Why Some of my Kinsmen Don’t Want Me to be Odionwere – Rtd PS, Osayande Ugiagbe

…Reveals Reasons Behind the Feud in his Community
By Martha Dike, Clarence Uwa and Uyi Edomwonyi
For a man who served the state merritoriously in various capacities and made tremendous impact through public service, one would normally expect that his people would throw the city gate open in celebration of such a personality when they retire and come back to their roots to render communal service.
However, while many of his people personally admired him for his commitment to his ideal of lifting his people out of squalor and his commitment to humanitarianism, a few others wanted him out of the way for their selfish reasons.
However, for Mr Osayande Ugiagbe, the sound of the dance of an unhealthy welcome party in some quarters of his Isiohor community does not deter him a bit, even as some of his kinsmen saw his arrival as a clog in the wheel of their progress, especially as in reference to their dealings as it pertained to communal Land.
Pa Osayande Ugiagbe, a refined gentleman believes that land is a blessing from God that should be used for development of a place and the upliftment of the people who are the tillers of the land.
For some others, however, land should all be traded off, and the people, as the owners of the land, are not factored in.
Appointed as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Commerce and Industry, Civil Service Commission, Environment and Natural Resource, PS/Chairman, Board of Internal Revenue and retired in 2009, Mr Ugiagbe is in a class of people who have implicit trust in what benefits comes from cultivating the land and using the proceeds to develop a community and by extension, a nation.
During the Military regime, Elder Ugiagbe also served as Chairman, Esan West LGC, and handed over to a Civilian Regime. His records while in service is an eloquent testimony of the life of a public administrator per excellence.
On retirement as PS, he was appointed as Chairman, Edo State House of Assembly Service Commission, and that was his last post in public service.
As the eldest man in Isiohor Community, it was said to be time for him to become the Odionwere, a title for the eldest man in a community, but it appears some persons had sworn not to let Pa Ugiagbe bring his sophisticated lifestyle to community Governance, particularly as he has a penchant for not cutting corners.
Hon. Kerry Edobor, a member of the community, told the reporters that “‘Pa Ugiagbe has a lifestyle that endears him to many, even if a few see it as offensive. He will not cut corners or hide the truth under a bushel. It is only people who have skeletons in their cupboards that would find his personality repulsive. This is a man who continues to empower people and straighten crooked paths. If he leads his community as Odionwere, it is just a continuation of the public service he rendered as a top government functionary in various capacities. His leadership will be just, his leadership will attract government presence and goodwill to his people. Why would they not want such a man to lead? It is his entitlement, bequeathed to him from his forebears.”
Pa Ugiagbe told journalists that he hated the idea of people waking up to sell off communal lands without recourse to development activities coming to different areas in the state.
“Some of my kinsmen have no other excuse why they hated the idea of my humble self playing my role as Odionwere of Isiohor community. It irritates their demons that someone would one day ask them to stop and reason with him on the need to sell communal lands with caution. But it is well. There actions cannot stop a divine order.” The statesman said.
The Palace of the Oba of Benin and the Edo State Government had canceled the activities of CDAs, and Pa Ugiagbe is worried that some persons have constituted themselves into a kind of CDA to sell off communal lands, even to the extent of selling lands where families had buried their dead.
“In 2021, after the demise of the Odionwere of Ishiohor, Pa Egboigbe Imaisogie, the next surviving elder, Elder John Iserhienhen became sickly, he was of the same lineage with the group of people who are causing crisis in the community. They capitalized on his state of health to take over the community, reenacting the activities of the disbanded CDA.
Henry Osawaru had run away, came back and remained an elder after performing the rites.
While I held the forte as second in command, I kicked against some of the things they engaged in. I brought in innovations. There were no health centres, markets, schools and other public utilities, and I drew the attention of Government to all these and gradually, life began to look brighter in the community.
On his part, Victor Edo Ugiagbe(Odion) had relocated to another community where he declared himself Odionwere. He began to betray me and work with others to ensure I did not become the Odionwere. That is where we are at the moment.”
Pa Ugiagbe is optimistic that these groups of his kinsmen would come to terms with the current realities of the times and understand that land is as useful to a community as a palm tree is to a palm wine tapper and end the era of illicit sale of communal Land.
The reporters were yet to get across to the other parties in the disputes as at the time of filing this report.