Urhobos not second-class citizens in Nigeria — Senator Dafinone

Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Ede Dafinone, has declared that the Urhobo ethnic nationality must no longer regard itself as second-class citizens in Nigeria, stressing that those occupying positions of authority owe it a duty to use their offices to uplift their own people.

Senator Dafinone made the statement on Thursday during a media parley with members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ughelli Correspondents Chapel, at the Chapel’s Secretariat in Ughelli, Delta State.

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He maintained that while leaders from other parts of the country are never apologetic about favouring their people in matters of employment and appointments, Urhobo leaders should do the same if they truly want to address the problems of unemployment and underrepresentation confronting the ethnic group.

“We are not second-class citizens in this country. If a DG or MD from another region is employing 100 people, he will take 90 from his own area. An Urhobo man should not feel afraid to employ 50 when given the same opportunity,” Dafinone stated.

The lawmaker revealed that when he first assumed office, he was initially strict about endorsing only qualified applicants seeking jobs or contracts. But over time, he realized that those who eventually secured positions were not necessarily more qualified but succeeded through persistence and connections.

“At first, I would scrutinize every paper and tell people, ‘You can’t do this job, you’re not qualified.’ But I later found out that the person who eventually got the job also had no qualifications. He went there, hustled, and got it. So now, I give the letter and tell our people: go and hustle for it too. Not everyone will succeed, but some will, and that is the risk worth taking,” he explained.

According to him, Urhobos in Abuja have gradually built a strong support network to assist others in securing employment, contracts, and appointments in government agencies.

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“We have built a network of Urhobo people in Abuja working in different offices. When I give you their names and numbers, you just tell them I sent you. The red carpet will roll out, and what could have taken you one week will take you two hours,” the Senator said.

Dafinone emphasized that his mission was not about seeking personal recognition or laying claim to leadership but about igniting a collective consciousness of Urhobo unity and progress.

“The office of the Senator representing Delta Central does not belong to me; it belongs to my people. The more I can share the instruments of power from my office, the closer we get to solving the problem of our young people. It should not be about me as an individual, but about all of us,” he added.

The Delta Central Senator further called on Urhobos holding positions of influence in Abuja and across the country to make deliberate efforts to employ at least two or three persons from their ethnic group annually, stressing that such consistent action would drastically reduce youth unemployment in Urhoboland.

“In the past, an Urhobo manager would go round begging colleagues from other regions to give him names for recruitment, as if he had no names of his own. That must change. If every Urhobo in office employs just two or three people every year, we will make serious progress in reducing unemployment among our youths,” Dafinone noted.

He disclosed that at several meetings with Urhobo stakeholders, he had been advised to create a WhatsApp group or similar platform to drive the agenda. But he resisted the idea, explaining that it might be misinterpreted as an attempt to rival the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) or to impose personal leadership. Instead, he said, he has continued to appoint ambassadors from every gathering to spread the message of Urhobo unity and empowerment.

“Every time I speak to a group of 20 or 30 Urhobo people, I tell them to go and hold their own meetings, spread the word, and carry others along. That way, it is not just my assignment. If I try to be the only one with access to Mr. President or Festus Keyamo, then I reduce the overall impact. But if all of us are champions of Urhobo progress, the results will be greater,” he stressed.

Senator Dafinone concluded by reiterating that his doors remain open to the people of Delta Central, promising to continue using his office to empower as many Urhobos as possible.

Earlier in his remarks the Chairman of Ughelli Correspondents Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Sunday Apah commanded the Senator for deeming it necessary to brief the union on his achievements in the Senate.

He pledged the Union’s commitment to continue to work closely with the office of the Senator to promote his works and activities in the Senate.