By Ambrose Ologide
The All Progressives Congress,APC
member representing Warri South Constituency II at the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief (Hon) Benson Obire has denied media report credited to him on the removal of the bill board of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU ) in UPU Hall along Okere Road , Warri.
The law maker in a statement tilted : HON (CHIEF) BENSON OBIRE WAS NEVER PART OF ANY AGREEMENT TO REMOVE UPU BILLBOARD FROM UPU HALL PREMISE, issued in Warri made available to newsmen at the weekend stated among other things that ‘ As a bonafide son of Agbarha-Warri Kingdom, and an Urhobo of Warri, I owe my Kingdom and her people the responsibility to defend our rights, at every given time and circumstances and for those who know me well, they know what I stand for as far as the struggle of Agbarha-Warri Kingdom and the Urhobos of Warri is concerned, and no amount of falsehood can change it.
For the avoidance of doubt, The stakeholders security meeting I attended along with others at the Warri South Local Government Council, never reached any decision or conclusion to remove the Billboard from the premises
of UPU Hall along Okere Road, Warri.
Any publication that states that there was such collective decision to have the UPU Billboard removed from that premises is a dubious lie conceived, fabricated, incubated and hatched from deceitful hearts and cooked up from the pit of hell.
” The singular reason I and other stakeholders attended that meeting was to ensure that there was no renewed breach of the peace we have been enjoying in Warri for some time now and the issue of concern for which the said meeting was called, was the fear of potential security breach that could escalate from the destruction of the Billboard erected at the UPU Hall” the statement added.
Obire who condemned the removal of the bill board in the statement remarked that “It is sad to note that somebody or some persons just woke up to cook up such hellish lies to drive their hidden agenda home. It is unfortunate for people to allow themselves to be used as instruments or agent of oppression and deceit.
” To set the records straight, we from Agbarha-Warri Kingdom and other Urhobo stakeholders who attended the meeting were met with RUDE SHOCK when in the said meeting, the convener(s) raised the issue of WADO CITY as against the damage done to the UPU Billboard, which was the bone of contention.
” It is on record that when I stood to speak, I categorically asked, why the issue of WADO CITY was being illegally smuggled into the meeting when the Billboard in question had no inscription of WADO CITY on any part of it.
” I also questioned the ulterior intention and, or motive of the faceless hoodlums who went to destroy the said Billboard in the name of fighting against WADO CITY Advocacy when there was no element of relationship between the Billboard and WADO CITY Advocacy”the statement added.
The statement further added that ” I made it clear in the meeting that the best and only way forward is for there to be mutual respect. A situation where a group is trying to Lord over other groups will never be a solution, and whatever is built on lies and, or falsehood will doubtlessly crash. ‘
It is imperative to state that the UPU Hall, popularly known as Urhobo Cultural Centre has been there for decades, and it is general knowledge that, the portion of land where the UPU Hall is domiciled, is clearly in Otovwodo, and Otovwodo is in Agbarha-Warri Kingdom, and that should not pose any threat to anyone individual or group of people whose hearts are sincere and void of deceit.
‘Several Billboards of Urhobo interest have over the years been erected in the same premises of UPU Hall, over the years, including, The passing on, and burial arrangements of foremost Urhobo Leader, Late Gen. David Ejoor and didn’t raise any dust.
‘The question now is why this sudden attack on the UPU Billboard? Perhaps there is something hidden, which is shameful to disclose that the perpetrators of the destruction of the Billboard and their sponsors are finding hard to tell the public.
It is sheer crookedness and a most shameful act for people to hide their hidden agenda in the name of calling a security meeting, and turning it into a channel of cheap blackmail and distortion of facts; and worst still, to impose personally cooked up lies on innocent and unsuspecting stakeholders.
” I hereby advisedly encourage every concerned stakeholder to disregard that documented lie in its entirety as it does not in any way reflect or represent the actual outcome of the meeting in question”
May I also use this opportunity to advise anyone who is trying to use their privileged position to establish falsehood and perpetuate oppressive schemes to quickly have a rethink, and know that such positions and their accompanying privileges are temporary.
For FINAL Emphasis, Let it be known that there was never a time in the said security meeting where it was agreed that the Billboard should be removed from the UPU Hall premises .
“Even when the Ostrich buries it’s head in the ground, its whole body is still shamefully visibly, because the end of all forms of lies and falsehood is shame
Let’s be guided for the good of all of us.”
