The Benin throne versus Ife throne: The unending controversy
Oba Ewuare II and the Ooni of Ife
Published By: Kazeem Ugbodaga
By Jethro Ibileke
On Monday, 29 April, the Benin Palace banished six traditional functionaries (chiefs) who had earlier been suspended for paying allegiance to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi. The functionaries, Johnbull Igbinosun, Iduhonre (Ihogbe), S.E. Aigbiremwen, Efesieoghoba (Ogbelaka) and two other Ogbelaka functionaries identified as Ogbeide Osagie and Osamudiame Edo, were accused of engaging in “sacrilegious show of shame and falsehood against the Benin custom.”
A statement on that day, by the Chief Press Secretary to the Oba of Benin, Osaigbovo Iguobaro, noted that the functionaries “falsely claimed to be emissaries of the Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, His Royal Majesty, Ewuare Il, CFR, Oba of Benin in the presence of the Ooni of Ife His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.”
Iguobaro further stated: “The affected functionaries admitted before a committee led by Chief Ekhoerovbiye Oviasogie, the Uwangue of Benin, that they erred against Benin customs. The Uwangue of Benin, who described their action as a deliberate attempt to rubbish Benin Kingdom, pronounced the suspension of Palace functionaries.
“Consequently, they were also stripped off Benin Royal beads, recognition as Palace functionaries and their traditional titles, which were handed over to the ancestors. The suspended palace functionaries were also barred from parading themselves as Benin Palace functionaries and stopped from participating in any traditional rites in Benin.”
Earlier, before their banishment, the culprits were slammed with suspension after being accused of declaring themselves subjects of the Ooni and also rendered inaccurate and disjointed account of the connection between the Benin Royal Dynasty and the Ooni-ship of Ife, in a video that has gone viral.
The Iyase (Prime Minister) of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, in a public announcement issued on behalf of the Benin Traditional Council (BTC), had said: “The attention of the Benin Traditional Council (BTC) has been drawn to video clips circulating on social media in which a group of self-serving traditional functionaries from Benin engaged themselves in a sacrilegious show of shame and falsehood against the Benin Custom.
“In the said video clip, the individuals who have been identified as Johnbull Igbinosun, Iduhonre (Ihogbe), S.E. Aigbiremwen, Efesieoghoba (Ogbelaka) and two other Ogbelaka functionaries identified as Ogbeide Osagie and Osamudiame Edo were in the presence of the Ooni of Ife, falsely claiming to be emissaries of the Omo N’ObaN’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin.
“These individuals not only declared themselves subjects of the Ooni, but also rendered inaccurate and disjointed account of the connection between the Benin Royal Dynasty and the Ooni-ship of Ife.
“While the BTC does not wish to be drawn to restating the well-known connection between the two thrones of the Oba of Benin and the Ooni of Ife, the general public is urged to disregard the inaccurate accounts rendered by the ill-bred individuals named above.
“For the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever, the BTC advise the general public to avail themselves of the official account of the connection between the two ancient monarchies as contained in the authoritative book titled “I Remain, Sir, Your Obedient Servant” authored by His Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa, Oba of Benin (1979—2016), published by Spectrum Books/Safari Books, 2004 at pages 205-212.
“The BTC considers the conduct of these functionaries as inappropriate, sacrilegious and calculated to ridicule traditional history, and to bring disrepute to Benin custom.
“Consequently, on the authority of the Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare Il, Oba of Benin the Prescribed Authority over Benin Custom, the BTC hereby announce the suspension of the individuals mentioned above from their role as Benin traditional functionaries. The general public is advised to refrain from having anything to do with them as traditional functionaries in Benin kingdom throughout their suspension.”
Certainly, these are grave allegations.
The conversation over which is superior between the Benin throne and the Ile-Ife, on one hand, and who the original owners of Lagos are, on the other hand, could be described as age-long controversy and has generated so much arguments and debates. Certainly, this might not be the end of the controversy, arguments and debates.
While not alleging or suggesting which throne is superior to the other, or who founded where, this reporter merely peers into history books to see who said what, as chronicled on the internet.
Alake of Egba stirs the hornet’s nest
In February, 2016, the Alake of Egba, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, stirred the hornet’s nest in a statement credited to him, that the Oba of Benin is the third in the ranking of kings in the old Western region. Of course, the Benin Palace promptly dismissed it is as untrue.
Responding, the then Esogban of Benin and Odionwere of the Kingdom (traditional head), late Chief David Edebiri, said the Ooni of Ife was a son of the Oba of Benin, and that the stool of the Oba of Benin could not be compared with that of any Yoruba King.
He said further: “We wanted to discard this report as something that was not necessary at all. We do not see how the Alake of Egbaland suddenly woke up to think that the Oba of Benin is also a Yoruba Oba. There is no basis for such classification; Oba of Benin has nothing to do with the Yoruba Obas. It is simply unnecessary, unless they simply want to stir up an unnecessary controversy.
“We are not in Yorubaland. To be frank, it is because many of them are not willing to come up with the truth, the word Oba is alien to Yoruba monarchy; it is not part of their title from time immemorial.
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“For instance, the one they call the Oba of Lagos, these are recent adaptations. In the 50s, there was no Oba of Lagos, what we had was the Eleko of Eko. That is the title of the King there. In Ibadan, you have the Olu of Ibadan. You come to Abeokuta, you have the Alake of Egbaland. You come to Oyo, you have the Alaafin of Oyo. In Ilesha, you have the Owa-Obokun of IIesha. So no Yoruba monarch had as part of his titles the word Oba except the Oba of Benin.
“That word Oba is indigenous to Benin. It is only in recent times you find everybody bearing Oba. When the Western Regional conference of traditional rulers took place in Benin City in 1942, go and check the attendance, there was no other monarch in the whole of the Western Region then that bore the title of Oba, except the Oba of Benin. So it is an unnecessary excursion, an unnecessary attempt to turn history upside down by the Alake by classifying the Oba of Benin as third in the hierarchy of kings.
“Our own traditional history says that the Ooni of Ife was a Benin Prince who wandered from here to Ife, settled there and became the ruler there. That is the position, if they don’t know, they should send people here; we will teach them. We will show them landmarks.
“So this is unnecessary misrepresentation of history. Maybe the Alake wanted to mention a different place and not Benin. The monarchical rulership in this part of the world started from Benin during the era of the Ogisos. It was the son of the last Ogiso, Owodo, that wandered from here to Ife and he became a ruler there, carrying everything about the Benin monarchical system to that place.
“There is no basis for such classification. The Ooni of Ife by historical facts, is a son of the Oba of Benin, so they are not in the same class. The Oba of Benin is the only one that answers Oba, the rest don’t. But today, we hear Oba here and there, they are all recent adaptations. I am saying categorically that the word Oba is indigenous to Benin and not to Yoruba nation.”
Oba Ewuare II’s coronation speach:
This medium recalls that at his coronation on Thursday, 20 October, 2016, Oba Ewuare II said that he was and should be addressed as the “40th Oba of Benin” and “a direct descendant of Oranmiyan the son of Oduduwa”, as against what was formerly believed that he was the 39th Oba. Since his father, Oba Erediauwa was numbered the 38th Oba of Benin, naturally Ewuare II should have followed successively as the 39th Oba.
But, in his coronation speech, the Oba said: “I therefore stand before you as the 40th Oba of Benin, a direct descendant of Oranmiyan, the son of Oduduwa, whom the Benin people of that era knew as Ekaladeran, their self-exiled prince who later became ruler in Ile-Ife. The Benin people recognize Oduduwa and his origin but it is not our place to force this recognition on others outside our boundaries.”
Oba Akiolu’s categorical statement:
Sometime in May, 2017, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu also added a new dimension to the controversy when he traced his origin to the Benin Kingdom. In a categorical statement, the Lagos Monarch said that he should not be associated with the Yoruba culture and tradition, which most critics said he violated.
According to a statement from Iga Idugaran, Palace of the Lagos King, Oba Akiolu was quoted as saying: “I was told by my late paternal grandmother, who was a descendant of Oba Ovonranwen Nogbaisi, and with facts from historical books, let me share this knowledge with you all on Eko or Lagos, as it is popularly called.
“Modern day Lagos was founded by Prince Ado, the son of the Oba of Benin. Prince Ado was the first Oba of Lagos, and it was he who named the town ‘Eko,’ until the Portuguese explorer, Ruy de Segueira, changed the maritime town to Lagos, which at that time from 1942 was Portuguese expedition centre down the African Coast.
“It was a major centre of slave trade, until 1851. Lagos was annexed by Britain via the Lagos treaty of cession in 1861, ending the consular period and starting the British colonial period. The remainder of modern day Nigeria was seized in 1886, when the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria was established in 1914, Lagos was declared its capital, due to the struggle of the Bini King…
“The Aworis and Binis are known to be the first settlers of the Eko land. The Aworis are speakers of a distinct dialect close to that of Yoruba language with a rich Bini mixture. Traditionally, Aworis were found in Ile-ife; they were known to be the Binis, who followed their self-exiled prince, the first son of the Ogiso (now called Oba) of Benin Kingdom, whose stepmother was after his head.
“The exiled Benin Prince Izoduwa, known to Yoruba as Ooduwa (Oduduwa), was made ruler of the Ife people due to his powers and followers from the great Benin Kingdom. Izoduwa (Ooduwa) was made the first king of Ile-Ife in 1230 AD. His followers from his father’s Kingdom in Benin are today’s Awori people, who settled in Eko now called Lagos.
“In the 1300s, the King of Benin Empire heard from one of his traders, who were settlers in Eko, of how the Binis were treated by the Aworis who lived in their areas. Upon hearing this, the King of Benin commanded the assembly of a war expedition, led by his son, Prince Ado, which headed (for) the settlement of the Aworis and demanded explanation.
“On arriving Eko, Prince Ado and his army were more than welcomed. The Aworis asked the Bini Prince to stay and become their leader. Ado agreed on the condition that they surrender their sovereignty to the Oba of Benin, to which the people agreed. On hearing this, the King of Benin gave his permission for Prince Ado and the expedition to remain in Eko. The Oba of Benin sent some of his chiefs, including the Eletu, Odibo, Obanikoro and others to assist his son, Oba Ado in the running of Eko.
“From the crowning of Prince Ado, as the first Oba of Lagos, (then called Eko), Lagos served as a major centre for slave trade. The Aworis, the Oba of Benin and his son, the Oba of Lagos and all the children/descendants, who took over as his successors for over four centuries supported the trade…”
Who owns Lagos?
Over time, there had always been controversy on which Monarch is superior between the Ooni of Ife and Oba Ewuare II, on one hand, and who are the real owners of Lagos, on the other hand, with some even positing that “Lagos is a no man’s land.”
During a visit to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, 26 November, 2023, the revered Monarch again sparked controversy when he said: “It is in the history books that the Binis founded Lagos. When some people will hear it now, they will go haywire; what is the Oba saying there again? But it is true. Go and check the records. Maybe not all over Lagos as we know it now, but certain areas in Lagos, maybe the nucleus of Lagos, were founded by my ancestors. The Oba of Lagos will say so…”
Last line…
Whatever the true story is as to who is the rightful owner of where or which throne is superior to the other, it is hoped that we would all remember that we are all descendants of one and the same progenitor, Adam, and by extension, of the same Creator of the whole earth, God the Almighty.
