By Eseoghene Emuke
Immediate past Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, has described the late Ovie of Udu Kingdom in Delta State, His Royal Majesty, Barrister Emmanuel Bethel Otete Delekpe, Owhorhu I, as one of the few traditional rulers in Nigeria who used his influence and position to attract massive development to his kingdom.
Senator Omo-Agege said Owhorhu 1, while on the revered throne of Udu Kingdom, was a shining light and a father to all, irrespective of their political and religious belief, thereby making Udu one of the fastest-growing cosmopolitan cities in Delta and Nigeria at large.
Owhorhu I, who reigned for 31 years on the stool of his forebears, passed at the age of 85.
Under him, the different communities in Udu rapidly developed and linked into one city, as his reign also witnessed various federal government establishments in the kingdom.
Omo-Agege, who was the senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District between 2016 to 2023, described the passage of the monarch as a great loss to Udu Kingdom, Urhobo Nation and Nigeria at large.
In a statement by his Media Adviser, Mr. Sunny Areh, Omo-Agege described the late Ovie of Udu Kingdom as a formidable builder under whose watch the kingdom experienced rapid development.
Senator Omo-Agege said HRM Owhorhu I distinguished himself through his inventiveness and demonstrated that traditional rulers can be the pivot of development in modern times.
“The royal father superintended over the evolution of Udu into a major kingdom where its sons and daughters excelled and contributed to the development of the community. It takes wisdom, humility, and eclectic management of human resources to be able to bring his people together under one common agenda.
“HRM Owhorhu 1 was a father to all and earned the respect and loyalty of his people. He has left a legacy of service, unity, and togetherness in Udu kingdom”, Omo-Agege noted.
He said the monarch’s transition is a profound loss not only to Udu Kingdom but to the Urhobo nation at large and prayed for the peaceful repose of his soul.
