[size=15pt]Perebo-kala-bari (King Kalabari) the first Kalabari king[/size]

IZON (Ijo or Ijaw) gave birth to: Mein, Tarakiri & Oporoza
MEIN gave birth to: Ugo (Ogo or Pere-kor 1 of Ogobiri)
UGO gave birth to: Perebo-kala-bari (King Kalabari)
                         

In the first place, the name 'kalabari' is taken from the second part of the name of the founder and first ancestor of the Kalabari people, King Perebo-kalabari. From the sketch above, it is clear that Perebo-kalabari was the son of Ugo the son of Mein, the son of Izon (Ijo or Ijaw). Perebo-kalabari the first son of Ugo lived in Ogobiri.

He became the monarch after the death of his father. He had a wife from Isoko who was accused of witchcraft. He had to escape with her to a far town to avoid her death. While in this new place of refuge, he became very  wealthy and famous which led to envy by the people there. He then decided to migrate further,in search of his brother Kengema, to somewhere near the present Emohua (called Amafo by the Kalabaris). When he arrived there, Kengema had left the place.

Nevertheless, he decided to settle there with his people, hence the place became known as "Kengemabe Kalabari". While here, Perebo-kalabari was joined by his brother and cousin, Owoume and Igodo respectively. Thus, three of them became the first 3 chiefs of the place with Perebo-kalabari as the paramount and so, the first king of Kalabari. In the course of time, Perebo-kalabari died and was buried in Obu Amafo (back of Emuoha) which was now "Kengemabe Kalabari".

Following his death, Owoume became the second King instead of Prince Ende the first son of Perebo-kalabari. During the reign of King Owoume, the Kalabaris had some ritual assasination problems with their close neigbhours. This led to revenge and fighting. Once again, the Kalabaris had to leave for a safer place. They came to the place known today as Elem Kalabari (Old Shipping). For them, it was Iwo Kalabari. Later, King Owoume also died and his son Opu-koroye became the third King of Kalabari. It should be pointed out that Prince Ende, the first son of Perebo-kalabari died while King Owoume was still reigning. From King Opu-koroye to the civil war in 1879, thirteen (13) kings reigned with King Amakiri (Amachree I) becoming the most powerful and most popular of all the Kings of Kalabari. It was after the civil war in 1881 that the three major Kalabari towns - Abonnema, Bakana and Buguma dispersed to their present sites.


Past Kings of this great Kingdom

1.  King Perebo-kala-bari  
   (Kalabari)          
2. King Owoume    
3. King Opu-koroye  
4. King Owuere-ye Daba  
5. King Igbessa  
    (alias Igbo-ye Owibo)
6. King Kamalo
   (alias King Robert)  
7. King Mangiye Suku
   (Duke Monmouth)    
8. King Igonibo
9. King Ngbesa
10. King Omuye
11. King Bokoye
12. King Daba
13. King Kalagbea

[size=15pt]Ooni of Ife a female called Luwo Gbagida and her son Adekola Telu the founding father of Iwoland[/size]
Iwo is an indigenous town in Osun State and it has all the characteristics of Yoruba settlement. The Iwo people, like all other people of Yoruba stock are said to have originally belonged to Ile-Ife from where they migrated sometimes in the 14th century. The earliest settlement initiated by Adekola Telu a prince from Ife. Adekola Telu was the son of the 16th Ooni of Ife a female called Luwo Gbagida.

When Adekola Telu became an adult, he was willing to become an Oba and when her mother Ooni Luwo Gbagida noticed his son’s ambition to become an Oba, she quickly gave him a gift of crown and other valuable materials of kingship. Oba Luwo also provided some wise men to follow his son in his adventure to discover his own kingdom. Among the wise men that followed Telu on his journey were Ba-Gidigbo and Beku. Without further delay, Prince Adekola Telu left Ile-Ife with his man. Prince Adekola Telu and his men first settled at Ogundigbaro. No sooner than they settled at Ogundigbaro, Prince Adekola Telu discovered that the area Ogundigbaro was water logged and without further delay Adekola and his men left the area for a place called Erunmu today. Prince Telu in a longer distance a time, he again left Erunmu area because of the wild animals around the area that destroys his people’s farm crops.

After the Telu’s exit from Erunmu, he and his people settled at Igbo-Orita, along Ibadan–Iwo road which
was at a distance of about 5 kilometers from the present Iwo centre. After the death of Telu, Prince Parin one of his successors moved to a new settlement called Iwo. He was installed the first Oluwo of Iwo around the 16th century and he reigned for six to seven decades. Parin divided Iwo into four major quarters. Isale Oba, Molete, Oke Adan and Gidgbo. Each quarter was in order the command of a chief chosen by the Oba.

Iwo is situated in the midst of a reach agricultural area. It performs central place functions in respect of numerous settlements within a radius of about 32 to 48 kilometers from Ikire-Ile, Kuta, Ileogbo, Oluponna and Ogbaagba at a distance of 45 kilometres from Oyo and Osogbo respectively and 186 kilometres from the Lagos State of Nigeria. The provision of good facilities for trade and commerce can easily strengthen Iwo’s position as a trading centre especially for foodstuff, meat, fish, and timber.

@Ileke-idi, I'm yet to see the Kelani-Mainframe version. I will find and watch it. I saw an older version. Great story anytime.

[size=15pt]Momodu Ayinla Lamuye the most zealous muslim yoruba king (oba)[/size]

Momodu Ayinla Lamuye was a titled Nigerian traditional ruler who held the office of Oluwo of Iwo. He is considered one of the most zealous Muslim Obas in Yoruba land during the nineteenth century and used his office to consolidate the religion in his domain.

Life

Lamuye was born to the family of Oluwo Ogunmakinde Anide. Interestingly, he was given the Muslim name of Momodu at birth.
He succeeded his father but his choice drew complaints from Iwo traditional religion adherents within the royal households who raised concerns about his practice of Islam and how he would be able to carry out with traditional rituals. Lamuye doused the tension by accepting to give necessary assistance to officials involved in traditional rites.
Lamuye's reign witnessed a gradual growth in Islam in the town. However, it is noted that Islam preceded the reign of Lamuye in Iwo, it was supposedly established in the town during the reign of Oluwo Alawusa (c. 1795-1820). However, another Iwo tradition dates the beginning of the religion in Iwo to a man called Momodu an itinerant preacher during the reign of Oluwo Layilumi who died around 1750.

In 1863, he had to deal with a revolt in his domain led by the Balogun, Alli who was a powerful leader prior to the coronation of Lamuye. He succeeded in containing the revolt by recruiting loyalist troops to quell the rebellion and contacting Bashorun Ogunmola to allow Alli to remain in exile in Ibadan.

scopusng: The political experience of Benin after incorporation into Nigeria has not been inspiring. Mutual distrust between Benin and the British alienated Benin from the political experiments of colonial Nigeria.

Wow, infact, this is intriguing

sorry to derail but you can read about igala history here, quite interest

http://igalaassociationusa.org/ViewContent.aspx?id=13

alj_harem:

Sunni Ali one of the first Hausa kings before the introduction of Islam

How do you explain his name if it was before the intro of Islam?

BTW, Good job, my brother.

Katsumoto:

I am having difficulties posting data on Oduduwa/Ekaladerhan, Oranmiyan, Bashorun Ogunmola, Bashorun Oluyole, Fabunmi (Ekiti Parapo General) because of the spambot. Will keep trying

Thanks for trying. 

Katsumoto:

[size=14pt]Erelu Kuti, Oba Akinsemoyin, and Ologun kutere[/size]

Ikadan palace was the home of Erelu Kuti, mother of Ologun Kutere (the fourth king of Lagos, whose reign lasted 25 years from 1750, and the lineage from which the recently late Oba Oyekan) and Sokun (the Fashina-Jinadu-Bombata lineage) emerged.

Good one. 

isale_gan2:

How do you explain his name if it was before the intro of Islam?

BTW, Good job, my brother.

yeah thanks, but don't forget the fulani and arabs have been in northern nigeria ever since history so maybe there was some mixing of culture

moreover kanuris have been muslims ever since history so it may also be because some hausas mixed with kanuris

alj_harem:

yeah thanks, but don't forget the fulani and arabs have been in northern nigeria ever since history so maybe there was some mixing of culture

moreover kanuris have been muslims ever since history so it may also be because some hausas mixed with kanuris

When did kanuris become muslim? when did Islam arrive in Kanuri-land or in the Bornu Area?

[size=14pt]Alaafin Aole (Reigned circa 1789 - 1817)[/size]

Alaafin Aole, the one who is referred to as Oba Afepeja (the monarch who fights with curses) waged war against towns in Yorubaland where he was badly treated before he became king, and did so with passion and impunity. Two of such towns were Apomu and Iwere. Contrary to the oath taken by Alaafin Aole on his coronation that he would never fight Ife and its neighbours with the sword, he ordered Apomu to be attacked.

Also in spite of the curse placed by Alaafin Ajagbo that any Aare Ona Kakanfo that waged war against Iwere-Ile, his maternal town would die miserably, Alaafin Aole ordered Afonja, who was the Aare Ona Kakanfo then to attack Iwere-Ile and bring to him the head of its Baale (Village Head). Iwere-Ile was also the maternal town of Alaafin Abiodun. This led to the collapse of the old Oyo Empire in 1793.

However, not only did Oyo Empire collapse, Alaafin Aole also cursed Afonja and the entire Yoruba race and it is believed by many that the curse is responsible for the disunity in the Yoruba nation till today.

Alaafin Aole committed suicide after seven years on the throne.

[size=14pt]Alaafin Abiodun (reigned ca. 1770–1789)[/size]

Abiodun was an 18th-century alaafin, or ruler, of the Oyo people in what is now Nigeria. Coming to the throne shortly after the Oyo subjugation of neighboring Dahomey, Abiodun soon found himself embroiled in a civil war over the goals of the newly wealthy state.

Bashorun Gaha, the empire's prime minister and lord marshal, had used his power to pervert the constitutional terms of abdication in a bid to limit the powers of the Alaafin and gain more political power for himself. During Gaha's power play, he had succeeded in removing three kings before Abiodun curtailed his excesses and had him burned alive.

In terms of trade, while Abiodun favored economic expansion for its own sake, his opponents favored using the wealth from Dahomey's tribute to finance further military expansion. Abiodun soon proved victorious and pursued a policy of peaceful trade with the European merchants of the coast. This course significantly weakened the army, leaving his successor, Awole, facing a number of local revolts.

Abiodun's reign is generally remembered as a time of peace and prosperity for the Oyo, though Nigerian playwright Femi Òsófisan portrays him as a despot in his play The Chattering and the Song (1973).

His grandson Cândido da Fonseca Galvão, under the title of Dom Oba II, was an important South American abolitionist during Pedro II of Brazil's rule.

[size=16pt]Bashorun Gaha (or Gaa)[/size]

Bashorun Gaha (or Gaa) was a notable hero and leader of the military in the old Oyo Empire during the 17th/18th century.

He held the post during the reign of 4 consecutive Alaafins (Kings of Oyo) and was instrumental to the military conquests/victories during this time. Renowned for his juju (voodoo) prowess, he deposed or was responsible for the death of 3 of these Alaafins before being subdued by Alaafin Abiodun (reigned c. 1770–1789) via trickery and betrayal by his generals. He was said to have been burnt to death so that he does not resurrect. Upon his death, his children fled Oyo for places like Egbado (now Yewa), Badagry, Coutonou and Dahormey (mainly where the warrior had contacts).

Kilode?!:

When did kanuris become muslim? when did Islam arrive in Kanuri-land or in the Bornu Area?

don't know, may be the same time it arrived in countries like libya etc

kanuri have been muslims ever since time can record

^^ what about oral stories? it's allowed, it does not have to be written records, some of us want to know about our Kanuri people before their culture got influenced by Islam, if you can find please post.

Or ask your grandpa to tell you about them, then post it.

[size=14pt]Ozolua, Oba of Benin (Reigned circa 1481 - 1504)[/size]

Oba Ozolua is traditionally regarded as the ancestor of the Owans/Ora. He was known as Prince Okpame before he became known as Oba Ozolua. He had sought refuge in Uwokha in Ivbiosakon areas in c1473. From Uwokha, Oba Ozolua founded Ora and other villages. Oba Ozolua was a warlord. He beat the people of Uzea near Uromi to a pulp when there was a revolt. He extended his carnage to Uromi when the Enogie was reported to have been rude to his messengers. He went up through Akoko land, wandering into Nupe lands where he acquired a lot of sophisticated weaponry then. He attacked the Igallas and Igbirras in the present Kogi and Kwarra states. After spending the greater part of his life in ORA, he left behind his son UGUAN and returned to Benin City.

But before he left, he proclaimed everybody free men and free women, entitled to enjoy the privileges of Edo princes and Princesses, for all the services they had rendered in his military campaigns. That is why the Oras call themselves today, the CHILDREN OF OZOLUA.

The greatest warrior-king of Benin (in modern Nigeria). Ozolua was able to extend the boundaries of Benin from the Niger River in the east virtually to Lagos in the west. Tradition calls him the first ruler in West Africa to have had contact with the Portuguese explorers who were then exploring the western coast of sub-Saharan Africa.

The youngest son of another great Benin ruler, Ewuare the Great, Ozolua embarked on his systematic reduction of surrounding peoples from the moment he was named oba (king) in 1481. Known as “the Conqueror,” he is said to have consolidated the area he subjugated by a complicated network of marriage and diplomatic obligations. He encouraged trade with the Portuguese (c. 1500) and allowed them to establish missionary stations.

Kilode?!:

^^ what about oral stories? it's allowed, it does not have to be written records, some of us want to know about our Kanuri people before their culture got influenced by Islam, if you can find please post.

Or ask your grandpa to tell you about them, then post it.

history have it that around the 11th century, some people from cairo who were muslims came to kanuri land(which covers chad, niger etc) and introduced Islam to kanuri people.

infact thanks, i will do research about it and give u more information

^^ Alhaji, Please do.

Katsumoto, thanks for posting Oba Ozolua! That's another great ancestor of mine right there, now I need to go find my Tapa(Nupe) Ancestors.

[size=15pt]Hummay(1075) the man that introduced Islam to Kanem empire (kanuri) who was also the very first King of the Kanem empire [/size]

From about 1075 CE, Hummay (Humai ibn Salamna) was the mai (ruler) of the nomadic Sayfawa confederacy in central Chad, which was later to be known as the Kanem Empire. He is also considered by some historians to have been the true founder of the Sayfawa dynasty, that was to survive until 1846. His rule had important consequences because of his conversion to Islam. This provoked some dissension, causing the Zaghawa to break from the empire and move east.

[size=15pt]Mai Sef (750 AD) the first king the borno kanuri empire king before the introduction of Islam[/size]

According to history Mai Sef was the first king of kanuri-borno empire. He was the son of Dhu Ifazan of Yemen, arrived in Kanem in the ninth century and united the population into the Sayfawa dynasty. This tradition however, is likely a product of later Islamic influence, reflecting the association with their Arabian origins in the Islamic era. Evidence of indigenous state formation in the Lake Chad area dates back to the early first century B.C. (ca. 800 B.C.) at Zilum.

[size=15pt] The great Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi of the kanuri people[/size]

Shehu al-Hajj Muhammad al-Amîn ibn Muhammad al-Kânemî (Arabic: محمد لرشيد ابن محمد الكامانی‎) (1776–1837) was an Islamic scholar, teacher, religious and political leader who advised and eventually supplanted the Sayfawa dynasty of the Kanem-Bornu Empire. In 1846, Al-Kanemi's son Umar I ibn Muhammad al-Amin became the sole ruler of Borno, an event which marked the end of the Sayfawa dynasty's eight hundred year rule. The current Shehu of Bornu, a traditional ruler whose seat remains in modern Borno State, Nigeria, is descended from Al-Kanemi.

Rise to power

Born to a Kanembu father and an Arab mother near Murzuk in what is today Libya, Al-Kanemi rose to prominence as a member of a rural religious community in the western provinces of what was then a much atrophied Borno Empire.[1] The Fulani jihadists, under Usman dan Fodio's banner tried to conquer Borno in 1808. They partly succeeded. They burnt the capital, N’Gazagarmo and defeated the main army of the mai of Borno. The latter called for the help of Al-Kanemi to repel his Fulani opponents.[2] By planning, inspiration, and prayer, he attracted a following, especially from Shuwa Arab networks and Kanembu communities extending far outside Borno's borders.[1] The mai (monarch), Dunama IX Lefiami rewarded the leader with control over a Bornu province on the Western march. Taking only the title "Shehu" ("Sheikh", and eschewing the traditional offices, al-Kanemi gathered a powerful following, becoming both the voice of Bornu in negotiations with Sokoto, as well as a semi independent ruler of a trade rich area with a powerful military. Dunama was deposed by his uncle in 1809, but the support of al-Kanemi brought him back to power in 1813.

Defense against Sokoto

Al Kanemi waged his war against Sokoto not only with weapons but also with letters as he desired to thwart dan Fodio’s jihad with the same ideological weapons.[2] He carried on a series of theological, legal and political debates by letter with the Sultan of Sokoto Usman dan Fodio, and later with his son, Muhammed Bello.[3] As the expansion of Sokoto was predicated upon a struggle against paganism, apostasy, and misrule, Al-Kanemi challenged the right of his neighbours to strike at a state which had been Muslim for at least 800 years.[4] These debates, often on the nature of Jihad and Muslim rule, remain points of contention in modern Nigeria.[5]

Rule over Borno



ElKanemi-1823-Reception of Denham and Clapperton, Kukawa, Borno State, Nigeria
When El-Kanemi rose to power after the Fulani jihad, he did not totally reorganise the Sayfawa kingdom: he only tried to insert his men in the existing framework of the Sayfawa territorial fiefs, the chima chidibe. Cohen argued that the main political organisation of nineteenth century Borno was based on personal relationship and that Al-Kanemi initiated a more formal patron-client relationship.

However, as Last mentioned, we still ignore to what extent Al-Kanemi was dominating the whole territory of Borno after the Fulani jihad. Was he only at the head of a personal principality as Last suggested, or did he totally overthrow the power of the mai? This process which may have been longer than Brenner suggested is not very well documented. Oral history and European explorers’ narratives only retain Al-Kanemi’s irresistible rise to power. In this version of early nineteenth century history, Al-Kanemi assumed power in the 1810s without any competition from mai Dunama IX Lefiami before 1820. El-Kanemi, not just the face of Borno to foreign leaders, became more and more indispensable to the mai. Some in mai Dunama's coterie were believed to have been behind an attempt to kill the Shehu in 1820. At this date, mai Dunama and king Burgomanda of Baguirmi plotted to get rid of El-Kanemi. This foreign intervention in Bornuese politics was a failure and mai Dunama was replaced by mai Ibrahim.[7] El-Kanemi, while still titular subject of the new mai, had his own seals struck as Shehu of all Bornu.[1] The Shehu had constructed in 1814 a power base at the new city of Kukawa. This new city became the de facto capital of Borno.
Sayfawa mais remained titular monarchs after El-Kameni's death in 1837.


Tomb of Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi, Kukawa, Borno State, Nigeria
In 1846 the last mai, in league with the Ouaddai Empire, precipitated a civil war, resisted by El-Kanemi's son, Umar (1837–1881). It was at that point that Umar became sole ruler, thus ending one of the longest dynastic reigns in African history.

Al-Kanemi as seen by Major Dixon Denham

In February 1823, a British expedition led by Major Dixon Denham and Captain Hugh Clapperton arrived in Borno. They were introduced to Al-Kanemi. In his travel narrative published in 1826, Dixon Denham described Al-Kanemi:
Nature has bestowed on him all the qualifications for a great commander; an enterprising genius, sound judgment, features engaging, with a demeanour gentle and conciliating: and so little of vanity was there mixed with his ambition, that he refused the offer of being made sultan

[size=15pt]Kyari was Shehu of Borno in 1893.[/size]

Kyari became Shehu of Borno in 1893 when the country was invaded by Rabih az-Zubayr. One of his first acts was to kill his predecessor and uncle Ashimi of Borno.
He set to reconquer Kukawa already occupied by Rabih az-Zubayr but was captured during the battle. According to oral tradition, his last words for Rabih were
Tell this giant of a slave that if I had captured him I would not have asked him anything, I would have killed him on the spot. Let him not ask me any further questions. If he has anything to do, let him
Rabih had his cut throat on the spot.

[size=15pt]Ashimi or Hashimi (1840s-1893) was Shehu of Borno from 1885 to 1893.[/size]

Ashimi became Shehu of Borno in 1885 at the death of his brother Ibrahim Kura. As it had already been the case for his two predecessors, his reign was marked by an intense political and economical crisis in Kukawa.[1]
In 1893, Ashimi lost two battles against Rabih az-Zubayr who was trying to invade Borno. His nephew Kyari, who was chosen to become the new Shehu, assassinated him in Maganwa.

[size=15pt]Umar of Borno (died 1881) was Shehu (Sheik) of the Kanem-Bornu Empire and son of Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi.[/size]

Umar I ibn Muhammad al-Amin (Arabic: اولعمر ابن محمد لرشيد‎) or Umar of Borno (died 1881) was Shehu (Sheik) of the Kanem-Bornu Empire and son of Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi.


Reign of Umar

Umar came to power at the death of his father in 1837[1]. Umar did not match his father's vitality and gradually allowed the kingdom to be ruled by advisers (wazirs). Umar ruled from 1837 until November 1853 when he was deposed by his brother `Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Amin who became Shehu. The latter only reigned until 1854 when Umar reconquered his throne.[2]
Umar ruled as Shehu for a second time from September 1854 to 1880. Borno began to decline, as a result of administrative disorganization, regional particularism, and attacks by the militant Ouaddai Empire to the east. The decline continued under Umar's sons, and in 1893 Rabih az-Zubayr, leading an invading army from eastern Sudan, conquered Borno.

[size=15pt]Dunama IX Lefiami of borno[/size]

Dunama IX Lefiami was the leader of the Kanuri empire of Borno, located in what is now Niger, during the early nineteenth century. He was twice made ruler, first by his father and then by supporters loyal to him after he was deposed in 1809.

Life

Dunma succeeded his father, Ahmad Alimi, an old and fragile ruler who was constantly faced with attacks led by Uthman Dan Fodio, a Fulani warrior who was waging a Jihad west of Bornu. Dunama took on power in the midst of external challenges to the empire. To help secure Bornu, he invited an Islamic warrior and scholar, El Kanemi, who had success in battles with the Fulani. The two combined forces and restricted the expansion of the Fulani Jihad eastward. Dunama rewarded El Kanemi with innumerable gifts and titles. However, members of the empire's court who were weary about the circumstances of his ascension to the throne decided to depose him in 1809. Dunama's uncle Mohammed Ngileruma was made the new king. However, the new monarch refused to give due respect to El Kanemi and was finally deposed by El Kanemi and a few other supporters of Dunama IX Lefiami. By the time, El Kanemi had emerged the most powerful individual in the kingdom.

[size=15pt]Ahmad Alimi and his fight with Usman dan Folio[/size]

Ahmad Alimi was the head of the kingdom of Bornu during the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. During the later part of his reign, the Fula people within his kingdom followed the call of rebellion and Jihad being led in the west by Uthman Dan Fodio. Alimi was perplexed by the uprising since Bornu was already an Islamic empire. He started a futile correspondence with Mohammed Bello and Uthman before finally leaving the throne to his son in 1808. By then he was fragile and blind. He died a few months later.

read more of kanuri

http://www.clickafrique.com/Magazine/ST010/CP0000000009.aspx

more on kanuri history

http://www.kanuri.net/kanuri_and_their_neighbours2.php?aID=243

We need to make sure that our present and future leaders could also be described as great.

What have we learnt from these great leaders that could be used to improve our lives?

Katsumoto:

[size=14pt]Ogiso Owodo, Ekaladerhan/Oduduwa[/size]  (This is most plausible history of Oduduwa to me)

I just read the above post last night, since it appears to have been held by spambot for some time after it was initially "posted."  I have heard and read accounts of Oduduwa's life, but this is a particularly good read.  You should all go back to page 5 to read it.

I do have a few questions though:

Ogiso Owodo (1059-1100 CE), was the thirty-first and last Ogiso of Igodomigodo. He freed the slaves. He was considered a weak king because he could not handle Osogan who was a thorn in his flesh during his reign. Ogiso Owodo had only one child, a son called Ekaladerhan, born around 1070 by Imade, a concubine, despite Ogiso having many wives. In attempt to unravel the cause of his wives not being able to bear children, [/b]he sent his first wife Esagho and three male messengers, namely Osaghae, Osagiede and a fourth person to consult an oracle. Details of what happened have been preserved for centuries in palace folklore and practice and who better to provide this than an illustrious Edo prince soaked in the tradition.

[b]According to the book, Ekaladerhan, written by His Royal Highness, Ovbia Oba Edun Agharese Akenzua, the Ogie-Obazuwa, published by Ukhege Heights, Benin City, 2008, Odionmwan and his aids, Omokpaomwan and Osifo were summoned to appear at noon before Ogiso Owodo, because there was a job for the executioners. The prison cells were empty, so they did not know who was going to be executed.

1) Considering the book was written by an insider, I wonder why they went with the above.  If Ogido had several wives, and none of them were able to conceive, does the fertility/sterilization source not point to the king?  What is the statistical plausibility that four (or more?) women married to the same man would all be barren, unless they were all sisters suffering from the same genetic disorder.  hmmm.

The leaders of the captives too, felt that there was something familiar about Oduduwa. He looked like his father, huge, fair in complexion and masculine. Oduduwa instructed Ilowa and the others to treat their captives well. “Let them have their bath, give them food and let them rest for the night. I want to see their leaders again in the morning. I want to interrogate them.”

2) Everything I have ever read or heard about Oduduwa described him as being very dark-skinned. 

^^I'll take "fair skinned" as described with a pinch of salt, maybe just a few shades lighter than average, after all kings and princes rarely work the farm or wander around in the sun.

GenBuhari:

We need to make sure that our present and future leaders could also be described as great.

What have we learnt from these great leaders that could be used to improve our lives?

That life is fleeting, history is cyclical, that we existed before Nigeria and we will be here after it.

That Leaders cannot do good all by themselves. Human beings are naturally selfish. They have to be compelled by a well oiled system of laws, custom, culture and a programmed or forced sense of belonging to care for others beyond themselves and their immediate family.

That ultimately, people should matter more that rules, regulations, norms, culture.

That pride can be learned and government systems can be rebuilt (the British forced new systems on us, didn't they?) we can do the same. It does not mean the country will collapse.

That we need to value our people, make the quest for their progress an obsession -especially if you are in leadership- recognize the right of the individual to seek freedom and emancipate herself from oppression.

plus more. . . We can learn plenty of lessons from these stories, and from our history.

isale_gan2:

I just read the above post last night, since it appears to have been held by spambot for some time after it was initially "posted."  I have heard and read accounts of Oduduwa's life, but this is a particularly good read.  You should all go back to page 5 to read it.

I do have a few questions though:

1) Considering the book was written by an insider, I wonder why they went with the above.  If Ogido had several wives, and none of them were able to conceive, does the fertility/sterilization source not point to the king?  What is the statistical plausibility that four (or more?) women married to the same man would all be barren, unless they were all sisters suffering from the same genetic disorder.  hmmm.

My guess is that one of the wives was barren and she proceeded, using witchcraft, to ensure that the other wives did not bare children before her. Since it was only the concubine that had the child, she probably did not know about the concubine. This is plausible because the priests might have revealed to the Ogiso that someone was responsible for him remaining childless and devised a plan for him to 'meet' his concubine in secret. Why would a king have four wives without any of them been able to have kids? The first wife was probably barren and then he would have married the second and she too would have been barren, and then the third with the same result, and then the fourth.

Finally, it would have occured to someone that there was a problem and the way to really know is to have a women in secret. This is further buttressed by the fact Esagho, one of the wives, tried to have the ONLY child killed. See below from the book.

'A stranger in his mid 50s approached them and said he wanted to share something with them but that they had to take an oath with him before he could reveal it. They wondered why they should take an oath with the stranger and tried to dismiss him. He insisted that he would not leave until they took the oath and heard him out. With the swords put together, the intruder untied an edge of his cloth to bring out a kolanut and some ehien-edo (allegator pepper). He incised his arm with the tip of the sword and asked the others to do likewise. He plucked a cocoyam leaf to collect the blood from the four of them, broke the kolanut, dipped the pieces in the blood and placed them on the sword. Then, he added three ehien-edo seeds.

The three men placed their hands on the sword and swore not to divulge the information they were about to receive. Each of them took a piece of the kolanut and one seed of the ehien-edo and chewed them with a sip of water. Then the intruder began to speak: “I was one of the four persons sent by the Ogiso to the oracle to find out why his wives could not bear children. Esagho was one of us. The Obiro revealed that a sorceress had cast the spell on Ogiso´s wives to prevent them from bearing children. The sorceress must be destroyed and her blood sprinkled on the shrine of Olode. She is an evil woman, I can see her face. She is trying to hide but can´t. Her name is Esagho, Ogiso´s wife.

“On the way home, in stormy whether, Esagho ripped off cloth from her waist.” Seeing the unclothedness of an Ogiso´s wife carried the death penalty. “We lowered our gaze and screamed, what is this? She accused us of removing her cloth to violation her. violation you, we screamed. One of us tried to strangle her for lying but the rest of us restrained him. We fell on our bellies, buried our faces in the mud and pleaded with her but she would not bulge. She insisted we agree to say that the oracle manipulated Ekaladerhan and not her. We knew that no one would believe our story against hers so, to save our necks, we gave in. On arrival at the palace, Esagho told Ogiso that the oracle declared Ekaladerhan as the Alagbode. That the Alagbode passed over the bridge and burnt it, so he must be sacrificed to the gods for Owodo´s wives to bear him children. This is the genesis of what you are about to do now.”

The executioners could not believe their ears. They asked for the names of the other messengers and the stranger said they were Osaghae and Osagiede and that “they could not live with the treachery so, they drank poison one after the other these last two years. “I have waited for this day to tell what I know. Now that I have done so, I am ready to die,” he said. The executioners debated the issue and decided they would save the life of the prince. They would not want to soil their hands with the blood of the innocent. They would tell the prince what happened and let him escape.'

isale_gan2:

2) Everything I have ever read or heard about Oduduwa described him as being very dark-skinned. 

You mean the same books and accounts that stated that Oduduwa was the son of Lamurudu and rode on horse back from Saudi to Ife? please
One fact that convinces me that the Benin Prince was Oduduwa is that Ife did not conquer Igbodomigodo (Bini). Why did Bini allow Oduduwa's grandson (Oranmiyan) to become king if they weren't convinced that he was their prince? Do you think a Saudi prince would have been able to speak to the Bini chiefs in Bini? Also, Oduduwa did not return to Bini seeking to claim his throne; he was found by Oliha (the leader of the Odion'isen). Add to the fact that the Bini did not have a king after the death of Ogiso Owodo preferring to find his son.

Katsumoto:

You mean the same books and accounts that stated that Oduduwa was the son of Lamurudu and rode on horse back from Saudi to Ife? please
One fact that convinces me that the Benin Prince was Oduduwa is that Ife did not conquer Igbodomigodo (Bini). Why did Bini allow Oduduwa's grandson (Oranmiyan) to become king if they weren't convinced that he was their prince? Do you think a Saudi prince would have been able to speak to the Bini chiefs in Bini? Also, Oduduwa did not return to Bini seeking to claim his throne; he was found by Oliha (the leader of the Odion'isen). Add to the fact that the Bini did not have a king after the death of Ogiso Owodo preferring to find his son.

No, I don't believe the Saudi connection.  I don't tend to entertain origins of Black Africans that seek to connect us by force with biblical or middle eastern history. We can stand on our own. 

My question about the skin complexion was just that, about the color.  Since one of Oduduwa's main defining characteristics is this shiny black beautiful skin he was supposed to have possessed, any description to the contrary will always get my attention.