The UPU-UK Team
Chief Ejiro Ughwujabo
National President, UPU-UK
Message from the President
We are here to serve you
Welcome to the website of Urhobo Progress Union (UK), we are delighted that you are using this medium to find out about us as a community with a primary objective of brotherhood and pursuit of the advancement of Urhobo. I hope that you find our website insightful and engaging. If at any stage you want more information about the range of activities we undertake or support we offer to members of our community do not hesitate to contact us.
One of our key objectives is to ensure every member of the Urhobo community in the UK is able to enjoy our rich culture and community spirit. This website is intended to help facilitate this while also providing information on the Urhobo nation. I look forward to seeing you at one of our meetings or numerous events. God bless you.
About UPU
Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) is the apex socio-cultural organisation for the Urhobo with a stated purpose of promoting the rich Urhobo culture, tradition, building strength in unity, good neighbourliness, educational, social and economic advancement of Urhobo people worldwide.
UPU is a non-partisan and non-religious organisation. It is the primary structure and the voice of the Urhobo people with over four million population in the Delta State of Nigeria and in the Diaspora.
UPU was founded in 1931 when it was first called Urhobo Brotherhood Society, it was later incorporated as the Urhobo Progress Union UPU in 1946.
Find our more about UPU
You can contact us to find out more about the union and our activities
About UPU-UK
UPU(UK) is a registered branch of UPU
We are open to all sons and daughters of Urhobo to register to become a member. As a community-based organisation, we have an aspiration to acquire charity status while engaging in initiatives to promote the welfare on the Urhobo community in the United Kingdom.
The primary focus of UPU(UK) is to create a space where members can enjoy brotherhood and togetherness. We will work to enhance the knowledge of the Urhobo language, culture, arts and heritage. We provide activities which will meet the needs of wide range of members and their families, this will include, but not exclusively, annual Urhobo day, community events, conferences on range of issues which support good physical and mental health, economic advancement here in the UK and in Urhobo land. We organise social events, quizzes, competitions, conferences and a host of other activities to promote our togetherness. We also participate in member’s events as part of showcasing our rich heritage and community spirit.
Our youth community deliver a series of activities which are aimed at fostering friendship while providing opportunity to learn about our culture.
We provide educational support for members of the community or the general public who want to learn how to speak, read and write Urhobo. Through our cultural enrichment programme, we offer learning in areas such as Urhobo wrapper tying, cooking, presentation of kola nut and other key aspect of our tradition.
We understand the importance of being effective and having a positive impact, so we will continue to create more initiatives which help us to achieve our major objective around promoting communal integration, cohesion, advancement and cultural identity.
Our Objectives
- To foster the spirit of love, mutual understanding and brotherhood among Urhobo people, good relations with neighbouring people and Nigerians in general.
- To encourage the educational development of Urhobo people.
- To acquire, by way of grant, purchases, loans or otherwise, concessions, right or property or privileges from any Government for the purpose of achieving the aims and objectives of the union.
- To work for mutual understanding and cooperation between Urhobo people and the UK Government.
- To project and always protect the Urhobo personality everywhere.
- To preserve and promote the culture and tradition of the Urhobo Nation.
- To offer political, economic and social direction to the Urhobo Nation in National, States and Local matters affecting Urhobo interest.
- Any other general-purpose ancillary to and or connected with the aims and objectives of this union.
Urhobo National Anthem
Urhobo e, Orere r’Ivie san
Urhobo eh, Orere r’Ivie san
Obo r’Urhobo je vwe na
Aso’fa je vwe otio ye-eh
Ẹdẹfa me cha’kpọ
Urhobo me wha rhe
Urhobo e e e e, Orere r’Ivie sa-a
Arioma e eh
The meaning of the Urhobo anthem
Urhobo, land of multitudes
Urhobo, land of freedom
My love for Urhobo
Surpasses that for any other land
Whenever I reincarnate
Will do so in Urhobo land
Hail Urhobo
Land of multiples and freedom
We should understand one another