Osinbajo’s Delta State visit and political fallout

The visit of the Vice President, Mr.YemiOsinbajo to Delta state has come and gone but it had left in its wake  some troubling rumblings with the Urhobo Traditional Cult, which had decried  his non- visitation of any of the two Urhobo traditional rulers in Ovie Of Uvwhie and the Orodje of Okpe, especially, as his plane touched down in Okpe soil at Osubi.
Ordinarily, these protocol gaffes by the federal authorities have been interpreted as a slight on, not just the Urhobo ethnic nationality but on their traditional institutions.
Viewed against the backcloth of the Mr.YemiOsinbajo paying a courtesy call on the Olu  of Warri at his palace before coming over to the PTI where all traditional rulers had waited patiently to hear him out, they felt peeved and attempted to walk away. The timely persuasion from Governor Okowa almost saved the day but reports said that  that most of the traditional rulers returned to the PTI Hall but the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Major General , Mujakpero declined and walked away.
In supporting the perceived slight against the Urhobos, a former Minister of State Education, Chief Kenneth Gbagi expressed his anger  that the Urhobo traditional rulers were being treated like second class rulers.
The Vee Pee’s visit was meant to douse the incessant pipeline destructions, especially, in the riverine mangrove swamps of Gbaranmatu Kingdom.
If in the process, the protocol list did not envisage a backlash particularly  from  the Urhobos, who are always at each other’s   throats over who is more recognized as traditional rulers in the scheme of things in Delta state,then cold headedness should have prevailed.
From the outset, Gbaramantu Kingdom seemed to  hold  the stakes coming on the heels of what former militant leader Chief Government Ekpemupolo- TOMPOLO, symbolized in the militancy struggles of the  MEND.
If some particular ethnic group had carried the war of militancy to high heavens  with high collateral damages , where Pa Tompolo lost his life in the struggle to free the region from oppression, it was perhaps, thoughtful of the Federal government to zero in on the hardcore of the militancy in the Warri South West axis.
Having  said that, the message from the Vice President now confirmed that the Zone had been short-changed over the years
For me, that take away from the Vice President was more important than the unredeemed ethnic grievances by the warlords amongst the Izons, Itsekiris and Urhobos.
This unnecessary ego tripping by the various levels of elitist groups should now bow to the collective interests of Delta stateand its people.
We all know that Vice presidents like the  Deputy governors are merely spare tyres and they do not have the executive capacity to change the messages given by President Buhari to deliver to a target audience.
The recent brouhaha and catcalls by a section of Urhobo interests should be reserved for another day when the state government directly invites Mr. President to pay an official visit.
My only plea with Governor Okowa is to complete polytechnic projects earlier earmarked for ABOH and BOMADI under the past administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. From the progress made in Ozoropolytechnic , development had spread very fast in Isoko land. And with the impressive road networks in the upland areas of Delta state, one would like the government to continue the BomadiGbekebor road which had barely reached Esanma and Ogbeinama.
One also knows that the Bomadi- Gbekebor Road is a project being undertaken by the [NDDC] Niger Delta Development Commission.
Coming over to the state capital- Asaba, the  Township stadium renamed after former National Eagles Coach, late Stephen Keshi, would give the state capital a befitting look along with many roads linking Nnebisi dual carriage way.
The Smart Agenda is on course and it is vital that every ethnic group should be given a sense of belonging.
The people of Delta ought to listen to their governor who had persistently called for cooperation with the Federal government.
I want to appeal to the Urhobos not to over-dramatize their demographic superiority within the state.

I felt peeved when an overzealous Urhobo son, Mr. Festus OvieAgas, Secretary to the Delta state threatened to resign because the Vice President did not pay courtesy calls on either the Ovie of Uvwhie or Orodje of Okpe.
To me, it was the   height of either ignorance or the inner workings of Federal government protocol officers.
There will be time enough for each royal father to spread the red carpet to treat Buhari to private dinners.
For the avoidance of continuing intrigues amongst the triumvirate of Izons, Itsekiris and Urhobos, it will pay us more dividends if we stood together than being politically divisive with  un-healthy scrambles over crumbs from the Federal government.