The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Tuesday said Benin Kingdom in Edo State remained part of the expansive Yoruba race, a pronouncement that may spark fresh rivalry and altercation between people of the two ancient kingdoms.

The monarch made the comment in reaction to a statement credited to the palace of the Oba of Benin challenging the claim by the Alake of Egbaland, Adedotun Gbadebo, that the Ooni of Ife remained the pre-eminent spiritual leader in Yorubaland and environs.

Oba Ogunwusi, via a statement by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, made available to PREMIUM TIMES, said he was not interested in any supremacy battle with anyone but that he would continue to put the records straight and avoid distortion of history from any quarters.

The monarch said going by historical evidence detailing the Oduduwa lineage, Benin Kingdom remained part and parcel of Oduduwa House.

“We in Oduduwa land have always seen and regarded our people in Benin kingdom as part and parcel of Oduduwa House. They are our brothers and sisters, coupled with historical facts to back up this position,” Ooni Ogunwusi said.

“The statement credited to the Alake of Egbaland, did not emanate from us but the reality is that as a highly experienced and well informed monarch, Kabiyesi Alake, who is a bonafide Oodua descendant is entitled to his opinion based on his knowledge and understanding of history,” the Ooni said.

“Let me emphasize for the umpteenth time that Kabiyesi Ooni is less concerned over any supremacy hullabaloo. He is only interest for now in how the sacred throne of Oduduwa can explore measures through which the collective interest and genuine unity among Yoruba and other tribes within the larger House of Oduduwa can be enhanced.

“This informed his resolve to build bridges of harmony among Yourba Obas. I am resolutely committed to how Yoruba ethnic group can restore its glory and pride of position among other ethnic inclinations in Nigeria and don’t want to be dragged into supremacy contest or join issues with anybody.”



The traditional ruler said he recalled that about six years ago, attempt was made by some people to upturn history during the launch of a book titled: I REMAIN SIR, YOUR OBEDIENT SERVANT, which he said stood historical facts on its head.

Oba Ogunwusi stated that If the position espoused by the Oba of Benin Palace in the media “is aimed at distancing our people in Benin from the South West and Yoruba, so be it.”

He however added, “We still identify with them as our kinsmen, regardless of the attempt to change the course of history.”

The Alake had, while hosting the Oba Ogunwusi in his palace on February 7, rated the Ooni as the number one monarch in Yorubaland and other territories considered part of the Oduduwa House.

In his rating, Oba Gbadebo said Oba Ogunwusi was number one of the five principal Obas in Yorubaland, followed by the Alaafin of Oyo, then by the Oba of Benin (in third position), the Alake of Egbaland (fourth) and the Awujale of Ijebuland (fifth).

But in a swift reaction on Tuesday, the Esogban of Benin and Odionwere of the Kingdom, David Edebiri, 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 said, “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.”


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/198255-benin-kingdom-edo-yoruba-territory-ooni-ife-adeyeye-ogunwusi.html

ti omode o ba ba itan aba aroba, aroba de ni baba itan

my king leave am last last he go still understand sha

that small oni of life should go claim kwara state from the alimis first, we are not Yorubas and can never be

Igbos back off!!!
I repeat back off,this is oduduwas affair alone

LORDOFAFONJAS:
that small oni of life should go claim kwara state from the alimis first, we are not Yorubas and can never be

wicked

See yorubas and illigal land grabbing, una no dey fear na Benin Kindom una won claim.

This wanderer will not stay in his palace and rule his people. Instead he wants to start dipping his mouth into what his predecessor was wise enough not to dabble into. I wonder why they are so desperate to have the Edo people accept them

I thought this happened lonq ago and has since been settled. The title of the thread sef is mischevious.

at a time we have much pressing need and challenging issues. na was oh

Nawa oohh. Attachment and rejections in Nigeria.

Hahahahaah, this is what is called sopasticated disown. Afonjas why? Why this attaché by force? Everybody hates you, even your own Ijebu people know how smelly you people are. Again, Afonjas why?

“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.”

“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.

This people's 419 blood is generational...

Even the Lagoon Oba is fake too..
Let's wait and hear him rant tomorrow, by the time he finished reading this and digested it very well..(how he stole the name, 'Oba' just like every other thing he claimed to own)

I guess he would be on his way to Lagoon sooner than we even imagined..


Now I see where it all started...

So as we have seen, Yoruba people coming more and more of an island, thanks to all the propaganda to divide those East of Ore to Calabar, and for their back stabbing, jealousy, cowardice, and lack of being serious.


Thank you Bini People

Hmmmm.. Jungle don matured...
The niger delta environmental activists again... Looking for people to backstab!!!

[img][/img]

BeClever:





This people's 419 blood is generational...

Even the Lagoon Oba is fake too..
Let's wait and hear him rant tomorrow, by the time he finished reading this and digested it very well..(how he stole the name, 'Oba' just like every other thing he claimed to own)

I guess he would be on his way to Lagoon sooner than we even imagined..


Now I see where it all started...

O boy this ur jerry wan kii me with laff.

Lalasticlala make u come see o!

Nah force to join Yoruba lineage Ni....... leave us. Alone we. Are. Not. Aforjas. Thank You.

Fulani, dey their land, dey lord over dem.... dey take their women as sex slaves, and their men as servants at that very Ilorin!!! they won't reclaim it, na Benin dem wan chook eye go!!!! very soon even Sango sef go reject them! bunch of losers afonjas!!!!

nnamdi KANU said the same thing on Radio Biafra, in fact, he has never blasted Edo people at all, he is always calling Edo people capable warriors, and he also made us to know that eko is an Edo word that means war camp, Yoruba una see una life? Nnamdi KANU has never criticised Edo people as a group maybe some individuals, but as a tribe, no he has not.

Lol.....


Archeological evidence shows the benin empire is older than the yoruba empire

Both groups agree to eastern migration. Also physiological evidence also shows migration from the east for both ethnic groups which means the more eastern group is older

hinohsend:
I thought this happened lonq ago and has since been settled. The title of the thread sef is mischevious.

That is nairaland for u




Misleading topics everywere



So bck to d topic


Were does benin rily belong

Land grabbers and forceful attachment

This is old story. Why bring this up again?

By force love. Please Oni go and reclaim Ilorin before you get to Bini.

Lips sealed....This story right here doesn't concern me.

GTkester:
Hahahahaah, this is what is called sopasticated disown. Afonjas why? Why this attaché by force? Everybody hates you, even your own Ijebu people know how smelly you people are. Again, Afonjas why?

Sharap,at least their have history to tell,pl can u tell us history of hiboes.NB,pls dont tell us how they were dwelling in caves,going around unclad and dancing round a pot of boilling humans.

Post No Bill..

Afonjas take note please...

is it by force?

Yoruba! Yoruba!! Yoruba!!! How many times did I call you? Stop the attempt to attach yourselves to the Benin people or you will continue to be educated and schooled on historically facts as forest wandering people who incidentially equally had fallen angels as ancestors. What a double tregedy! To before warned is............ wh

omoelesa:
Sharap,at least their have history to tell,pl can u tell us history of hiboes.NB,pls dont tell us how they were dwelling in caves,going around unclad and dancing round a pot of boilling humans.

wat is dis 1 saying

omoelesa:
Sharap,at least their have history to tell,pl can u tell us history of hiboes.NB,pls dont tell us how they were dwelling in caves,going around unclad and dancing round a pot of boilling humans.

wat is dis 1 saying

cockoduck:
nnamdi KANU said the same thing on Radio Biafra, in fact, he has never blasted Edo people at all, he is always calling Edo people capable warriors, and he also made us to know that eko is an Edo word that means war camp, Yoruba una see una life? Nnamdi KANU has never criticised Edo people as a group maybe some individuals, but as a tribe, no he has not.

What's this one saying!? Who's is Nnamdi for God sake.
Had it been the Oba of Benin was ranked No1 he won't have refuted the ranking. All this is just supremacy battle and nothing more

able20:
See yorubas and illigal land grabbing, una no dey fear na Benin Kindom una won claim.

Until we go turn dem to tortoise