By Ojealaro Stewart Friday.

After being incominicado for some days due to a horrible armed robbers attack at my Abuja abode,I improvised and got a gadget to peep into the items that are trending on social media. Two outstanding items caught my attention. One is the matter concerning APC illegally-convened NEC meeting to oust Oshiomhole. This though huge is not enough to make me ignore the biggest topic of all...the deposition of Emir Sanusi of Kano and his banishment to Nasarawa State. I saw many articles on the matter by Nigerians and once again,wittingly or unwittingly Nigerians admitted the preeminence of the Benin Throne above all other traditional stools in Nigeria. As one of my brothers,Elabor Joe pointed out,he said " It was Emir of Kano that was dethroned but it is the Oba of Benin that is trending in lieu..." I think he said this because of the fact that Nigerians are comparing the Kano stool to the Benin stool. Yes,it is this sacrilegious comparison that provoked this my article. Benin cannot in anyway be compared to Kano and these are my reasons;

1. Age of Stool.
While the Benin throne is over 3000 years old( from the time of the Odionweres through the Ogisos to the Obas),the Kano Emirate is an aftermath of the 1804 Jihad of Usman Dan Fodio. It is a stool that is less that 300 years. The majestic aura is new and spiritually bland compared to that of Benin

2. NATURE Of Thrones.
The Oba of Benin is deemed a living god amongst men. He is an absolute monarch and no one is above him except God. No governor or president has a hand in his appointment. He is born to be King not to be elected. There are spiritual repercussions for anybody to tamper with the procedure of his ascension . On the other hand,the Emir of Kano is usually picked as you would a primary 6 class monitor by the governor of the state. This is with the understanding that he is answerable in certain matters to another traditional ruler...the Sultan of Sokoto.

3. Constituents of both Kingdoms

The Emirate of Kano is ruled by Fulanis but with over 80% of the constituents Hausa people. There is lack of traditional harmony that goes when the ruler and the ruled are related. Bola Ige ( of blessed memory) once described Edo people as a family not nation not tribe but family tied by blood.

4. Degree of supervision by state governments.

Let's get this very clear,no Governor nor head of state can depose an Oba of Benin or any of his cousins who are hereditary occupants of the mini kingdoms in Edo. Using the Oba Overamwen case as an instance of when an Oba of Benin was deposed is farfetched and irrelevant. His was a consequence of international war between Britain and Independent Benin Empire. The fact that he was not replaced by any person who is not his son tells you the situation is quite different. No, Oba of Benin cannot be deposed. According to Pauly Okpere,no Edo Governor dares tries it. In Edo,it is the governor that panders to the Oba not the Oba that panders up to the governor. The farther a wayward governor can go is to suspend the Oba from the state traditional council and this is not common and in fact,it only happened once and by a non indigene Military Administrator called Tony Onyeregbulem( Terrible Tony he was called). What happened when he declared Oba Erediauwa ( God rest his soul) suspended? The whole members of Edo state traditional council in solidarity with their traditional father boycotted the council and traditionally suspended Tony Onyeregbulem. While the Suspension of the Oba was lifted through the wise intervention of his relative Prof Ben Nwabueze ( who clearly knows his cousin was treading dangerous waters). But because the spiritually powerful Edo traditional rulers did not lift the suspension on Onyeregbulem,he died tragically in a certain hotel in Kaduna. Some claimed he was calling mosquitos Benin spirits before his demise. Let me also give another example of the suspension of a Benin hereditary traditional ruler...The Ojuromi of Uromi. Oshiomhole only deprived him of allowances from the coffers of the traditional council which is controlled by the governor. He did not dare go further than that as the people of Uromi throughout the period of suspension still hold their traditional court at the palace of the King of Uromi with the Ojuromi himself presiding. The conclusion is that,suspensions of the Oba of Benin or any traditional ruler in Edo state can only amount to statements made in poof and nothing more. It is the pronouncer of such sacrilegious statement that is actually in danger of repercussions.

CONCLUSION...

The deposition of Emir Sanusi incongruously laid to rest the matter of who amongst Nigerian traditional Rulers is the real deal.Nobody talked about any but the great Oba of Benin. This is because,they see the others as 'Efulefus' where the Oba of Benin is involved. I believe so too.

ok

let Oba of Benin do anyhow to any governor of edo state or President of Nigeria that are in good terms with the governor, that is when he will know the power of government.

Let your so called Oba of benin try the nigerian government then we will know

samuk:
By Ojealaro Stewart Friday.

After being incominicado for some days due to a horrible armed robbers attack at my Abuja abode,I improvised and got a gadget to peep into the items that are trending on social media. Two outstanding items caught my attention. One is the matter concerning APC illegally-convened NEC meeting to oust Oshiomhole. This though huge is not enough to make me ignore the biggest topic of all...the deposition of Emir Sanusi of Kano and his banishment to Nasarawa State. I saw many articles on the matter by Nigerians and once again,wittingly or unwittingly Nigerians admitted the preeminence of the Benin Throne above all other traditional stools in Nigeria. As one of my brothers,Elabor Joe pointed out,he said " It was Emir of Kano that was dethroned but it is the Oba of Benin that is trending in lieu..." I think he said this because of the fact that Nigerians are comparing the Kano stool to the Benin stool. Yes,it is this sacrilegious comparison that provoked this my article. Benin cannot in anyway be compared to Kano and these are my reasons;

1. Age of Stool.
While the Benin throne is over 3000 years old( from the time of the Odionweres through the Ogisos to the Obas),the Kano Emirate is an aftermath of the 1804 Jihad of Usman Dan Fodio. It is a stool that is less that 300 years. The majestic aura is new and spiritually bland compared to that of Benin

2. NATURE Of Thrones.
The Oba of Benin is deemed a living god amongst men. He is an absolute monarch and no one is above him except God. No governor or president has a hand in his appointment. He is born to be King not to be elected. There are spiritual repercussions for anybody to tamper with the procedure of his ascension . On the other hand,the Emir of Kano is usually picked as you would a primary 6 class monitor by the governor of the state. This is with the understanding that he is answerable in certain matters to another traditional ruler...the Sultan of Sokoto.

3. Constituents of both Kingdoms

The Emirate of Kano is ruled by Fulanis but with over 80% of the constituents Hausa people. There is lack of traditional harmony that goes when the ruler and the ruled are related. Bola Ige ( of blessed memory) once described Edo people as a family not nation not tribe but family tied by blood.

4. Degree of supervision by state governments.

Let's get this very clear,no Governor nor head of state can depose an Oba of Benin or any of his cousins who are hereditary occupants of the mini kingdoms in Edo. Using the Oba Overamwen case as an instance of when an Oba of Benin was deposed is farfetched and irrelevant. His was a consequence of international war between Britain and Independent Benin Empire. The fact that he was not replaced by any person who is not his son tells you the situation is quite different. No, Oba of Benin cannot be deposed. According to Pauly Okpere,no Edo Governor dares tries it. In Edo,it is the governor that panders to the Oba not the Oba that panders up to the governor. The farther a wayward governor can go is to suspend the Oba from the state traditional council and this is not common and in fact,it only happened once and by a non indigene Military Administrator called Tony Onyeregbulem( Terrible Tony he was called). What happened when he declared Oba Erediauwa ( God rest his soul) suspended? The whole members of Edo state traditional council in solidarity with their traditional father boycotted the council and traditionally suspended Tony Onyeregbulem. While the Suspension of the Oba was lifted through the wise intervention of his relative Prof Ben Nwabueze ( who clearly knows his cousin was treading dangerous waters). But because the spiritually powerful Edo traditional rulers did not lift the suspension on Onyeregbulem,he died tragically in a certain hotel in Kaduna. Some claimed he was calling mosquitos Benin spirits before his demise. Let me also give another example of the suspension of a Benin hereditary traditional ruler...The Ojuromi of Uromi. Oshiomhole only deprived him of allowances from the coffers of the traditional council which is controlled by the governor. He did not dare go further than that as the people of Uromi throughout the period of suspension still hold their traditional court at the palace of the King of Uromi with the Ojuromi himself presiding. The conclusion is that,suspensions of the Oba of Benin or any traditional ruler in Edo state can only amount to statements made in poof and nothing more. It is the pronouncer of such sacrilegious statement that is actually in danger of repercussions.

CONCLUSION...

The deposition of Emir Sanusi incongruously laid to rest the matter of who amongst Nigerian traditional Rulers is the real deal.Nobody talked about any but the great Oba of Benin. This is because,they see the others as 'Efulefus' where the Oba of Benin is involved. I believe so too.