The Benin and Itsekiri kingdoms The Benin and Itsekiri kingdoms-oba olua, nana and okotie-eboh story by Eno Louis Enobakhare The Benin Empire was a fluid empire .covering most of present day Delta, Edo, and up to Lagos, was first ruled by ogisos. The first oba of Benin, Eweka the first was the son of oranmiyan-omonoyan, started a dynasty that has produced 38 kings including the present oba Erediauwa cfr. In 1473, oba Olua held sway at the obas palace in Benin. He was described as generous almost to a fault. His lavish nature made him celebrate his mothers funeral against existing norms and traditions. He and his son, Iginua took decisions that were not agreeable with the general populace. Disloyalty in the kingdom made him decide to send his son to found a kingdom on the seas so that no matter what, his lineage will not be aborted. Iginua moved to ughoton without the knowledge of the citizens and pretended he was about to offer sacrifices to olokun, the goddess of the sea. He then sailed on towards ode-itsekiri. A new kingdom was founded. 0gie in Benin language means king while ame means water. Iginua became ogie ame-king of the water. He became king over the nupes and predominant Yoruba’s who had also settled there.An itsekiri lingua franca similar to Yoruba language evolved. The history of the itsekiris cannot be chronicled without the mention of the triumphs and trials of Nana of itsekiri. Many observers will probably ascribe to Nana the position of a king. He was not. He was the son of a chief and an urhobo woman. His father a wealthy trader from Jakpa was governor of the Benin river. His fathers meticulous nature robbed off on him and with time took over from his father. A brave and intelligent man, he defeated the Eku and Abraka people in battle. He ensured that British interests were protected. There was peaceful and undisrupted trade. Along with success comes jealousy and bickering. There was a crack in the wall. The British and Nana had a disagreement that led to a battle in 1894, three years before the punitive expedition of the Benin Empire. Nana at 42 years old, battled the British warships, army and held them at bay for more than a month. As the British re enforced he escaped to Lagos-some reports said he vanished. Nana surrendered to authorities in Lagos, was tried and exiled to calabar where Oba Ovoramwen was to go a few years later. His intelligence prevailed on him to petition the monarchy in England. This move paid off. He was allowed to return home in 1906. His return to his home land prompted a scare in Benin. It was expected that the same pardon will be granted to Oba ovonranwen. It could be postulated that the British pardon of Nana and refusal to pardon Ovoranwmen might have broken the Benin monarch’s spirit and led to his passing on in 1914. Nana set out again and built koko which eventually became another hob of business activities. He passed on at 64.Though he was not as powerful as he was, he held his head up high as he was respected for foregoing affluence to fight for his rights. In modern day Nigeria, Festus sam okotie eboh could be likened to Nana. Born to an itsekiri chief in warri, 18th of July 1912, he studied at Sapele Baptist School. He became a teacher and municipal clerk. After studying further privately, he became deputy manager at Bata Shoe Company. He was later sent to Czechoslovakia. Okotie ebohs know how and influence propelled him to become a timber and rubber magnate. He also set up a chain of schools. Wealth and enormous popularity moved okotie eboh naturally into politics. In 1954, three years after venturing into politics, he became secretary general of the itsekiri nation and member federal house of representatives. In 1955, he became minister of labour and 1957, minister of finance. All along, he was the leader f the NCNC in parliament. With this position, he influenced the creation of the mid western region-edo and delta states presently. Coming from a minority, (Itsekiri population 1911 census was 35,000)all this was awesome. He died a hero in the 1966 coup. The present day crisis in the delta could have been avoided if a great leader like him was still around to present his case to the major ethnic groups. Warfare can also be won with detailed facts, scientific projections and ability to hold opponents spellbound with properly articulated logic. We must stop killing our leaders. Happy Celebrations to the Olu of Warri.
Posted on: Sun, 04 May 2014 19:33:38 +0000
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