OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE GREAT UGHELLI KINGDOM
UGHELLI-URHIE: HISTORY, TRADITION AND ANCESTRAL IDENTITY
The attention of the Great Ughelli Kingdom has been drawn to recent attempts to question or distort the historical and traditional identity of Odorubu, Uduophori and Ofoni in relation to the Great Ughelli Kingdom.
For the avoidance of doubt, the position of the Kingdom is clear:
Odorubu, Uduophori and Ofoni are historically and traditionally connected to the Great Ughelli Kingdom, notwithstanding their present geographical and administrative locations within Patani Local Government Area and Bayelsa State respectively.
Administrative boundaries are products of governance and can change with time. Traditional identity, ancestral history and the authority of established traditional institutions are matters rooted in generations of history and cannot be erased by the drawing of modern political boundaries.
This is precisely why the historical expression “Ughelli-Urhie” remains significant.
The Great Ughelli Kingdom therefore urges all concerned to approach matters of history and tradition with the seriousness, dignity and respect they deserve. History should be studied, preserved and defended with facts—not reconstructed to accommodate convenient narratives.
Our ancestors left a history.
Our forefathers preserved a tradition.
Our communities carry that heritage.
And succeeding generations have the responsibility to protect it.
No present-day geographical boundary can, by itself, rewrite an established ancestral history.
The Great Ughelli Kingdom will continue to uphold, preserve and defend its historical heritage and traditional identity with dignity and respect for all neighbouring communities and peoples.
Let those who wish to challenge history first consult the records, the traditions and the ancestral accounts.
Facts remain facts.
History remains history.
Tradition remains tradition.
And where history has already spoken, there is no wisdom in attempting to silence it.
UGHELLI-URHIE!
OUR HISTORY. OUR HERITAGE. OUR IDENTITY.
Ajuwe! Ajuwe!! Ajuwe!!!
Long live His Royal Majesty, HRM Dr. Evang. Wilson Ojakovo Oharisi III, JP+++
The Ovie of the Great Ughelli Kingdom.
Long live the Great Ughelli Kingdom.
Long live the Urhobo Nation.
Prince Oharisi Ezekiel Aghoghopia
Comments