The Chairman of the 2025 Urhobo Day and 94th Annual Congress, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has tasked the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) as a matter of urgency to “reinvent itself” to confront modern challenges, warning that the Urhobo nation risks losing strategic relevance in Nigeria’s evolving socio-political space.
Addressing delegates at the Urhobo Centre, Uvwiamuge–Agbarho, Emerhor said the annual congress remains “a forum for very serious Urhobo business,” stressing that while the Union has regained unity after years of internal division, urgent questions about Urhobo’s growth, visibility and competitiveness must now dominate national discourse. “The mandate of the UPU flows directly from the name: Urhobo Progress Union… the mandate is clearly Unity And Progress,” he reminded the audience.
He questioned the pace and direction of development under the Union’s long history, asking: “How much progress has the Urhobo Nation made under the leadership of the UPU, founded in 1931. Is Urhobo where it wants to be or should be? Has it lived up to the dreams and visions of its founding fathers?” Emerhor highlighted disturbing signals, including the shocking absence of Urhobo from Google’s list of major Nigerian ethnic groups. “How come… Urhobo do not even show up on the list, not even after 10 or 11 ethnic groups? Why? What?”
Calling for a collective awakening, he urged participants to move beyond celebration to deep reflection. “As we celebrate, let’s use the occasion to self-assess and reflect… to reawaken ourselves to the reality of Urhobo today in the scheme of things.” Comparing today’s circumstances with the colonial challenges that inspired the UPU’s founding, Emerhor warned that the current moment demands decisive action. “Today, the UPU faces new and comparable situations such that only decisive action will be sufficient. UPU must reinvent itself like our founding fathers did earlier for us.”
He praised the restored unity of the UPU, describing it as “one strong and united edifice,” but insisted that progress must now become the Union’s central pursuit. “Does Urhobo have its thinking and strategy cap on?” he asked pointedly, challenging leaders and youths to redefine the nation’s trajectory socially, economically and politically.
Olorogun Emerhor also urged the Urhobo nation to honour the courage of its early visionaries by confronting today’s threats with renewed purpose. “That will be a great honour to the founding fathers of the UPU… I thank you all. URHOBO WA DOO!”
