UPU - ESE GAM'S COWARDICE IS GETTING OUT OF HAND
-By Zik Gbemre
President General of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Ese Gam Owe's public speech that Itsekiri people are friends of Urhobo people is very unfortunate.
Olu of Itsekiri and people never saw Urhobos as their friends. Ejiro Imuere is right to have criticised Ese Gam, President General Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) in his video.
Thank you Ejiro Imuere for standing bold to condemn Ese Gam. Ese Gam's led UPU speech is his personal opinion and not opinion of Urhobo people.
Itsekiri Olu and his people have always played a spoiler game whenever Urhobo agitated for proper creation of Delta state. Just recently with agitation of new states Itsekiri people came up with Warri state to play a spoiler game.
As said by Ejiro Imuere, Itsekiri Olu and people were against the creation of Midwest region. They played the same spoiler game when Babangida was to create Delta state which led to Asaba being the capital city of Delta.
Itsekiri people prefer to travel from Ogidigben and Benin River to Asaba. When Shell wanted to construct Osubi Airstrip Itsekiri Olu and people kicked against the Airstrip at Osubi which they now use.
Itsekiri Olu and Itsekiri people are never friends of the Urhobo. Agreed Isokos are our brothers and close neighbours. Agreed Ijaws are our friends and neighbours but Itsekiris have been playing negative roles for any perceived development of Warri and environs.
Itsekiri people started burning of houses in Urhobo dominated areas in Warri city. Itsekiri started with burning of Chief E.K Clark house in Warri GRA and later burnt the entire houses in Okumagba Avenue and Eboh road down to Okere-Urhobo community in Warri city.
Urhobos refused to retaliate. As said by Benjamin Okumagba who became Orosue of Okere-Urhobo Warri Kingdom that Urhobos can't burn their own property. It is like the story of the two women claiming mother of a baby that resulted one of the women to have told King Solomon that the baby should be shared into two while the real mother of the child said the baby should be given to another woman who wanted the baby to be killed.
Itsekiri Olu and people have demonstrated that they are not friends of the Urhobos and there is no need to bend the matter. Ese Gam Owe spoke for himself and not for Urhobo people. No Urhobo patriot will make that statement that Itsekiri people are friends of Urhobo people. How?
Ese Gam's statement is a disgrace to himself and Urhobo people. Where are those politicians who aided Ese Gam to be elected PG UPU? Shame on Ese Gam for making that careless statement that Itsekiris are friends of Urhobo people.
Every Itsekiri person hates Urhobo tribe and no pretence about it. Itsekiri people won't make such comments that Urhobos don't hate Itsekiris. Where was Ese Gam when Itsekiri youths damaged UPU headquarters building at Okere road, Agbarha-Warri?
Till date Itsekiri Olu and elders didn't apologise for the damaged they caused in UPU headquarters building and here Ese Gam is saying that Urhobos are not hated by Itsekiri people. There are a lot of evidences to prove that Itsekiri people hate Urhobo people.
Ese Gam should not use his personal relationship to say that Itsekiri people don't hate Urhobo. Itsekiri will like Ese Gam's kind of person because he is a coward and lacks the courage to speak the truth by telling lies that Itsekiri people don't hate Urhobo people.
Urhobo people understand that Itsekiri people are not the friends of Urhobo people.
Shame on Ese Gam. Urhobo traditional rulers and elites should call Ese Gam to order and stop him from further making careless statement.
It's such cowardice and negligent leadership being displayed by Ese Gam led UPU in the face of provocation from unruly ethnic neighbours that allowed nonentities like woman wrapper Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan and Diden (Ejele) to dare challenge Urhobo to a fight over ownership of Sapele.
Ese Gam is a Sapele Boy, Agbon man from Eku Town of Urhobo who should understand the history of Sapele. Even when litigation trailed the Sapele ownership challenge from Istekiri in the past, at no time have they acted the drama manifesting their false claims in the installation of an 'Olaraja'.
But we have a redundant UPU PG, Ese Gam who lives right in Sapele and watching all the insults and audacity of the Istekiri. And all he had to say, even so belatedly is that Itsekiris don't dislike Urhobos. What psychophancy?
And when I call Ibori for causing the humiliation Urhobo suffers in the hand of minority neighbours, some say I'm being too hard on the Ex-Convict.
Who was Emmanuel Oritejolomi Uduaghan and Diden (Ejele) before Ibori became governor in 1999? Were they prominent residents in Sapele? Who knew them in Sapele city who have the Omatseyes among the prominent Itsekiri residents?
These people understood interethnic harmony and knew who owned the land. They never raised any conflict.
But who raised the timid Ejele and Emmanuel Oritejolomi Uduaghan to the extent they're now emboldened to flex muscles with Okpe, indeed Urhobo over ownership of Sapele? Is it not Chief James Ibori?
Urhobo needs courageous leaders as President General of UPU and not cowards who are afraid of their own shadows like Ese Gam.
Zik Gbemre
February 21,2026
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