DOCSLIB.ORG

Oba Khato Okpere Ise 25 Years of An

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Oba Khato Okpere Ise 25 Years of An Oba khato okpere Ise Page 1 of 4 Oba khato okpere Ise 25 Years Of An Oba By Ambrose Osawe It is not just the silver jubilee of the reign of Oba Erediauwa the Edos celebrate. They celebrate survival. They celebrate continuity, they celebrate stability amongst other events. March 23, 1979 merely marked the day the reigning Oba ascended the throne of his forebears soon after the immediate past Oba Akenzua II joined his ancestors. On this day, both the burial and succession rites were completed. The transformation of a heir apparent (Edaiken) to that of a king (Oba) was concretised and solemnised. The whole city and environs in an ecstasy, resonated with the sound of 'Oba ghato' okpere'. The heavens, the ancestors and the gods re- echoed with the sound of 'Ise'. A peep at the sky exposed the sun and the moon in an eclipse as a mark of heavenly acknowledgement. Prince Solomon Akenzua now known by the title of Uku Akpolokpolo, Omo n'Oba N'Edo Erediauwa became the 38th Oba of Benin in Oba Eweka 1 dynasty that began at about the 12th c AD. This ancient kingdom as a result of its resilience, power and sophistication grew to become an empire during the reigns of the warrior kings - Ewuare, Ozolua, Esigie and Orhogbua. Its influence covered the whole of the Niger Delta and as far as Lagos and beyond the present day Republic of Benin. Erediauwa ascended the throne of his ancestors which for over 1000 years, ascendance had been by a system of primogeniture where only the eldest surviving son of the king succeeds his father. And it has remained so ever since. The Edos (Binis) are quite emotional about their Oba. The monarchy could be a sore and soothing spot for them anytime, but it remains a reference point cherished by all at all times. The Oba is in their parables, in their dos and don'ts in their folklores inheritance, marriage, customs funeral rites indeed in their everyday life, including ancestral worship which like the umbilical cord, ties the Oba and his subjects into one spiritual, inseparable complex whole. In the Catholic church for example, the Eucharistic priest raises the chalice and prays for the Pope, the Bishop and the priests. And this is done every day all over the world whenever mass is said. In Benin also wherever prayer is said with Kolanut in all ancestral shrines in public or private homes, prayers are always concluded with 'Oba' khato Okpere - meaning may the Oba live long or as the British would say in their National Anthem, 'God save the Queen'. All these, combined with the operational nature of the guilds fortified their tradition as functional instrument of administration. Without the Oba, there is a big vacuum. This was what baffled the British when in 1897, Benin was under a military junta, the Oba exiled and a period of interregnum imposed: while in other places they were able to get an alternative but in Benin kingdom, it posed a dilemma for them. http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/oarticles/oba_khato_okpere_ise.htm 7/18/2008 Oba khato okpere Ise Page 2 of 4 In 1897, the British army in a punitive mission succeeded in a battle to dislodge the military might of the Binis and thereby truncated the reign of Ovonranmwen Nogbasi,. They tried him and exiled him to Calabar where he died in 1914. This incidence of course opened the way for the British to embark on the last phase of her colonisation of Nigeria by amalgamating the Northern and Southern Nigeria into one administrative country called Nigeria. Before the punitive expedition of 1897 the British had tried various political, economic, commercial and merchantile tactics to get at an empire that had flourished for about a thousand years dating back to the era of the Ogisos. Before the coming of the British, the Benin Empire had diplomatic and trade contacts with the Portuguese in the 15th century during the reign of Ozolua, Esigie and Orhogbua. After the Portuguese, came the Dutch in the 17th century. The British were about the last of the adventurers and traders to visit Benin to transact business treaties, trading agreements with the kingdom towards the end of 19th century. The British tested the waters under the cover of the Royal Niger Company, Oil River Protectorate, the Niger Delta Protectorate and the Southern Nigeria Protectorate. She continued to expand her influence at the expense of the coastal kingdoms. She deceived the Oba of Benin into a series of trading, diplomatic and peace treaties, beneficial only to the imperial government of Great Britain. The period of interregnum (1897-1914) was long enough to alter, adulterate, deface, substitute and destroy any existing political arrangement that stood between the British colonial agenda and the conquered people. Like they have done in East Africa and in other parts of the British Empire, raising a powerful individual as a tool in her divide and rule scheme was the British standard stock-in-trade. Agho Obaseki's industry and resourcefulness were harnessed and cultivated by the British beyond the call of duty. Agho became powerful and influential and he virtually presided over the affairs of the state and the prospect of Aguobasimwin's restoration was in disarray. Nevertheless, the resilient cultural values of the Edos baffled the British. They couldn't believe that with all their power, patronage and intimidation and imposed values coupled with the wealth, power and influence of Agho Obaseki they could not have their way when confronted with the choice of who became an Oba in Benin. The people upheld their tradition: 'Only the son of an Oba becomes Oba'. The British had no alternative but to invite Aiguobasimwin to be crowned as Eweka II. In similar circumstances Eweka I, the founder of the dynasty was restored to the throne about 900 years earlier after Ogiamien's opposing forces were vanquished at the battle of Ekiokpagha. As soon as Aiguobasimwin was crowned in 1914, he had to contend with Agho Obaseki's residual powers acquired during the era of the interregnum coupled with the contradictions, abuses, irregularities and shortcomings which characterised the new Native Council. Although the aim was that the Oba as the sole paramount native authority ought to be the ultimate authority but his powers were compromised due to the innovations that became evident in the British indirect rule in Benin at this period. The Council, the District Headship, the Native Treasury, the Native Courts which were supposed to be under the new Oba were in fact hijacked by the District Office and Agho Obaseki who functioned as the Iyase and a favourite agent of the British. Aiguobasimwin's problems were yet not over until Agho Obaseki died in 1920. Three years later in 1923, the present Oba Erediuawa was born. His father Oba Akenzua II presented the new baby to his father Eweka II, who lifted the baby up and smiled. "You Agho! You again, you have passed through this route. You have reincarnated to become an Oba. An Oba indeed". Eweka proclaimed him an Oba: you will be Solomon - wise as King Solomon. The Lord will be your pillar and strength - (Igbinoghodua) but nobody should dare cause or invite your wrath - (Aiseokhuoba). http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/oarticles/oba_khato_okpere_ise.htm 7/18/2008 Oba khato okpere Ise Page 3 of 4 As a young Prince and heir apparent Oba Erediauwa was known as Prince Solomon, Aiseokhuoba, Igbinoghodua Akenzua until he was crowned Oba on March 23, 1979. Never by the use of those names be identified except by the title, Omo N'Oba Erediauwa, Oba of Benin. Those circumstantial names are now archival materials. Reincarnation is in the beliefs of the Binis. This can happen in any circumstance depending on the life aspiration of the deceased whose prayers might be answered if he so desired to become a King in his next world. Although this is beyond human comprehension, nevertheless, the traditional belief is that a man may have an opportunity to reincarnate for as much as seven times after which he fizzles out. By this belief, Prince Solomon is a reincarnation of the desperate Agho Obaseki! How I don't know. Erediauwa had the throne as his cradle. Apart from the usual traditional palace tutorials which begin at birth, he went to Government School, Benin after which he proceeded to Government College, Ibadan in 1939 and obtained with flying colours - his London Matriculations which qualified him to gain admission into Yaba College in 1945. After the completion of his course at Yaba, he was admitted into King's College, Cambridge to study Law and Administration. He returned to Nigeria to join the Eastern Nigeria Civil Service as a District Officer (D.O.) in 1957. He transferred his services to the Federal Civil Service and rose to the position of Permanent Secretary. He retired from the service as a Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health in 1973 and became the regional representative of Gulf Oil Company. He was appointed Commissioner for Finance in the Military Administration of Major-General Innih in 1975. His early retirement from the service was to have time to expose him fully to the intricacies of the administrative challenges that would confront him in the performance of his duties as Oba of Benin. His father, Akenzua II was Secretary to Eweka II, his father. This made him to have a first hand knowledge of traditional issues that arose from the Native Administration. The political turbulence that confronted Akenzua II due to the exposure of the new elites to participatory Native Administration in the 40s and introduction of party politics in the 50s could only have been surmounted by a ruler of Akenzua's experience, patience, courage and subtle diplomacy.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Barbara Blackmun Collection, EEPA 2016-012
    Barbara Blackmun Collection, EEPA 2016-012 Eden Orelove October 2018 Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art National Museum of African Art P.O. Box 37012 MRC 708 Washington, DC 20013-7012 [email protected] http://africa.si.edu/collection/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/ Table of Contents Collection Overview ........................................................................................................ 1 Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1 Biographical / Historical.................................................................................................... 1 Arrangement..................................................................................................................... 2 Scope and Contents........................................................................................................ 2 Names and Subjects ...................................................................................................... 2 Container Listing ............................................................................................................. 4 Series 1: Museum Objects, 1979-1994.................................................................... 4 Series 2: People, circa 1969-1994......................................................................... 71 Series 3: Ceremonies and Festivals, circa 1969-1994........................................... 89 Series 4: Landscape and Street
    [Show full text]
  • Die Rückgabeforderung Des Oba Akenzua II
    KUNST&KONTEXT 1/2017 FÄLSCHUNG - KOPIE - VERFÄLSCHUNG - ALTERUNG 23 Die Rückgabeforderung des Oba Akenzua II einen sehr frühen und komplexen Fall aus dem Jahr 1935 nachvollziehbar machen. Es handelt sich um zwei Thron- Hocker aus dem Königreich Benin, die bei der Eroberung durch eine englische Strafexpedition im Jahr 1897 als Teil der Kriegsbeute das Land verließen (Abb. 3). Die beiden Bronze-Hocker (Abb. 1, 2) haben ähnliche Maße und einen fast gleichen Auf bau: Sockel und Sitzfläche sind leicht gerundet und durch stilisierte Schlangen verbun- den. Einige Motive finden sich auf beiden Hockern, z. B. ein Frosch und ein grimassierendes Gesicht; allerdings ist der eine (Abb. 1) reicher ornamentiert. Die Schlangen- körper im zentralen Bereich sind mit Schuppen darge- stellt und die Symbole (als Relief oder Gravur) befinden sich auf den Unter- und Oberseiten der Sitzflächen und der Sockel. Irwin Tunis hat 1981 in seiner Studie zu den beiden Objekten deren Material, ihre Herkunft und die Ikonographie ausführlich beschrieben. Außerdem hat Otto Werner 1970 in einem Artikel seine Analyseergebnisse der Legierung der beiden Thron-Hocker (sowie 152 weiterer Benin-Bronze) publiziert. Oba Akenzua II und Lord Plymouth Abb. 1: Thron-Hocker dem Oba Eresoyen (ca. 1735-1750) zugeschrieben, Inv.-Nr. III C 20295 (Höhe 40 cm, Ø 40,5 cm) Die ersten Dokumente im Archiv (April 1935) beziehen sich Restitutionsforderungen werden derzeit häufig in Ver- auf eine Begegnung im Februar 1935, als Lord Plymouth, anstaltungen und Veröffentlichungen ethnologischer damals „Under Secretary of State for the Colonies“ wäh- Museen diskutiert. Auch wenn diese Diskussionen in rend einer Dienstreise durch das englische Kolonialgebiet einigen Fällen zu Kooperationsprojekten führen, bleibt im Süden Nigerias das Königreich Benin besuchte.
    [Show full text]
  • Title the Benin Kingdom
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Kyoto University Research Information Repository The Benin Kingdom: Rituals of Kinship and Their Social Title Meanings(1) Author(s) NEVADOMSKY, Joseph Citation African Study Monographs (1993), 14(2): 65-77 Issue Date 1993-08 URL http://dx.doi.org/10.14989/68107 Right Type Departmental Bulletin Paper Textversion publisher Kyoto University African Study Monographs. 14(2): 65 -77. August 1993 65 THE BENIN KINGDOM: RITUALS OF KINGSHIP AND THEIR SOCIAL MEANINGS(l) Joseph NEVADOMSKY Department ofAfrican Languages and Literature, University of Zimbabwe ABSTRACT Rituals of kingship in some parts of Nigeria represent the main social reality for many people, providing meaning amidst clashing and ineffectual ideologies, and promis­ ing security in a politicallY unstable time. In the Benin kingdom the Oba's power is less than in centuries past. but the ideas underling kingship persist, through myth and ritual, as a general cognitive model. By exploring the meanings of Benin kingship rituals and the contemporary contexts of royal ceremonies this paper shows how court performances and other legitimating icons such as cement statuary give the Bini a sense of stability by tying them into a larger imagined tradition of greatness. Key Words: Ritual; Kingship; West Africa. INTRODUCTION Few of us recognize the importance of ritual. In Western utilitarian societies. ritual is thought to be associated with the sacred, a domain peripheral to the func­ tioning of a secular, rational state. There is the further assumption that ritual is valid only for what Claude Levi-Strauss called "cold" societies, "the societies that anthropologists study...that remain indefinitely in their initial state...static societies with no history" (cited in Leach, 1990: 3).
    [Show full text]
  • The Art of Fasting: Benin's Ague Ceremony
    Cleveland State University EngagedScholarship@CSU Department of Art and Design Faculty Publications Department of Art and Design Fall 1997 The Art of Fasting: Benin's Ague Ceremony Kathy Curnow Cleveland State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clart_facpub Part of the African Languages and Societies Commons How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! Publisher's Statement © 1997 James S. Coleman African Studies Center, UCLA Recommended Citation Curnow, Kathy. "The Art of Fasting: Benin's Ague Ceremony." African Arts 30, (September 1997): 46-53. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost. Web. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Art and Design at EngagedScholarship@CSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Department of Art and Design Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of EngagedScholarship@CSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Art of Fasting: Benin's Ague Ceremony KATHYCURNOW ~A ~gainst all advice, Acting Brit- hostile spirits (Melzian 1959:99) (Fig. 1). ish Consul-General James The fourth ceremony, a second Ague peri- R. Phillips insisted on visit- od known as Ague-Oghene, followed, ing Benin City in early Jan- ending the. agricultural year. By the 1930s uary 1897. The Oba had Ague-Ohene's activities were already ob- asked him to delay because scure (Melzian 1959), and the two Agues of Ague, a ritual requiring his complete are often confused and conflated today. isolation from visitors. Although the sub- Ague was a sober time.
    [Show full text]
  • THE MILITARY SYSTEM of BENIN KINGDOM, C.1440 - 1897
    THE MILITARY SYSTEM OF BENIN KINGDOM, c.1440 - 1897 THESIS in the Department of Philosophy and History submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Hamburg, Germany By OSARHIEME BENSON OSADOLOR, M. A. from Benin City, Nigeria Hamburg, 23 July, 2001 DISSERTATION COMMITTEE FIRST EXAMINER Professor Dr. Leonhard Harding Doctoral father (Professor für Geschichte Afrikas) Historisches Seminar, Universität Hamburg SECOND EXAMINER Professor Dr. Norbert Finzsch (Professor für Aussereuropäische Geschichte) Historisches Seminar, Universität Hamburg CHAIR Professor Dr. Arno Herzig Prodekan Fachbereich Philosophie und Geschichtswissenchaft Universität Hamburg DATE OF EXAMINATION (DISPUTATION) 23 July, 2001 ii DECLARATION I, Osarhieme Benson Osadolor, do hereby declare that I have written this doctoral thesis without assistance or help from any person(s), and that I did not consult any other sources and aid except the materials which have been acknowledged in the footnotes and bibliography. The passages from such books or maps used are identified in all my references. Hamburg, 20 December 2000 (signed) Osarhieme Benson Osadolor iii ABSTRACT The reforms introduced by Oba Ewuare the Great of Benin (c.1440-73) transformed the character of the kingdom of Benin. The reforms, calculated to eliminate rivalries between the Oba and the chiefs, established an effective political monopoly over the exertion of military power. They laid the foundation for the development of a military system which launched Benin on the path of its imperial expansion in the era of the warrior kings (c.1440-1600). The Oba emerged in supreme control, but power conflicts continued, leading to continuous administrative innovation and military reform during the period under study.
    [Show full text]
  • Cinq Masques De L'iyoba Idia Du Royaume De Bénin : Vies Sociales Et
    Perspective Actualité en histoire de l’art 2 | 2019 Multiples Cinq masques de l’Iyoba Idia du royaume de Bénin : vies sociales et trajectoires d’un objet multiple Five Masks of the Benin Kingdom’s Iyoba Idia: Social Lives and Trajectories of a Multiple Object Fünf Masken der Iyoba Idia aus dem Königreich Benin: soziale Beziehungen und Zirkulation eines multiplen Objekts Cinque maschere dell’Iyoba Idia del regno del Benin: vite sociali e traiettorie di un oggetto multiplo Cinco máscaras del Iyoba Idia del reino de Benín: vidas sociales y trayectorias de un objeto múltiple Felicity Bodenstein Édition électronique URL : http://journals.openedition.org/perspective/15735 DOI : 10.4000/perspective.15735 ISSN : 2269-7721 Éditeur Institut national d'histoire de l'art Édition imprimée Date de publication : 30 décembre 2019 Pagination : 227-238 ISBN : 978-2-917902-50-9 ISSN : 1777-7852 Référence électronique Felicity Bodenstein, « Cinq masques de l’Iyoba Idia du royaume de Bénin : vies sociales et trajectoires d’un objet multiple », Perspective [En ligne], 2 | 2019, mis en ligne le 30 juin 2020, consulté le 25 janvier 2021. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/perspective/15735 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/ perspective.15735 Cinq masques de l’Iyoba Idia du royaume de Bénin : vies sociales et trajectoires d’un objet multiple Felicity Bodenstein Une photographie d’Oba Akenzua II (1899-1978), publiée en 1976 à la une du journal The Nigerian Observer (fig. 1) montre le chef traditionnel de l’ancien royaume de Bénin, dans le Sud-Ouest du Nigeria, en érudit des objets de sa lignée.
    [Show full text]
  • Oba Akenzua II's Restitution Requests
    KUNST&KONTEXT 1/2017 FORGERY - COPY - FALSIFICATION - AGING 23 Oba Akenzua II’s restitution requests very complex case from the year 1935. It involves two throne stools from the kingdom of Benin that were taken out of the country as part of the war booty when it was overrun by a British punitive expedi- tion in 1897 (fig. 3). The two bronze stools (fig. 1, 2) are of similar sizes and constructed in almost the same way: the base and the seat are slightly rounded and held together by stylized snakes. Some motifs can be found on both stools, e.g. a frog and a grimacing face. But one of them (fig. 1) is more ornately decorated than the other. The snakes’ bodies in the central area have scales and the symbols are de- picted as reliefs or engravings on the lower and upper sides of the seats and the pedestals. In his 1981 study on the two objects, Irwin Tunis describes their material, origin and iconography in detail. Otto Werner (1970) also analysed the alloy used in the two throne stools (as well as 152 other bronze objects from Benin) in an article. Oba Akenzua II and Lord Plymouth Fig. 1: Throne stool attributed to the Oba Eresoy (approx. 1735-1750), Inv.-No. III C 20295 (height 40 cm, Ø 40.5 cm) The first documents in the archive (dated April 1935) refer Restitution requests are currently being discussed in the to a meeting in February 1935, when Lord Plymouth, then meetings and publications of the ethnological museums. Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, came to the While these discussions lead in some cases to coopera- kingdom of Benin during an official visit to the British tion projects, implementing many of the ideas remains colony of Southern Nigeria.
    [Show full text]
  • Traitors-Of-Benin-Oghian-Oba
    say, Tell me your NAME and I will tell you WHO you are! Editorial: Edo 2016=> litmus test of loyalty to the Oba. It including this one you are reading counseling us, that as humans, we say, Tell me your NAME and I is paramount to understand that referring back to it till date. Even should have a forgiving spirit, will say: Tell me your NAME and Osioba Vs Oghian Oba the Benins cannot do without their this is an undeniable fact that the should remember that humans do I will tell you WHO you are! Historically speaking, it is Oba and the Oba cannot do nation christened “Nigeria” by the not have a forgetful spirit. That is We the Patriotic Benins loyal to accurate to say that: THE SON without the Benins in a symbiotic British was born out of the defeat why some wrongs are forgiven the Oba shall see to it that we stop OF A TRAITOR IS A bond that is inexplicably spiritual, of Benin Empire at the hands of but not forgotten. Our own this attempt to repeat the history TRAITOR, when it comes to the which predates two millennia the British Empire. For if the counsel to them is that they of affliction in our Edo land. for Ogbeide Oyoo family a.k.a the since the days of the Ogiso British Empire had not defeated should elect the “grandson” of Affliction shall not rise against us Obaseki Family of Benin Dynasty starting from about 40 Benin Empire, they would never Adolf Hitler the Nazi who in Benin Kingdom a second time.
    [Show full text]
  • 1897 and the Creative Process Peju Layiwola
    85 Making Meaning froM a fragMented past: 1897 and the creative process peju Layiwola abstract One of the most traumatic experiences that occurred in Africa at the turn of the 19th century is the Benin/British encounter of 1897. The plundering of thousands of works of art from the palace of the king of Benin by the British, now spread across several museums in the West, continues to be an issue that keeps recurring. Ever since that episode, 1897 has become a theme, which is explored by various artists in Nigeria in a variety of genres. This paper attempts to discuss some of the artistic engagement with this theme and how artists have sought to recapture the past in a variety of media. keywords: Nigeria, Benin, trauma, legacy, patrimony, restitution, exhibition, Monday Midnite, Ganiyu Jimoh doi: dx.doi.org/10.5456/issn.2050-3679/2014s15pl Biographical note Peju Layiwola is a visual artist and art historian with an active studio practice, as well as a strong commitment to research. She has had several art exhibitions locally and internationally. Her most recent travelling exhibition and edited book, entitled Benin1897.com: Art and the Restitution Question, is an artistic exploration of the Benin/British encounter of 1897. She has published several articles on the visual culture of Nigeria. Presently, she is associate professor and head of the Department of Creative Arts at the University of Lagos, Nigeria where she teaches art history. OPEN ARTS JOURNAL, ISSUE 3, SUMMER 2014 ISSN 2050-3679 www.openartsjournal.org 86 An earlier version of this material was presented on the occasion of the project conference ‘Disturbing Pasts: Memories, Controversies and Creativity’ (20 -22 November 2012, Museum of Ethnology/Weltmuseum Wien, Vienna).
    [Show full text]
  • Report of Assessment of Baseline Socio Economic Data in Endemic Areas of Trafficking in Edo State
    REPORT OF ASSESSMENT OF BASELINE SOCIO ECONOMIC DATA IN ENDEMIC AREAS OF TRAFFICKING IN EDO STATE SUBMITTED TO THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM), ABUJA, NIGERIA PREPARED BY CHRISTIANA E.E. OKOJIE KOKUNRE EGHAFONA GLORIA VINCENT-OSAGHAE VICTORIA ONUOHA NOVEMBER 2009 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 List of Acronyms------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5 Acknowledgements---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6 Executive Summary--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7 Map of Edo State----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11 I INTRODUCTION----------------------------------------------------------------------------12 1.1. Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12 1.2. Terms of Reference for the Assessment of Endemic Communities--------------=------12 II METHODOLOGY----------------------------------------------------------------------------13 2.1. Guide to the Assessment Exercise------------------------------------------------------------13 2.2. The Assessment Team-------------------------------------------------------------------------14 2.3. Data Collection---------------------------------------------------------------------------------14 2.4. Data Analysis/Processing.---------------------------------------------------------------------15
    [Show full text]
  • Benin: a Study in the Budding Crises in the Polity, 1914 to 1939
    Volume 2 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND Issue 1 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 June 2015 Benin: A study in the budding crises in the polity, 1914 to 1939 Michael Ediagbonya Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria Abstract The study examined the budding crises in the polity of Benin between (1914 -1939) it also assessed the conflict of interest between Oba Eweka II and the Iyase of Benin kingdom, Chief Agho Obaseki in the Benin Native Administration from 1914. It accounted for the crises of 1920, 1936, and water rate agitations. It also analyzed the agitations of the educated elite in Benin. The study relied on documentary data and secondary sources like books, Newspapers, Articles, Journals, periodicals. The documentary data were sourced from intelligence reports, divisional reports, colonial letters, dispatches, government reports and correspondences. The data were subjected to internal and external criticisms for authentication and then to textual and contextual analyses. The study found that crisis in Benin started in 1914 because the Iyase of Benin kingdom, Chief Agho Obaseki dominated the Benin political scene to the detriment of the newly crowned Oba, Eweka II. The study also found that the abolition of district headship generated more crises. The study demonstrated that Oba Akenzua II’s refusal to consult the people before signing the water rate regulation in 1939 led to attempt to depose him. The study also found that the denial of the educated elite in Benin to participate in Benin Native Administration was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Keywords: Crisis, Elite agitation, Oba (king), Confrontation, Resolution http://ijhcschiefeditor.wix.com/ijhcs Page 156 Volume 2 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND Issue 1 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926 June 2015 Introduction In Benin, the period under focus witnessed serious institutional challenges.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of the State of Ughoton After the British Invasion of 1897
    European Journal of Educational & Social Sciences Volume 3 Issue 2 October 2018 ISSN: 2564-6621 Article _______________________________________________________________________ An Analysis of the State of Ughoton after the British Invasion of 1897 Michael Ediagbonya Manuscript information: Abstract Received: September 19, 2018 The paper analyses the state of Ughoton after he British invasion of 1897. Revised: October 12, 2018 It examines the survival of the political institutions after the invasion. It Accepted: October 18, 2018 discusses Ughoton as a tourist centre, the strengthening of Christianity and other traditional dieties. It also focused on the discovering of oil and the relevance of Niger Delta Development Commission to the advancement of the community. The researcher used primary and secondary sources. The primary sources include oral interview and archival materials while the secondary sources were books, newspapers, articles, theses and dissertations. The study found that the houses destroyed during the war were rebuilt and a new chief priest of Olokun temple appointed when Oba Eweka II came to the throne in Benin in 1914. Again the discovering of ‘oil in Ughoton was an added advantage to its quick recovering. It was found that Ughoton became a tourist centre and the issue of religion was given a serious boost. Keywords: British Invasion, Benin, The State of Ughoton, 1867 Author Ph.D.. Lecturer I, Department of History and International Studies, Faculty of Arts, Ekiti State University, Nigeria Cite as: E-mail: Ediagbonya, M. (2018). An analysis of the State of Ughoton after the British Invasion of 1897. European Journal of Educational and Social Sciences, 3 (2), 235 - 249.
    [Show full text]