Agbarha-Otor Kingdom of Delta State.

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Olorogun Michael Ibru,OFR OLOROGUN MICHAEL IBRU, is an

entrepreneur of no mean feat. At the ageof 24, he took the bold step to register

Laibru, a trading company which he

formed in partnership with Jimmy Large,an expatriate he met in the course of his

duties at UAC.

Within a short period, Laibru grew tobecome a conglomerate of about 25

companies, reportedly the largest

indigenous conglomerate in Africa.

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Olorogun Michael Ibru,OFR

When IBRU introduced frozen fish in

1957, its detractors, including meatsellers, labelled it mortuary fish. He

waged a vigorous campaign that

successfully persuaded the whole nation

that frozen fish was good, establishing

over 350 distribution depots throughout

Nigeria.

Ol Mi h l Ib OFR

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Olorogun Michael Ibru,OFR He formed the IBRU Sea Foods, an

importing company solely owned byhimself.

Michael Ibru is a renownedphilanthropist, he donated a collegeAbraham College which was later re-named IBRU College, to his people atAgbarha-Otor.

He at different times, donated classroomblocks, vehicles and money to variouseducational institutions and charity

organisations.

Ol Mi h l Ib OFR

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Olorogun Michael Ibru,OFR Olorogun Michael Ibru is touted among his

people to be a major pillar in the economic

empowerment of the Urhobo nation. Urhobo men and women have profited at many

levels since the rise of the IBRU brand in thesecond half of the 1950s. First, Urhobo market

women were among the first batch of Nigeriansto embrace the IBRU frozen fish. Many ofthem rose from relative poverty to highereconomic brackets because they participated inthe new IBRU ventures from market stalls.

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Olorogun Michael Ibru,OFR He has mentored professionals that rose

to become financially independent intheir chosen fields of endeavour.Somenotable Urhobos have undergo tutelageunder him:Robin Imishue, Sam Okudu(half-Ijaw, half-Urhobo), Albert Egoh,Patrick Okitiakpe, Wilson Nakpodia,

He has helped to project the Urhobo image

here in Nigeria and the globe at large.

It is Michael Ibru who popularized the use ofthe title Olorogun in place of Chief.

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l h l b

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Olorogun Michael Ibru,OFR

Honorary Doctor of Laws (Hon. LL.D.) of

the University of Benin (1978) andUniversity of Ibadan (1978), Doctor of

Agriculture (Honoraries Causa),

University of Agriculture, Abeokuta,2004.

In addition, Olorogun in 2003 won the Zik

Prize in Leadership and in 2005; he

received the prestigious Dr. Kwame

Nkrumah Excellence in Enterprise Award.

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Olorogun Michael Ibru,OFR

Olorogun Michael Ibru is a blessing to theUrhobo Nation.

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#10 Chief (Major Gen.)Patrick Aziza

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Chief (Major Gen.)Patrick Aziza

Patrick Aziza was born on 23 December

1947.He is from Okpe Kingdom.

He was raised in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

He went to Ibadan for his secondaryeducation before joining the army and

participating in the Nigerian Civil War

(19671970). Aziza then attended theNigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna,

graduating in 1970.

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Chi f (M j G )P t i k A i

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Chief (Major Gen.)Patrick Aziza

when he handed over to the elected

civilian governor Abubakar Musa at thestart of the aborted Nigerian Third

Republic.

Aziza served as communications ministerin the military regime of General Sani

Abacha. In this role he revoked the

licenses of 12 companies that had earlierbeen given the go-ahead to provide

various telecommunications services.

Chi f (M j G )P t i k A i

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Chief (Major Gen.)Patrick Aziza

He was appointed Minister of Commerce

and Tourism during the transitionalregime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

He was required by President Olusegun

Obasanjo to retire from the army in June

1999 after the return to democracy with

the Nigerian Fourth Republic, along with

other former military administrators.

Chi f (M j G )P i k A i

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Chief (Major Gen.)Patrick Aziza

He is the Present President General Of the

Urhobo Progress Union (UPU)

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REFERENCES www.wikipedia.com

http://www.osundefender.org http://thepointernewsonline.com.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/sunday-

magazine/kaleidoscope/119484-the-real-okumagba-risen-again).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ibru

http://www.mandcfoundation.org/mcfdocu/o

lorogunmconew.html).

REFERENCES

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REFERENCES

http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/princess

elizabethogbon/Subpage.aspx?mod=1. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/04/justus

-esiri-laid-to-rest/#sthash.n8O9yYJN.dpuf

http://www.senate.gov.ng/zh/senators/2012-09-27-15-49-24/delta-central/413-senator-

akpor-pius-ewherido

www.waado.org-The Life and Times of ChiefMukoro Mowoe of Warri(18901948)by

Obaro Ikime.

http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS.

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THANK YOU!

EGUONO RE URHOBO O!