By Dr Ejiro Imuere

OYOVWEVOTU, a typical Urhobo man died two years ago (2022), but his death is tearing his siblings apart. He died as a fairly Young and Rich Urhobo man by Urhobo standards. So what is the cause of the quarrel amongst his siblings? Well the quarrel is a foundational thing, a quarrel that was inevitable, because it is a fall out of Urhobo Culture.

For a Start, Oyovwevotu's mother, called Umudjörö, was a serial Polygamist. In Urhobo Culture and Traditions, serial Polygamy is not a Taboo, for a woman, it is not an abomination. A serial polygamist is when a man or a woman had more than one marriage Partner during her lifetime but at different times. Marrying more than one husband at the same time by a woman is an abomination, in Urhobo land. But marrying them at different times is not at all.

Umudjörö, Oyovwevotu's mother married her first husband, Edafienene, and gave birth to her first child, a Son that they named, Ekpamaku. Unfortunately, she lost her husband, Edafienene, when Ekpamaku was only two years old. He died of a sudden heart attack. Thus Ekpamaku became an "Ubiomor" or an "ömövuövo". An Ubiomor or ömövuövo means an only child. While Ekpamaku was an Ubiomor to Edafienene, he was not an Ubiomor to his mother Umudjörö, because Umudjörö mourned her husband for Three years and decided to marry again.

And so after three years she married her second husband named Ughwubarovwë. Together they had Three Children a girl ( ömötë) and two other sons. This marriage lasted for 9 years and they divorced due to irreconcilable differences. Finally after two years of being divorced, she met her last husband called Ovwighoghwara. With Ovwighoghwara she birthed her "Ubrevwië"(last born), called Oyovwevotu, with whom we are concerned with this story.

But Oyovwevotu's father, Ovwighogwara, was a Polygamist. He married three other women and had a total of nine children. However, it was only Oyovwevotu that Umudjörö birthed for him. So Oyovwevotu now have Emesë, Omoni, but he does not have an "Oniovo".

Ömösë, Omoni and Oniovo are Differences literally or when transliterated, ömösë means child of my father, Omoni means child of my mother, while Oniövo means "same mother" But Contextually or when translated,

ÖMÖSË MEANS MY HALF SIBLING WITH SAME FATHER BUT DIFFERENT MOTHER.

OMONI MEANS MY HALF SIBLING WITH SAME MOTHER BUT DIFFERENT FATHER.

WHILE ONIÖVO MEANS MY FULL SIBLING SAME FATHER AND SAME MOTHER.

Hence I said above that Oyovwevotu had Emesë, Omoni, but doesn't have an Oniovo. But Umudjörö had custody of all her five children, they were always with her, she cared for them without disparity, she took care of them as if she had all of them for just one man. Oyevwevotu, being an Ubrevwië, enjoyed a lot. His mother's other Children took care of him and sponsored him to the University. HE READ APPLIED GEOPHYSICS. His father also took care of him, but not like his mother. His father's children (Emesë), also took care of him in their own little way but not as his mother's children. In terms of his education, his mother's children (Omoni), accounted for about 80% of the sponsorship, while his Emesë contributed only about 20%. So his relationship with his Omoni was that of a very strong bond, like one family. But his relationship with his Emesë is cordial.

He attended the family meetings of both sides regularly and paid his family dues to both sides, but he was more loyal to his Omoni than Emesë. He graduated as a Geophysicist, and immediately secured a job with an Oil drilling company, and with the just three years he worked, he became stupendously Rich. Consequently he bought four expensive cars for himself, and also built many houses. He built a Mansion in his mother's village, and   mansion in his father's Village. But he had other mansions and landed Properties across the country.

On the first year of his work just after he built a Mansion in his mother's village, Umudjörö his Dear mother died, and she was buried inside the mansion Oyovwevotu built. She died without an "Uvwrömö"(Grandchild).

Unfortunately three years later while traveling to resume work, Oyovwevotu died in a Car crash. He died when he wasn't yet married. He had a fiancee, Ömötëjohwo, but the union was not meant to be. Even the introduction he had not done. And so Oyovwevotu died as an "Ëga"(childless). He also died INTESTATE (without writing a will). And this is the interesting part of our STORY. Who will inherit his Cars and many mansions and landed Properties?

If his mother was alive, that would be easy. If his father was also alive that would be easy. But both are dead. If he had an "Oniovo", that would be easy. If he had a wife with Children, that would also be easy. But he died with none of these. His Siblings are his Omoni and Emesë.

His Emesë are saying that since they are of same father, that all his Properties belonged to them to inherit, including the Mansion he built in his mother's village, but however for the sake of fairness and humanity, they will concede that to his Omoni.

His Omoni are saying that his Emesë are joking and that he was their blood brother, they trained him and built him and all through his life, he loved them and was closer to them than his Emesë and so his Properties are theirs. His Emesë are saying that if his Omoni should seize his Properties, then they should not bring his corpse to the village to bury. His Omoni who took the pains to try to recover his body after he died, took him to the mortuary, and paid all his mortuary bills said they don't care that they will bury him with his mother. That his soul will rest more in Peace with his mother.

His Emesë said on the day of the burial they will attack his mother's village to recover the body of their illustrious son and give him a befitting burial besides his father. And so there is now Tension everywhere, both sides are poised for a show down.

But as an Urhobo man judges this matter, who should inherit his Properties between his Emesë and Omoni?