CLARIFICATION ON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE ORIGIN AND STRUCTURE OF THE URHOBO PEOPLE

-By Zik Gbemre

A video shared online by @naijafromhere (TikTok) is misleading and inaccurate. The pronunciation of Urhobo itself is incorrect, which already raises concerns about its credibility.

1. Traditional Governance and Republican Nature.
First, Urhobo society was never governed by kings under kingdoms, as seen today. Urhobo traditional society has no indigenous traditional rulership under a king. Every Urhobo person is republican in nature, with a system deeply rooted in collective leadership and elder authority in every community rather than monarchies.Urhobos are proud republicans.

2. The Okpako-Orere System.
Second, every community was led by the eldest man, known as the Okpako-Orere, who served as the head and custodian of authority in every community. This gerontocratic system has been the true foundation of Urhobo society since ancient times.

3. Colonial Creation of Clan Heads & Modern Stools.
Third, so-called "traditional rulers" and Ovie titles were not originally part of Urhobo culture and tradition. It was European colonial administrators who introduced the concept of clan heads in every clan to represent each clan when necessary.

These monarchies and kingship stools are recent creations by various state governments that grant them staff of office, meaning there is no inherent royalty in them. Unlike true historical monarchies such as King Charles III of England, who is the head of state of Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and other Commonwealth realms, there is no royalty in Urhoboland.

For instance, in Udu clan, the current Ovie of Udu is the second traditional ruler in the entire history of the Udu clan. It is amusing when some writers brand certain Urhobo traditional rulers as occupying "ancient" stool positions; there is nothing ancient about them, as they were merely clan heads without traditional stools until recent times. Even the Ovie stool in Ughelli clan, often cited as the oldest in Urhoboland, was borrowed from the Benin monarchy. Before that influence, there was no king in any part of Urhobo.

4. Borrowed Royal Titles and Vestments.
Furthermore, the recent practice of traditional rulers wearing priest robes is a borrowed culture. The title "Royal Majesty" is also borrowed from English conventions, yet used incorrectly. No Urhobo traditional ruler is royal.Even the King of England does not bear "Royal Majesty" King Charles III of England is addressed simply as "His Majesty," not "Royal Majesty," while local traditional rulers parade around in priest robes and inflated titles.Given that monarchies are not part of authentic Urhobo culture, many elites rightly believe we should do away with them altogether.

5. Institutional Structure: The Case of Ughievwen Clan.
To illustrate how authentic Urhobo traditional authority operates, consider Ughievwen Clan, where traditional chieftaincy titles in Ughievwen were never conferred by the Okobaro of Ughievwen. The Okobaro is a clan head without traditional rulership powers.

Ughievwen historically has four distinct traditional institutions, which remain active to this day:

* Ade
* Ebor
* Igbu-Otor
* Igbu-Eshovwi. His Highness C.E. Ugen, who was the most renowned and famous Okobaro of Ughievwen in history, never conferred a chieftaincy title on anyone during his reign, regardless of how wealthy or influential they were.Whenever individuals approached Okobaro Ugen for chieftaincy titles, he advised them to go through any of these four traditional institutions. Furthermore, one had to possess direct blood links in Ughievwen to deserve a title from any of them. Any other chieftaincy titles in Ughievwen outside these four institutions are entirely borrowed.
6. Strengthening Urhobo National Leadership and Representation.
Urhobo should enhance the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) as the only established institution to represent the entire Urhobo and speak for all the Urhobo clans and people. Urhobo should dust the files and go the drawing board to study the era of : Omorohwovo Okoro, Mukoro Mowoe, Thomas Erukeme, John Okpodu, Thompson Salubi, Jabin Obahor, Patrick Tabiowo, Udi Shakarho, Frederick Esiri, Daniel Okumagba, Johnson Ukueku. This era Urhobo was well respected and recognised

We should be careful not to accept or promote misinformation from outsiders who lack a proper understanding of Urhobo history and culture, nor should we sanitize modern inventions as ancient tradition.

Zik Gbemre
October 28, 2026

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