The first ever Urhobo Unity Summit ended on Friday in the oil-rich city of Warri, with Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, saying that the Niger Delta region would not accept the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), describing it as very insulting to the people of the region.

The governor, while speaking at the two-day summit put together by the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), which was graced by eminent Urhobo sons and daughters, including former Delta State Governor, James Ibori, called for support from all and sundry to fight against the contentious bill.

He said: "We are not going to accept the Petroleum Industry Bill, we used to have oil producing communities, but that bill says communities living in oil producing areas, what else can be more insulting to the people of the Niger Delta? I want us to go home and sleep over it.

"We have been saying that royalty should be paid to oil producing communities, but the royalty in this bill does not even recognise the communities and we believe that this is unfair and we believe also that communities should participate in the ownership of the companies that are involved in oil business; but this bill does not even give room for the communities to be part of it. I must say that the bill is against the Niger Delta people and it must be resisted.

"We talk about the Petroleum University in Effurun and we have heard a lot of reactions, paid adverts; but this is not the time for paid adverts, this is the time of telling the truth as it is. We are happy that people are coming out to say it is not true and we want them to come out and give us the assurance.

"We are not going to fold our hands and watch them shortchange us, what they have given to us, we will hold on to it. God has given us a Petroleum University in Effurun and we will not allow it to go elsewhere."

According to him, it requires unity to succeed in the fight against oppression and injustice.

Hear him: "It requires you to be behind us and support what we are doing because what usually happens is that, when they see that people are moving together, attempts are made to divide them, but by the grace of God we shall not be divided."

Uduaghan enjoined the people of the state to bury ethnic distrust and live together as one, adding thatthe summit was very crucial, especially at this time in the nation.

That is even as studentsfrom the South South are poised for a show down with the Federal Government, which they gavea 14-day ultimatum to rescind its decision to downgrade the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun to the training of only middle level manpower and its plan to upgrade the Petroleum College, Kaduna to a degree awarding institution.

Besides, they vowed to embark on hunger strike and also march in Abuja to press home demands for the revocation of the policies, which they described as counter-productive.

In his address at the summit, President General of the UPU, Felix Ibru, expressed delight at putting together the talk shop.

Hear him: "In convening this first major summit of the Urhobo people in the 21st century, I,m proud to pronounce, as the current President General of the Urhobo Progress Union, that our pioneers of the 1930s and 1940s were successful in their efforts of levelling the playing field for my generation. Urhobo no longer feel that they are behind other ethnic nationalities of Nigeria in any major matrix of progress. In education and in the arts, Urhobo have blazed forth to attain national and international standards. In business, the accomplishments and contributions made by such pioneering giants as David Dafinone, Michael Ibru, and Gamaliel Onosode will serve to testify to the fact that Urhobo foundation leaders of the 1930s and 1940s planned well"

The Chairman, Organising Committee, Gamaliel Onosode said: "We have come to celebrate the unity of Urhobo people. No nation can be stronger than its constituent part. We have come to remind ourselves as a people that we are proud of this landmass known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a pity that nothing has taking place in the last 50 years in our land, but we want to enjoy our God given wealth, it should not be a curse, let us make a real progress rather than imaging one. Nigeria is not making the progress it ought to make."

Ibori pledged to serve in any capacity in the course of the emancipation of the Urhobo people. "I will serve in any capacity the Urhobo nation asks me to take in the course of emancipation of the Urhobo people", he said.