A wonderful work By MONDAY UWAGWU

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From conception, the king is out of the ordinary-Ancient African proverb.
And so it is with His Majesty, Benjamin Ikenchukwu, Keagborekuzi 1, Dein of Agbor.
And yet, even more so is the above proverb actually true of the reigning Agbor monarch.
Born on June 29, 1977 (the year in which Nigeria hosted the world under the aegis of the second edition of the World African Festival of Arts and Culture, FESTAC),Benjamin Ikenchukwu, was afterwards to set a global record as the youngest monarch in the entire universe at his installation in 1979, at a mere 28 months. This historic event (recorded in the 1981 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records), set in the wake of the untimely death of his father and then reigning Agbor monarch, James Obika Ikenchukwu, was later to set the pace for the trail-blazing life of the unusual king. The succession to the ageless Agbor throne was in deference to the existing tradition of hereditary succession which began at the onset of the third dynasty of Agbor royalty in 1270 AD, during the reign of Dein, after whom the reverential title of the current monarchy is known and addressed. Dein reigned for 37 years (from 1270 to 1307 AD), before his death, following which his son, Dein Owuwu, was instituted King. He reigned for 26 years (from 1307 to 1333). Owuwu was succeeded by Akina, who holds the record of the longest reigning king in the history of the kingdom; he reigned for 126 years (1333 to 1460 AD), and was succeeded by Dein Agho who reigned for 58 years (from 1460 to 1518), before Dein Oguade took over and reigned for 76 years from (1518 to 1590); Dein Ahisama  reigned for 36 years after the death of Oguade, from 1590 to 1630, before he was succeeded by Dein Ose, who ruled for 20 years from 1630 to 1650.  Dein Oje, who took over at the death of Ose, reigned for eight years, from 1650 to 1658, and was succeeded by Adigwe, who ruled for 42 years, from 1698 to 1740 (note the interregnum). Dein Modu succeeded Adigwe  and reigned for 55 years, from 1740 to 1795, while Obanor, who is the shortest reigning king in Agbor royal history, reigned for half a year (1795 t0 1795) and was succeeded by Igbenije who reigned for 90 years, from 1795 to 1885. Dein Odin, who took over after the demise of Igbenije, reigned for five (5) years from 1885 to 1890. Dein Gbenoba succeeded Odin and reigned for 21 years, from 1890 to 1911, and was succeeded by Dein Agborbu, who reigned for 15 years, from 1914 to 1929.  Agborbu was succeeded by Dein Obika, who ruled the kingdom for 32 years from 1935 to 1967 and was succeeded by Dein Ikenchukwu, who reigned for 11 years, from 1968 to 1979. The subsisting King, Keagorekuzi 1, was installed in October, 1979.
Following security concerns-mainly in relation to the sustainability and stability of the stool-the young monarch and a select few from the royal family relocated abroad where he (Dein Keagborekuzi 1), lived for the first two decades of his life.
The well-informed decision of the family to relocate, temporarily, abroad, created inclemency in some aspects of the generic life of the kingdom, especially the copious lack of immediacy of a royal rallying point for the people. However, all that has gone with the return of the Agbor monarch to the ancestral kingdom, who, aside all else has done a tour of the entire kingdom to rally his subjects around the ageless crown (which he symbolises) and to facilitate individual and corporate reintegration among his people. In all, the goal is to restore to pre-eminence, the kingdom and its people and their essences, all of which had become acknowledged in the colonial days and during the First Republic, when Deins (or until lately, Obis) of Agbor, in concert with the Oba Akenzua of Benin, the late Obi James Anyasi 11  of Idumuje-Unor and the late Obi Ezechie of Ewulu, represented the then Mid West Region in the defunct Western Region House of Chiefs in Ibadan. Dein Obika, was, more than a decade before independence, at the head of the search for a separate identity for what is now Anioma area (Delta North Senatorial District) of Delta State in the emerging Nigerian nation.
At the instance of Keagborekuzi 1, intensive and extensive consultations and actions deployed by the royalty, coupled with a plethora of institutional and other reforms, have since started yielding fruits, with Agbor, gradually regaining its stead as one of the oldest and most respected kingdoms in the country, and its people, well enamoured of their king.
Now, at 36, the kingdom is beginning to show irreversible signs of credible multi-dimensional visibility, within and outside of our shores, while its royal emblem, Keagborekuzi 1, already has a bagful of garlands to his youthful neckline. The evidence?
Foot Marks Of A Champion King
Without a doubt, Keagborekuzi is one of Nigeria’s most exposed kings, in terms of trans-cultural interaction, liaison and activism. So influential has he remained that, at separate fora, he has held court where many credible of his contemporaries are hardly visible. And credible attestations to this fact are legion. He has been guest of honour/ guest speaker, Belgium King’s Day celebrations; guest of honour at Spanish Day celebrations and Guest of the German Embassy, during the visit of the German Chancellor to Nigeria. He was also one of the few Kings invited by the Federal Government to receive the Queen of England during her visit to Nigeria. He is an Officer in The Order of Belgium. In fact, the institution of the order of Belgium on Keagborekuzi, in 2004, is significant in three major respects: the ageless history of the Kingdom of Belgium which, at a time, was a major colonial power in Africa and beyond; the fact that hardly any foreigner (s) had been so rewarded with such a highly esteemed award, and the fact that, in order to honour Keagborekuzi, the Kingdom of Belgium had to break faith with its history and tradition  by honouring him at 27, nine whole years less than the prevailing benchmark  of 36 years, as demanded by their culture and tradition.
In 2006, the Obasanjo Presidency named him Chancellor of University, thus making him, at 29, the youngest Chancellor of any university-public or private-in all of Africa. As if to consolidate his all-round appeal and relevance, the Delta State Government once named him Vice-Chairman, Delta State Traditional Rulers’ Council, thus becoming, at his age, the youngest traditional ruler to hold such a position.
Keagborekuzi is a man of reforms. He has introduced myriad reforms as are necessary to drive the kingdom, safe and sound, into the next millennium. For example, he has caused to be established, the Agbor Youth Learning, Development and Empowerment Centre (AYLDEC), to tackle the issues of unemployment, social deviance and value orientation among youths. At the last count, some 556 youths have been trained at the centre. He has equally instituted cultural and traditional reforms such as would enhance the cohesion of the kingdom, hedge up its competitiveness, raise its visibility at the national and trans-national fora, and increase its strategic relevance in the increasingly relevant traditional institution in our increasingly dynamic polity. That is the dream of the average Agbor man ; the hope of their traditional stool and the expectation of their well beloved man of history- Keagborekuzi 1.
In the meanwhile, what else can one tell the pre-eminent monarch than to wish him well as he strives to recreate an ageless kingdom in alluring garbs of civilisation and relevance?
Doo Dein! Doo Dein!! Nito ni-Enyi fe. Ogi Azun Gbomee Ohimii.

This king is an inspiration to many. He's worth every word that has been used for him.

literarymathy:
This king is an inspiration to many. He's worth every word that has been used for him.

A pride of the Delta

Kee ihe agbor ga ekwuzi