Benin, once known as Igodomigodo, was
the kingdom of rulers who regarded themselves as sky-kings, those whose
divine rule is derived from the sky – Ogiso. At the eclipse of this
dynasty, there was still no authentic heir to the throne, Owodo; the
last of the Ogisos was desperate for a successor. His only heir,
Ekaladerhan, being the son of an unfavoured queen (Arukho), had little
or no prospect of succeeding his father as he was entrapped in a web of
palace intrigues with the sole aim of depriving him succeed his father.
A plot purported to be the wish of the gods was eventually hatched to eliminate him.
The
executioners, sensing intrigue and betrayal, spared his life. He
secretly sojourned westward into a community the Binis called Uhe (Ife).
At Uhe (Ife), he assumed the title of Oduduwa (I have sought my path of
prosperity). Back home, the last of the Ogisos died without producing a
heir to his throne. During the period of interregnum, a republican
called Evian as administrator of the kingdom was succeeded by Ogiamien
who became overzealous and ambitious. He wanted to perpetuate Evians
hegemony in Benin. In order to sustain the age old tradition of
primogeniture, the elders resolved to set up a search party to trace the
whereabouts of Ekaladerhan, the only surviving heir of Ogiso Owodo.
The
elders, headed by Oliha, who were opposed to the overbearing nature of
Ogiamien, were resolute to invite Ekaladerhan home to take over his
rightful position as heir apparent. It became evident that the system of
succession (father to son) had been the culture of the Binis since
inception. It is therefore obvious there was an existing kingdom under
the rule of the Ogisos before the establishment of Eweka I dynasty.
It
is also beyond doubt that this practice had been with the Binis before
the establishment of the present dynasty of which Erediauwa is the 38th
Oba in an unbroken succession since Eweka I in 900AD.
A delegation
of nobilities, under the leadership of Oliha, eventually arrived at
Ile-Ife and implored Ekaladerhan to return to Benin. At the time the
emissaries reached him, he yelled in excitement, ‘Ewore ka,’ meaning the
nucleus or the source, heart or soul of the flow will never go dry. He
was assured of his safety and the hope of making him the ruler of the
kingdom. The aged prince refused the invitation and promised that he
would rather delegate power to one of his sons.
Oba of Benin
Ekaladerhan’s refusal to honour the elders’ invitation could be subject
to many interpretations. Firstly, he must have become so old that he
felt it unreasonable to move to Benin. Secondly, he had adapted himself
to the culture of his new environment that he would prefer to remain.
He was, in fact, the leader of the community as a result of his ingenuity and prowess in all aspects of community enterprise.
Thirdly, he probably wanted to abide by the pledge he made that he would not set his foot on the Benin soil again.
However,
Ekaladerhan entrusted his son, Oranmiyan, into the care of Oliha who
had promised to ensure his protection. Oranmiyan’s reign in Benin was
short-lived. His departure from Benin was dictated by two factors. One,
he was greatly embarrassed by the opposition of Ogiamien and his
adherents.
Two, Oranmiyan’s cultural background was in conflict with the custom and tradition of Binis.
On
his way back to Ile-Ife, Oranmiyan had a short stay at Ego where he
impregnated Erhinmwinde, the daughter of the Enogie. This affair
resulted in the birth of Eweka 1.
Femi Fani Kayode’s write up in
Sunday Vanguard of May 26, 2013 at pages 20-21 entitled, ‘Who are the
Yoruba People?,’ was quite interesting.
But while discussing the
Ife-Benin relationship, like some others before him, he too fell into a
similar error by referring to old Benin Empire as one of the kingdoms
established by Oduduwa’s progeny. He also wondered how the name Yoruba
came about. Mr. Femi Fani Kayode, a lawyer and former minister, is
probably influenced by a vengeful clique of revisionist theorists and
court jesters commissioned to deliberately rewrite the history of the
Yoruba vis-à-vis Ife/Benin relationship to assuage the hurt ego of some
monarchs in search of contemporary political relevance. History has
today, therefore, become an intellectual pawn in the pen and armour of
ethnocentrics as forerunners of empire builders and irredentist
adventurers.
I would, therefore, proceed by avoiding historical
pitfalls which has become the lot of some bubbling Afrocentrics who
seize every opportunity to re-invent myths as favourable facts of
history.
YORUBA is not originally a Yoruba word. Rather, it is a
corruption of Iyoya rruoba (I have gone to pay my homage to the Oba). It
is a Bini word corrupted into Yoruba which Fani Kayode queried. He
wrote “yet the fact of the matter is that the word ‘Yoruba’ has no
meaning in our language or any other language that is known to man.… For
all we know it could even be a deep and ancient insult….”
Ife
sources are founded on a mythology of how Oduduwa descended by the use
of a chain from the sky and, dispatched his seven sons to found the
various Yoruba kingdoms including that of Benin but they are not able to
prove whether they are talking about Orunmila or Oduduwa
(Ekaladerhan).Benin was never a kingdom created by Oduduwa; rather, the
kingdom had existed long before the coming of Oranmiyan who impregnated
ERINMWINDE, the daughter of Enogie of Egor, and gave birth to Eweka 1,
the founder of the present dynasty in Benin.
On Erediauwa,
Professor Jacob Olupona, in his book, ‘Ile-Ife: City of 201 gods’,
launched on Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at the Institute of
International
Affairs, Lagos, wrote, in part: “The story established the sacred
origin of Benin kingship …a kingship relationship between Benin and Ife
kingdoms”. Benin later took on a more radical form of a sacred kingship
than that which exists in Ile-Ife. Benin became an obsolete monarchy,
with the first son of the reigning Oba named as the heir apparent.
This
was not a later development, it was for this purpose a search party
went to look for Oduduwa. Benin does not owe its origin to Oranmiyan.
Benin
(Beny) is a Portuguese name after which was named the Bight of Benin in
view of its political, economic influence and value by the Portuguese
on trade missions.
“Ile-ibinu, the land of anger,” that Prof. Olupona claimed had become Benin’s permanent name is in no way applicable.
Oranmiyan
was not taken to Benin to change any of the existing traditions. He was
in no position by any stretch of imagination to change the name of the
kingdom from Igodomigodo to Ile-Ibinu.
However, no parent would abandon a dangerous and turbulent project and request his son to take over.
A
transplanted Bini/Yoruba origin in transit, whose grip on the
social/cultural life of the people was fragile, could not suddenly
assume the position of a magnificent ‘patron saint’ whose imprecate
profanity becomes an insignia for a rooted kingdom that flourished
centuries before. And what is the existing anthropological support for
adaptation of a foreign name for an unconquered people of a different
culture who speak a different language? The same concept is applicable
in the choice of name by Oranmiyan’s son who later assumed the title of
Eweka. Eweka I was now a product of Benin socio-cultural environment
which means he was able to speak in his mother tongue. He was never
brought up in the Yoruba environment. It was more likely his utterance
was in Benin language, EWOREKA, which his father chose for him instead
of a foreign word, Owo mika, adulterated as Eweka that is more relevant
in meaning to the circumstances of his choice as Oba.
Nevertheless,
the Yoruba influence in Benin is more in the areas of worship of
deities, Shango, Ogun, Sonpona, Orunmila which filtered into Benin over
the years including Ogboni cult which is still very vibrant in Benin.
Binis culturally practice ANCESTRAL worship. Worship of deities was
borrowed from the Yoruba. Ancestors are the gods they serve.
During
the reign of Ewuare the Great in the 13th century, the city was renamed
Edo. The Portuguese, during the reign of Esigie in the 15th century,
called the city Beny (Benin) (Papiva da Beny) which in Portuguese meant
broad road of the city of Benin.
Papiva was corrupted to
Akpakpava, the road that once housed the Catholic Cathedral established
in the 15th century, now known as Aruosa Church where the Oba
occasionally worships.
Professor Olupona raised a pertinent issue
when he asserted that “…the institution of sacred kingship ….is part of
the royal cult of Benin mysticisms, indeed more than any other kingship
system in Nigeria. Benin rituals, art and ideology of kingship
demonstrate the importance of sacred power for the preservation of
kingship.”
He continued “…part of Benin’s continuing enigma is
that the city’s centre cannot be unfolded, especially by outsiders, a
dilemma that caused Oranmiyan (an outsider) to vacate the throne and
replace himself with a son born of a Benin woman (an insider). The
inherent tension in the “insider-outsider” conflict remains part of
Benin’s identity today”.
The professor’s remark merely confirms
the fact that at no time did the Binis make the mistake of transplanting
an outsider for such an important assignment after a long history of
the practice of primogeniture (of a son succeeding his father). In
actual fact, it was in sustenance of this tradition that a search team
was dispatched in search of Ekaladerhan who later assumed the title of
Oduduwa.
Still, on the Ife/Benin relationship, the American-based
professor of history wrote “…… a kingship relationship between Ife and
Benin, although Benin later took on a more radical form of sacred
kingship than that which exists in Ile-Ife. … Benin became an absolute
monarchy with the son as the heir apparent whereas in Ile-Ife the
kingship rotates among its ruling lineages…”
If in Ile-Ife the
kingship rotates among its ruling lineages, it means it is still passing
through the traditional crucible to attain a later, more acceptable
monarchical system where the throne passes from father to son as
practiced in Benin and parts of Europe like Britain, Netherlands, Spain
etc., as relics of absolute monarchy.
Every system has its checks
and balances. Benin system, for example, allows the heir apparent to be
one of the seven kingmakers, while the Ezomo is third in the hierarchy
after the Oba, and the Iyase, with his kingdom at Uzebu, doubles as the
general officer commanding the Benin forces at Obadan. This was a form
of a diarchy which Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first president, was
proposing in 1974 as a system to curb military incursion into political
power.
In my rejoinder to Zik’s proposal for which he was
grateful, I reminded him that diarchy had been in our traditional system
as far back as the 13th century during the reign of Ewuare and that it
was not an innovation. I also reminded him that military incursion had
been in our traditional system of governance. I told him of how at the
death of Atiba, Alafin of Oyo, in 1859 and was succeeded, contrary to
custom, by his son Adelu, the crown prince, the powerful Are Onakankanfo
of Ijaye, in defence of the tradition and constitution, rose to defend
the constitution as a war general.
In the true sense of it, this
was the first attempted military coup in Africa and it was in Yoruba
land. The powerful Are of Ijaye refused to recognize Adelu as Alafin for
he ought to have committed suicide on the death of his father in
accordance with tradition.
This eventually compounded the Yoruba wars similar to the 30 years of the war of Europe of the 17th century.
Africa,
indeed the black race, has its history of origin, empires, kingdoms and
nation-building before the coming of the white men.
Recently,
Professor Wole Soyinka was at the palace of the Oba of Benin in pursuit
of his project : The meeting of two empires (powers): Benin and
Portugal, in the early 15th century when the pope, by the Papal bull of
demarcation, divided the world between Spain and Portugal, the then two
world powers. This act enabled them discover other empires and founded
new settlements in their imperial and mercantile quest to conquer the
world of the astronomers.
Benin, which fell within the axis of the
Portuguese, was the first place within what is now Nigeria, in Africa
to be visited by any European in 1478.
Ukuakpolokpolo Erediauwa
the Oba of Benin in his book: ‘I remain, Sir, Your Obedient Servant’,
wrote in chapter 36, at page 205: “…Before the advent of Oranmiyan, the
‘kings’ that ruled the people who became known as Edo or Benin were
called ‘Ogiso’ derived from the description Ogie n’ oriso (meaning king
in heaven).
This is to confirm that the old Benin Empire had long
flourished ever before the recall of Ekaladerhan. This was the situation
that led to the relationship between Ife and Benin in which Oduduwa a
Benin prince once known as Ekaladerhan had to send his last son
Oranmiyan as his successor to the Benin throne, having established fully
his roots and tentacles in Ile-Ife … Ife people today perform a ritual
festival that re-enacts the events that caused the original settlers
including their village head to flee from Ife when Ekaladerhan (or
Oduduwa) became the head of the community”
In 1897, the British
conquered Benin, dethroned the monarch and exiled him to Calabar. The
monarch, Ovonramwen, later settled into normal life. He had additional
children partly of Efik descent. If back home there was probably no
resilient traditional institution to recapture the past when he died in
1914 and a team was dispatched to search for his children, though of
Efik cultural background, would it be correct or proper to record that
the Binis had asked the Obong of Calabar to send them a prince to rule
over them? This analogy would draw a parallel in Ife/Benin relationship
and assist contemporary historians of ethnocentric bias a more
acceptable view of the origin of the Benin monarchy.
When Femi
traced the Yoruba route of migration from Egypt/Saudi Arabia through
Bornu to the present day Western Region of Nigeria, the abode of the
Yoruba, little perhaps did he know about the recent discovery of Igbale
Aiye. This community, located in Akpotoku Ketu (commune de ketou),
Republic of Benin, is said to be 450,000 years old.
It is also
projected in significance to host the first inhabitants of the planet
earth “where the builders of the pyramid of Egypt came from”.
The success of this project, sooner or later, will reverse all existing Eurocentric views about Africa as the “Black continent”.
The
kingdom of the sky-kings was Igodomigodo. During the era of the warrior
kings, it became Edo and later Benin Empire expanding as far as
Republic of Benin, Lagos to the west and across the Niger to Onitsha in
the east. The Oba of Benin starting from Ogiso dynasty was known as
Ukuakpolokpolo Omo n’ Ogie, i.e., the anointed, processed and purified.
The subsidiary kings were known simply as Ogie … of this or that.
After
the amalgamation and the creation of provinces, the traditional rulers
of Western Region generally were referred to as Obas for the
administrative convenience of the colonial masters. Bight of Benin was
descriptive of Benin’s political and economic influence in pre-colonial
Africa. The Oba is still referred to as Omo. Benin pre-historic events
are on display every year at the Oba’s yearly Ugie festivals. Since it
is a yearly traditional ritual, it is a living history to which all are
always invited.
What makes this marg from Red O
Restaurant in Los Angeles worth a C note? Three extra añejo tequilas and
an edible-gold-and-kosher-salt rim!
He
wants them to discuss the stalemate over the monthly Federation Account
Allocation. State Commissioners for Finance had walked out of the FAAC
meeting on Thursday in Abuja. Jang is disputing last month’s election of
Amaechi for a second term as chairman of the NGF.
Bayero
escape death last year when his convoy was attacked by gunmen in the
ancient city. Thousands of horses took part in the special durbar to
mark the emir’s golden jubilee. The colourful ceremony, conducted amidst
tight security, saw major roads leading to Bayero’s palace cordoned off
by security while only accredited personalities were allowed into the
arena.
Obadare,
the blind Akure-based evangelist, the second officially recognized
Apostle by the Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, after Apostle Joseph Ayo
Babalola noted for his monthly Koseunti Crusade, until his death devoted
most of his time teaching the Bible and winning souls for the Kingdom
of God. He was in ministry for about six decades, eagerly committed to
soul winning.
Oviemo,
medical doctor and internationally acclaimed Nigeria Army inventor who
spoke yesterday in Lagos at a symposium also revealed how a former
minister in the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s cabinet and a
former Kwara State governor died due to lack of necessary medical
facilities in the country.
Going
by the arrangement, each of the merging parties which includes the
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP),
the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and a group from the All
Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) led by Imo State Governor Rochas
Okorocha will have representation of seven persons in the party’s
National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee
(NEC). Already, the position of National Chairman has been zoned to the
ACN, National Secretary CPC, National Treasurer ANPP and National
Organising Secretary; Okorocha-led group in the APC.
Gulak,
who spoke exclusively to our correspondent, was reacting to an
interview the Chairman of the committee, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, granted
Saturday PUNCH.
At
the Oghiadomhe/Okeya wedding ceremony, the duo sat on the same table.
Their corner was a beehive of activities as many came over to exchange
banters.
Where did your parents come from and which school did you attend?
Investigations
on Friday revealed that the party’s National Working Committee had
started compiling a list of what a stalwart who spoke to this newspaper
described as Tambuwal’s “many sins.”
Mogaji was the mother of former governor of Lagos State and National Leader, Action Congress of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu.