Benin, Yoruba superiority: Oba Ewuare 11 reverses Erediauwa’s position
Benin, Yoruba superiority: Oba Ewuare 11 reverses Erediauwa’s position
Saturday, October 22, 2016 7:13 pm
Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin
By Ademola Adegbamigbe
On Thursday 20 October 2016, the new Oba of Benin, Ewuare 11, received his staff of office from Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. It was an event that attracted the creme dela creme of Nigeria-traditional rulers, captains of industry, politicians and others. He seized the opportunity of the occasion to make a statement on the relationship between the Yoruba and Benin.
Oba Ewuare II, explained why he should be regarded as the 40th Oba of Benin contrary to the belief that he is the 39th Oba. In his words:
“There may be some divergent views about the origin of some of our ancestors but there is unanimity in the shared heritage between the people of Benin and Ile-Ife in identifying Oduduwa as a forebear of kingship in parts of Africa and Nigeria of today.
“Historians all agreed that Oduduwa sent his son Oranmiyan as requested by elders of Benin to return with them as ruler of their realm. Oranmiyan stayed in Benin, but his stay was short. But by the time he left he had a son known today as Eweka I. Oranmiyan’s time in Benin was however short-lived, he was an Oba. So he was the first Oba after the Ogiso dynasty, he established Obaship in Benin. Therefore the listing of past Obas should start from Oranmiyan. This actually made my late father the 39th Oba of Benin while I am the 40th Oba of Benin.”
In his May 2004 publication, entitled, The Benin-Ife Connection, Omo N’Oba Erediauwa
claimed that Ekaladerhan (or Oduduwa) came from Benin to rule over Ile Ife. In other words, the Yoruba ancestors came from Benin and not that Benin’s patriarch originated from Ife.
The late Oba Erediauwa of Benin Kingdom
Also Premium Times, published a story on 12 February 2016, entitled “Yoruba group, OPC, lambasts Benin chiefs over comment on Oduduwa history.” The Esogban of Benin and Odionwere of the Kingdom, David Edebiri, according to the story, rejected the ranking, saying the Ooni of Ife was a son of the Oba of Benin and that the Oba of Benin stool has no relationship with the Yoruba race.
The Esogban added: “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.
“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 Ibadan. You come to Abeokuta, you have the Alake of Egba land. 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.”
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19 Comments
FOOLISH YOROBA IDIOT!!
DID OBA EWAURE NOT ALSO SAY ODUDUWA IS FROM BENIN…… FOOLISH YOROBA SWINE!!
“Historians all agreed that Oduduwa sent his son Oranmiyan as requested by elders of Benin to return with them as ruler of their realm. Oranmiyan stayed in Benin, but his stay was short. But by the time he left he had a son known today as Eweka I. Oranmiyan’s time in Benin was however short-lived, he was an Oba. So he was the first Oba after the Ogiso dynasty, he established Obaship in Benin. Therefore the listing of past Obas should start from Oranmiyan. This actually made my late father the 39th Oba of Benin while I am the 40th Oba of Benin.”
Source: Your Oba Ewuare11
This is what Oba Erediuwa said about Oranmiyan:
“Benin traditional account has it that Oranmiyan could not live in Benin: he spent only akia *(three lunar months)* before he packed and left in anger. *The annoyance arose from three factors*:* first*, he did not understand the Benin language; *second*, he found his* Yoruba custom* different from the Benin; *thirdly*, and it was this that really did it, he discovered that whenever he and his people from Ife were performing some secret rituals,* Benin people, including some elders who had often wondered at the Ife people’s secretiveness, used to climb walls to peep at them. *Enough was enough and he decided to leave.” And returned back to Ile-Ife.
When Oranmiyan left Benin, he left some of his entourage to revive Benin Kingdom spiritually.
Now, who is a FOOL?
You are a bloody fool!!
Idiot!!
Happy New year! Are the ‘itsekiris or Jekris’ not from Benin kingdom?
Thanks a lot for your civil approach. As an insider, I have never heard of omoluwabi as a Bini name, but Omagbemi or Omogbemi is obviously itsekiri or Jekri our neighbours to the south who speaks a yoruba dialet but have imbibed most of our bini culture- Now Uyi means prestige and Uwa is wealth while Omo is child like the Yorubas so Omoruyi means child is my prestige while Omonuwa means child my precious worth.
Thanks for your input.May be I should have made myself clearer regarding meaning of ‘Dudu’ and ‘Funfun’ colours as related to Occult practices in Yorubaland.In view of your comment, there is no dispute that Ifa and Odu are inseperable.Hence, names derived from’Odu’ and ‘Ifa’ are common in ancient Yoruba names including Oduduwa.Now could you enlighten me more on ‘Omo’ series that are common in Bini…Omonuwa, Omoruyi, Omoluwabi, Omogbemi and Omo N’ Oba ?
I do not seem to agree with you, ODU is the reading of OPELE in IFA divination. The whole thing has to do with the knowledge of IFA as a religion. There is no relationship with colour. Names that comes with colour are EFUNBOYE,DUDUYEMI etc. Now listen to this. Oyegunwmendia is purely a bini name and the translation in Yourba is DUROTIMI, it is an ”Abiku”. You amuse me with Omo N’ Oba. ”Omo nle oba” . Omo wo? Ile Oba wo?. The Binis has Omonomo ( a good child) Omo esi ( A well behaved child) so Omo N’ Oba is from that synthensis
Thanks for the education. We need more of this to confront the mis-information
“I have never heard Omo nle Oba in Benin”
Omo ni Oba……Omo nle Oba
Oyegunwmendia…..Oyegunmade
ODU is part of Ifa oracle and Ifa is performed with Odu(s).
Names are derived from both…
* ODU * and *IFA*
* Dudu *means black in Yoruba.
*Funfun *means white in Yoruba.
– O*dudu*wa Fa*fun*wa
– Odulana Falana
– Odugbesan Fasheun
– Oduniyi Fawehinmi
You have good arguments but for the interest of clearing what oral history couldn’t, lets look at the chronology of Oduduwa. (Izoduwa)
First within the Benin geographical area there are records and land mark which describes his journey to ile ife.
Secondly, the word Ile ife was deemed to have be corrupted from Benin Word which says Ile Efe and which means I have escaped successfully. Oduduwa is Izoduwa. Let any your Yorhuba define the meaning of the words in yorhuba
What is Ibinu if it isn’t the home of the binis.
Yes there were nothing like the title of an Oba in yorhuba land and it reflects a copy of title from Binis. Moreso oromiyan (oyevbiyan) couldn’t stay in Benin for long having known what the father Izoduwa thought of his people I. e bini’s aggression. Considering that Izoduwa was alleged to brought bad omen as papetrated by the Oracle in collaboration with the jealous queen.
Though oral history can be misleading however with the presence of several land marks which confirmed fact, I can only believe that Oduduwa is Izoduwa who migrated from Benin while escaping to save his life. Secondly ile. Ife was his opinion of freedom from fear. Oromiyan was named in bini’ language oyevbiyan possible after his initiation of the tribal mark or maybe in his act.
Binis have been independent from history and if to state more, the binis are colonials in several yorhuba land.
You got somethings mixed up there my man. Ewuare in yoruba is (Otide or Otutu or Ilero) Oyegun is short for Oyegunwmendia (Bamigbe or Malomo) I have never heard Omo nle Oba in Benin. Ojomo are mostly people near the western part and mostly yorubas. I concede Owomika and Ile-Ibinu but can you explain Oduduwa and my people translate this and Oranmiyan to Izoduwa and Omonoyan
You said;”Most words you taught are yoruba are actually and originally Edo”.
*Please give us examples of such words.*
*No one needs to ask *Oba of Lagos about his history and origin. it is available free on line.It is you and your ignorance that have to learn history properly. I would challenge you to name one tradition and culture of Lagos that came from Benin?
You certainly have problem comprehending what you read.
The father of your new Oba said it! Yoruba people were in control of Benin Kingdom..that is why you have names like Ewuare, Oyegun,Omoruyi, Omo nle Oba, Ojomo.
How come the first word that came out of Eweka 1 was ‘OWOMIKA’
a youba word… after being treated by babalawo from Ile-ife?
How come the word ‘Benin’ was derived from Ile- ibinu,a youba word?
“Kingship in the south south of Nigeria, up to the south east, ie onitsha etc originated from benin.”
Just as the ‘Obaship’ in Benin kingdom originated from Ile-ife .
Why I am the 40th Oba of Benin Kingdom “History also reminds us of the importance of the present time which is the only opportunity we have to take the different and too often fragmented components of our collective past to prepare the foundation for a unifying and collective future. A long line of succession of kings in the Kingdom known as Benin, started in the 12th century by modern recording. There may be some different views about the origin of some of our ancestors, but there is unanimity in the shared heritage between the people of Benin and lle lfe in identifying Oduduwa as a forebear of kingship in many kingdoms in some part of Africa and the part called Nigeria today. Historians all agreed that Oduduwa sent his son Oromiyan at the request of elders of Benin to return to them as ruler of their realm. Oromiyan staying in Benin may have been short, but before he left, a child was born to him, who was later crowned Oba and he is known today as Eweka the 1st. Oromiyan’s time in Benin, however short-lived, he was an Oba and so he was the first Oba after the Ogiso dynasty came to an end. He established Obaship in Benin, by implication the listing of past Obas should therefore begin with Oromiyan as it is listed in the line of Obas. This actually made my revered father the 39th Oba of Benin, if the listing is counted from and should be counted from Oromiyan. I therefore stand before you today as the 40th Oba of Benin. “A direct descendant of Oromiyan, the son of Oduduwa who the Benin people of that era knew as Ekharaderan, their self exiled Prince who later became ruler in IIe Ife, the Benin people recognized Oduduwa and his origin but it is not in our place to force this recognition on others outside our boundaries. The history of the world, is a shared one and they will certainly be unexpected connections in future. This is a time for unity and not divisiveness’. A time for mutual respect, recognizing that our wholeness as equals is so much more than some of our past.
Kingship in the south south of Nigeria, up to the south east, ie onitsha etc originated from benin. No argument, just go withness the installation of all the south south kings and see the rituals being performed, even when the actors can’t explain the meaning of some rituals, a normal Edo boy will understand easily.
Just to inform you that there is no tribe as yoruba before the arrival of colonisation. The term was used by Europeans just to classify groups of people’s. Go and finish the Oba speech and learn if you want. The benins are brought up from birth with their tradition regularly performed and told, it is a part of their upbringing as a child, they live and practice it normally they way it has been from the beginning. Most words you taught are yoruba are actually and originally Edo, go and ask Oba of Lagos about his history and origin. The traditional and spiritual leaders in yoruba land knows the truth and the truth remains secret to people like you. I will paste Oba Ewuare speech here for you to upgrade your understanding with. Thanks
This is what Oba Erediuwa said about Oranmiyan:
“Benin traditional account has it that Oranmiyan could not live in Benin: he spent only akia (three lunar months) before he packed and left in anger. The annoyance arose from three factors: first, he did not understand the Benin language; second, he found his Yoruba custom different from the Benin; thirdly, and it was this that really did it, he discovered that whenever he and his people from Ife were performing some secret rituals, Benin people, including some elders who had often wondered at the Ife people’s secretiveness, used to climb walls to peep at them. Enough was enough and he decided to leave.”
No one is forcing anybody to become Yoruba…the above statement is clear enough.
Go back and listen carefully to his statement in full. He said the same thing as his father, but he said the benins won’t force their history on anybody. Stop confusing news readers.