Ben Dunno, Warri
Chairman of the newly set up Ugborodo Community Interim Caretaker Committee (UCICC), Prince Perry Atete, has said that the focus of his new Exco would be to unite Ugborodo indigenes home and abroad who have been divided as a result of the lingering crises that led to the suspension of the immediate past Excos.
Prince Atete who is also the Igbajor of Ugborodo and executive member of the Ugborodo Community Council of Elders, made the statement at the inaugural general meeting of the UCICC held at Ode-Ugborodo on Saturday July 11, 2020.
According to him, the little time available to the UCICC under his watch shall be particularly used to unite the parties involved in the lingering UCT crisis who have since resorted to encumber the UCT and Ugborodo Community generally with court cases, police and EFCC investigations and social media war.
“These unfortunate developments in Ugborodo Community must stop, to enable us move forward as a people because no development can ever come in these sorts of tensed atmosphere and mutual suspicions”.
“We have to build peace and unite the community as soon as possible. This is the onerous task before us,” Prince Atete charged the UCICC executives and members, even as he thanked the entire Ugborodo Community for fully receiving the committee as demonstrated in the drumming, singing and dancing with which the special cultural troupe of the community welcomed the Chairman, executives and members of the UCICC into Ode-Ugborodo for their inaugural meeting as UCICC”.
It would be recalled that the Ugborodo Community at a general meeting of the community held at Ode-Ugborodo on July 2, 2020, took a resolution to suspend the UCICC under the Chairmanship of Mr. Austin Oboroegbeyi and in its place set up the UCICC. The community latter followed up with a 2-page Public Notices at pages 34 and 35 of the Vanguard newspapers of July 7, 2020 wherein the signed resolution and the constitution of the UCICC were published.
Part of the said resolution read: “As we all know, nature abhors vacuum and Ugborodo Community cannot afford to be without a day-to-day administrative organ.
“To this end and without prejudice to the matter in court and the ongoing police investigations into the alleged criminal diversion of Ugborodo Community funds into a private account by individuals, the Ugborodo Community Council of Elders at a well-attended interactive general meeting of Ugborodo Community held at Ode-Ugborodo on July 2, 2020 and having listened to views expressed by various attendees attendees at the meeting, resolved to invoke its constitutional powers in situations like this to immediately suspend indefinitely the said UCICC
and in its place, set up a Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of Ugborodo Community.”
Some other executive members of the UCICC are Mr. Emmanuel Tunu Onuwaje (Vice Chairman), Comrade Alex Eyengho (Assistant Secretary), Mr. Austin Ajurenmisan (Publicity Secretary) and Mr. Joseph Uwawah (Treasurer) among others.
But in a swift reaction to this move the incumbent Chairmen of the Ugborodo Community Interim Caretaker Committee (UCICC), Bar. Austin Oboroegbeyi, insisted that his mandate has not expired as the constitution that established the committee allies him three (3) years to preside over the affair of the body.
According to him, the current exco which accommodated some of the members of the group claiming his tenure had expired, was sworn in on August 3, 2019, and that implies they had just spent only a year in office.
He disclosed that even though some aggressived community members went to court in the heat of the Ugborodo crisis to challenge the composition of his excos, he said the court had not delivered any judgement concerning the matter.
“We have a three (3) years mandate as specified in the our constitution and having being inaugurated on the August 3, 2019, it means we still having till August 2, 2022 to the expiration of our tenure”.
“Anything contrary to this by any persons or group of person is non and void and of no consequence”, he stated