INTERVIEW WITH MR PAUL OBIRE
TRIBUTE TO LATE MARITIME UNIONISM ICON – COMRADE GRAHAM BILLY OROH
INTERVIEW WITH MR PAUL OBIRE
TRIBUTE TO LATE MARITIME UNIONISM ICON – COMRADE GRAHAM BILLY OROH
Mr Paul Obire; a retiree of NPA, can aptly be described as the man who knew late President of NPA Workers Union; Comrade Graham Billy Oroh more than anyone else in the Nigerian maritime industry. Their paths met by accident in 1970 and up until the late icon of unionism in the Nigerian maritime sector breathed his last, they stayed close.The journey to Warri; Delta state by the Editor of Shipping Position Daily; Sesan Onileimo was facilitated by the national president of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents; Prince Olayiwola Shittu; who, unknown to many, was also a longstanding friend and associate of late Comrade Oroh right from their days at NPA. As a matter of fact, Prince Shittu confirmed that he cut his teeth in grass root unionism under the late Oroh. Enjoy the first part in this serial which is a tribute to Comrade Oroh, whom we never really knew.
How did you receive the news of the death of Comrade Billy Graham Oroh?
I want to say that the death of Billy Graham Oroh came as a shock in the sense that, just a few weeks to his death we spoke at length and he gave me information on the series of operations he had undergone at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital [LUTH] and that they were all successful and we were happy and I wished him speedy recovery. A colleague of mine who happened to be a protégé of G.B Oroh who is also a renowned coach in this country named; Lawrence Akpokona also called him and told him that if he recovers a little and get stronger, that they will both visit the Governor of Edo State (Comrade Adams Oshiomhole) on a courtesy visit. Little did he know that in the next one week, he would pass on. I want to say that it is a blow to someone like me, because if you say Billy is a friend then it is an understatement and if you say he is a brother, it is still an understatement. And even today (September 13, 2012), his wife called me and still referred to his late husband as my twin brother. I want to say that I did not only know Graham Billy Oroh, I knew him from his root; that is, from his very roots, both maternal and paternal. I can also claim responsibilities that also know the maternal and paternal root of his wife.
When did you actually meet Comrade Billy Oroh?
I first met Billy in 1970 when he came from Ghana, because he was born and bred in Ghana. If you recall there was time in that year when the Ghanaian government asked all foreigners, including, Nigerians to leave Ghana, it was that exodus that brought Billy back home and the first person that Graham Billy Oroh met was myself and he described himself as a footballer. The moment he said he was a footballer, I was attracted to him and looking at his dressing then, he wore a hair cut which was typical of American singers of those days and we were all attracted to him with his hair cut and in no time he earned the nickname of ‘Ashante Kotoko Police’ because of his hair style. On further interactions, I dug further to know how he became Billy Graham Oroh and it was then he opened to me that his father gave birth to him in Ghana and at that time, the father was serving a Scot; the father was either a steward or something else to the Scot and the name of the man was Billy Graham. So, because of the affection the Scot had for his father and when his father gave birth to his first son, he named him, ‘Billy Graham’ and that was how the name Billy Graham came about .When we eventually met in 1970, I remember then when he came, he was asking for Urhobo because he never knew that Uhrobo was a tribe and he asked that he was looking for Urhobo and I told that Urhobo is not a person, but a tribe. So, we were able trace his root to Ovwian; so chief Billy Graham Oroh is from Ovwian paternally and he is from Orhuvworun maternally. As at that time, they were few clubs so we started playing mercenaries football for a living and all these happened in the neighborhood of 1970 and the first mercenaries football competition that came was held in his town in Orhuvworun when they played the T.J soccer cup and he eventually enlisted me as a bona fide son of Orhuvworun for him to be able to play because Ovwian did not register for the competition so he came to the maternal side to register so we played the T.J. Soccer Cup and we won very well and we did not also stop there. We went to the Unity Press Football Club and also registered and played some competition as mercenary and it was not until April of that same year that we got employed as staff of the Ministry of Works in Warri Delta State as footballers and we were paid six and half penny; per day and we are happy with the money and when you add the money together at the end of the month, it was as much as 13 pounds and 4 shillings; per month and really we were happy with it. We do not enter taxi because as soon as we finish training, then we would go to his place in company of other Ghanaians, make meal, eat together, but, sometimes, we found it difficult to afford a meal. I remember one particular instance when we were boiling rice to eat then later, we discovered that there was no ingredient to prepare stew not to talk about meat, but Billy said something that we shouldn’t allow this rice to waste and we must eat it. So we sat down to eat this meal after the training in the morning and then we looked at it the rice was hot, but lo and behold Billy said we should add water to rice and we added some quantity of water to the rice to make it cold then I was looking at him and the rice started burning ,he was busy stirring the rice and the rice was boiling before five minutes he took a pestle to grind the rice and I asked him what he was doing and he answered this is rice water ,he also said that it was a stable food in Ghana .So he continued to stir the rice which eventually turned into oat like meal, then added sugar and milk eventually we had a lot of fun eating rice on sugar and milk, it was fun that day.
Thank you sir for this illumination, a lot of people in the maritime industry where Chief Billy Oroh became prominent did not know about him in the areas you have talked about. What level did he get to as a footballer?
Before Billy came to Nigeria, he had represented Accra Heart of Oaks as a goal keeper and was seconded to the national team of Ghana.
Billy Oroh played for the national team of Ghana?
Yes he did, he was invited for the national team and he also had a brief spell at the Cape Coast club before coming to Nigeria and when we got employed at the ministry of works in April, and in June the Ministry (because of our performances on the pitch) decided to promote seven of us to permanent staff. The letters of promotion were out in early June of1970 and at that time we had undergone an interview around June 14th of 1970 at the Nigeria Port Authority to be recruited as footballers and after the series of objective questions, I became the overall best and I was asked to resume instantly on that day and the day I went for the interview was the day I assumed. I also compiled the result of others who came for that interview and Billy came next after me. While I assumed office June 17th of 1970, Billy assumed office on the 19th of June; three days after.
Were you also a staff of Nigeria Port Authority?
Yes and as a matter of fact, I can still quote my personnel number, it is 23582 and Billy is 23587.
Where and where did you work at the NPA, I mean, which port?
We joined NPA the same time and I did not leave Warri port throughout my working life with the NPA and I left in 1981 and joined Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.
Late Comrade Oroh grew up to be a strong unionist NPA, , are you aware of this and what role did you play?
This is interesting because I want to tell you that we have a mentor whom we look up to and the person was an elder ,he happens to be Oroh’s guide and mentor whose name was Elder Rueben Omodafe. As at then he was the overall district chairman of Warri ,he started from the plant and became the overall chairman of Warri and Oroh was following his footsteps ,later became the chairman of the traffic department and as it were then ,whenever Omodafe stepped up, Oroh would step in. I was interested in the union because Oroh was involved and as a member of the union I also followed because my friend was involved and until I left NPA, I was a member of the union.
When did you leave NPA and why?
I want to say that I was not fairly treated, because after we have played series of matches in this state NPA from an unknown area, but because of our performances, we (NPA) were able to play for the Mid West region. In the sports festival of 1973 ,you will recall that Delta region showed class in all areas of the organization under Doctor S.O .Ogbemudia and of course we showed prominence and so when it came to 1977 after the first ,second and third sport festival ,NPA decided to say that because I have been coaching this team without a coaching course, they say they will sponsor me to the National Institute of Sport in Lagos and that was why I was sponsored and I went to the National Institute of Sport in Lagos ,I did the basic courses ,came out top ,NPA sponsored me for the Grade Two .I came out first as well. The best four students in the Grade Two classes were set to Germany under Technical Corporation where 30 of us were invited from 23 African and Asian and English speaking countries, then again I came out first. I was a course mate of the renowned German Super Eagles coach by name Berti Vogts, Vogts happened to be my classmate and we had same diploma together in 1979 and when I came back to NPA, I was thinking that with all of these certificates, NPA will encourage me, but they did not give anything, then I was in level six for seven years without promotion and it was based on that premise that I had to leave. Though I stayed two years after; that was from 1979 to 1981 and when I left that was when NPA realized that somebody had left. I went to the NNPC and I was employed as a coach and I retired from NNPC as a full-time coach in 2003, after 23 years of service.
What would Comrade Oroh have wanted to happen in NPA if he was still alive today?
I want to say that the period that Oroh was president was a period NPA gained its place in the committee among the corporations in Nigeria and as at then, their welfare package was fantastic and everybody was hailing Oroh and one thing I know about him, is that Oroh is so passionate and compassionate. I know how many times he was offered bribe for him to let certain issues go, instead Oroh will turn it down and he tell them that he was not there to sell his people.
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