₦airaland Forum

aycorporat:
Area fada away from all this stuff, please, was Obaseki trying to usurp the throne by befriending the British or what because in the movie he was not really portrayed as a bad man, secondly was Oba ovoramwen nnogbaisi caught in the bush in hiding like the film relayed and thirdly why were his wives not with him on the boat to calabar?
thank you friend

You're right my brother. I touched quite a lot of raw nerve. Someone descended from a possibly 5th class "whatever colour cap" chief fighting hard there. You guys have LOADS of them. Kudos to him for defending his own though, however little.

I have to try to be fair here as I try always to. Although this was rumored and insinuated over the decades, I do not think Agho Obaseki did. At least, he could not have suggested it by himself, knowing that a non-Royal person had never succeeded in doing that in the past. Much less when the Empire & succession had been well-established for many centuries before then. From 1440 in fact.

That film only really covered a few months properly. Except the fake treaty that had been a few years before. In the period properly covered, Obaseki could not even have known how things would unfold. What he's accused of partly happened after Ovonramwen's exile to Calabar.

The British thought it would be a brilliant idea to install someone malleable and cosy with them. Obaseki certainly fit that Bill. But I still did not get a definitive confirmation from people who were in their early teens then. I grew up to meet some. Very old but with sharp memories.
Obaseki saw opportunities during that period of vacuum and used it for his own benefit. As he became Head of the Kingdom.

When Eweka II was crowned in 1914, (after much attempt to prevent it by Obaseki), he still wanted to be political head of the Kingdom. Benin people resisted him & the British every step of the way. Finally, the British installed him as the Iyase (Prime Minister of the Kingdom). Now this was a traditional Prime minister chosen by the Oba. As the second most powerful person after the Oba.

It is a non-hereditary position and the Oba can choose anyone accomplished. For example, any place that has come under Benin Empire or has Benin Princes ruling there can be scouted for an independent, respected & accomplished candidate. That's why a prince of Brass (Bayelsa) and two Akure/Ado-Akure people have been chosen as Iyase in the last 300 years. Okoro-Otun was one of the longest serving Iyase of Benin, and came from what became known as Ondo State. I hope you follow my arguments with people from Eastern Yorubaland here. They are quick to say I made things up. Connect things for yourself. FYI, Okoro in Benin language means prince.

So, the British choosing a prime minister was a sacrilege that had to be endured as we had become part of Nigeria colony.

The other big deal was that Obaseki sent his second son to become Ovonramwen's servant in Calabar. Why his own son, knowing the conflict of interests Benin people saw in his undue position as Head of Benin Kingdom when Oba Ovonramwen was in exile? Was his son sent to quicken Ovonramwen's exit to the great beyond and clear the way for Obaseki to take the throne?? That suspicion has remained till today.

Then, Obaseki was a childhood friend of Ovonramwen. Obaseki title was created by Ovonramwen and gave it to his friend Agho Obaseki. Obaseki's father called Ogbeide Oyoo was a mere sceptar bearer (Omu'ada) to Oba Osemwende (grandfather of Ovonramwen). His grandfather Osifo Oyoo had helped Osewmende during tussle for the throne. So he sent his son (father of Agho Obaseki) as he was probably too old to move to Benin. That grandfather of Obaseki was from Aniocha now in Delta. But today (possibly then already but unkown to Ovonramwen), Obaseki family now claim ancestry from Oba Ehengbuda, who ruled from 1578. That Obaseki was the great, great grandson of the first Obi of Nsukwa in Aniocha/Delta. And that the first Obi was a son of Oba Ehengbuda.

Ehengbuda was the last proper warrior King with many campaigns in Ondo that led to the significant Benin/Oyo treaty. Obas didn't really lead from the front in wars after him. He sustained severe burn injuries in one of those campaigns. But luckily survived but with battle scars. Partly to "cover" his scars, courtiers/palace chiefs purposely did body tattoos to mimic his burn injuries (called Iwu). His father was Oba Orhogbua (creator of Eko/Lagos, etc) who was a maritime warrior, but his son's (Ehengbuda's) battles were on land mostly. Oba Ehengbuda also often sent spies to the coastal slave holding areas to release slaves. Certainly wherever any Edo people captured as slaves were being sold and held. Since it was illegal by Royal Proclamation. Oba was already a thorn in the flesh of Oyinbo by then.

Did Obaseki use this claim of being Ehengbuda's descendant to secretly push his case with the British as eligible to be King? We will never know.
Please NOTE that this claim by Obaseki family descending from Ehengbuda is not recognized by Benin History, The Palace or Benin people.

As for invasion 97 film, it could not have portrayed the story correctly. If you read novels & watch the films later, they hardly tally.
I never really found out if the wives sailed with him on the yacht named SY Ivy in the real story. I suppose the yacht was bigger than the boat used in the film and his family could have been below deck already. But it could have been as shown in the film. Stories & pictures are abundant to show two wives, younger kids and servants were with him in Calabar.

In real life, several versions persist but the main one I know consistently is that he wanted to be available from the onset but was advised by courtiers to leave the city until things cooled down. He would have lived in one of the villages, not necessarily in the hut made in the bush as in the film. But then most villages, camps & hamlets were surrounded by thick bushes anyway. However, as things got worse, no doubt they might have compelled him to move from place to place, in case there would be any betrayal.

In the end, he was not just caught hiding but gave himself up after things got really bad. Many things royal are shrouded in secrecy. Even centuries on sometimes.

But it was different for Chief Ologbosere and colleagues, who fought a long guerrilla war with the British. They were betrayed, caught, tried & executed.
We now know that Ologbesere & others were right all along. Capt. Philip lost patience waiting for the go ahead from London to attack. He had written a year earlier to Westminster seeking permission to attack. Also clarifying that the wealth in the palace would easily defray cost of the war. And clear the way to exploit rubber for the then nascent automobile tyre industry & in-and trade monopoly.

Abeg make dem nor go kee poor Buhari o.

Attack na from all angles now o.
Ol' boy. Shebi dem see wetin GEJ endured with a smile for 5 years.
God delivered that GEJ from evil-minded people o.

I was hugely relieved the day the man left Aso Rock with his family.

That Aso Rock wey if the wife no die, husband go die in power.
Hmmmm.

razortruth:
Before you hastily condemn the men based on the sensational headline of this post, consider the fact that most of those "wives" were nothing when the hard working man in abroad brought them and cleaned them up and sent them to nursing school. Once those "wives" get registered as nurses and start working, their husbands become nothing before their eyes. They quickly learn the western powers of women over men and even bring home their boy friends just to provoke their husbands for divorce and to inherit all the man acquired over the years. Those "wives are evil and a man without self control can kill them before he realizes what he is doing

Perhaps the simple message here is that be careful with the kind of woman you empower. Lots of women will abuse that power. Why they may go to church daily, the bit of the Bible that says " be submissive to your hubby" has no meaning.
The clever thing could be marry her, leave her in 9ja. Impregnate & have the kids in 9ja. Your kids will still get the Yankee Kpali.
That might be the best way to avoid being a murderer.

Once you kill, no provocation or reasons can explain it. You, your wife and many people are ruined for life. Your kids will suffer it for life too.
Marriage now is also game of power. A humble person today will totally change when he/she starts making good money. If you showed him/her the way earlier in life & they come to make more money or live in a bigger house than you, they might even join others to sneer at you about how you are "not fast". Just human nature generally.

SaffronSpice:
I can't remember claiming to be an authority in any field of knowledge, let alone history.
And I have my reasons for calling those I called revisionists so.It has nothing to do with Otun being a boundary between both Empires;stop extrapolating wrongly from what I typed.
Apart from these two aspects of your post, I couldn't discern either head or tail of what you were trying to say.
I raised two points for you to address and you went off tangent pelting me with questions and saying unrelated things.
I challenged what you posted.Yours is to prove me wrong.I know if the discussion had been about Owo or Lagos you'll be quick to point at some Benin influences.
Now that Otun's on the tapis, you're telling me about alliances and suzerainty.
Tsk tsk.I'll pass.
PS: If you think you're one blueblooded Duke on a level that don't Count(pun intended) replying a gentry,fall back with your conceit,dude.

Well, I am not going conceal my ancestors because someone might feel offended.

For anyone that knows the importance of the big picture, the point I made about alliances is apt. If just defending a particular position from a particular narrow angle and in reality have no interest in history you will not see my point.

Take it or leave it. Northern Ekiti for long periods was a buffer zone against Oyo Empire. Now, no savvy empire would entrust the ruling of a buffer area in the hands of a potentially unreliable chieftain. Certainly not Benin Kingdom did that.

Read about the history of the Low Countries of Europe and the role they played in the power play between European great powers.

If you have no interest in history or comparative history, this will naively appear tangential and too far away to be relevant to what happened in Northern Ekiti at roughly same period.

While pun intended, you unwittingly got very close indeed.

SaffronSpice:
AreaFada2 or whatever you call yourself, I hope you know that sneering at someone's ancestry is considered the worst form of insult?
Just don't post sh!ts you can't defend about Otun and I woun't have to quote you.

Far from sneering. That has more to do with how proud you are of your ancestry, whatever status it had. You will not consider it negative if you are comfortable with it. Now what you have done is jump forward to defended what you have neither the acquired knowledge or intimate family historic involvement to do so. Simple.

If that came across negatively, apologies. This is meant to be a forum where people bring their ideas, better still, knowledge, forward.

Very nice & colourful. Our traditions rock seriously.

How can we use these festivals to get paying foreign tourists to fill hotels, buy drinks, souvenirs and create jobs for the youths?
It seems we're missing a trick.

cold:
The last pic looks like the coronation of the pope

A very good observation. Something lost on people mostly.

Actually a Benin King was very close to making it a complete Christian catholic throne well over 500 years ago but Benin nobility prevented it. Something similar happened in Warri not quite 5 years ago. The Olu was asked to abdicate & he quickly changed his mind.

The Oba is the Head of Traditional Benin Church, probably West Africa's oldest Cathedral, The Holy Aruosa. Like the Queen of England is head of Anglican church. Centuries before Aladura/Cele began. In those days, the Oba was even sending bronze crucifixes as gifts to the king of Portugal & he would send Christian paraphernalia like rosary and others to the Oba of Benin.

The flowing gown/cassock of Benin chiefs was modelled on the cassock of Roman catholic Bishops & Cardinals (princes of the Catholic church).

Because we blacks hate ourselves so much, we have no interest in our history & we chose to believe the things Westerners/outsiders used to describe & subjugate us.

englishmart:
how old is he?

Around mid 60s. The past few months have been gruelling.

SaffronSpice:
Is this your idea of a joke or you are really serious?
If Benin soldiers had defended Ekiti against Oyo,why were they not present during the Kiriji War to fight the Oyos?Why were there no Benin troops in the EKiti Parapo alliance?Eh?
Draw it mildly.
Even most revisionists only mention Otun as a frontier town between the Benin & Oyo Empire.
It makes a difference;some of these myths need to be exploded.
You need not mention that you have relatives in Ondo & Ekiti to explain away the flaw in your post.
I am from Mobaland,and Otun is only a 10mins journey from my hometown .

What you fail to realise is the fluidity of alliances, of whatever name. You seem to believe that history is just one long period in which all things remained same.

Let me tell you, many wars historically broke out when one party broke the terms & conditions of alliance or suzerainty. Like a new headstrong prince ascending the throne and believing that his father or grandfather had been weak to agree to unfavourable terms.
Now you picked one alliance as evidence that Ekiti never needed to be defended by Benin. What was the lifespan of that alliance and from roughly which year to which year did it stretch? Who were the ruling monarchs in Oyo & Benin during those times?

You need a far better understanding of history before you jump forward claim to be an authority in any topic.

Why should I not mention my relatives anywhere in the world? And in Ondo/Ekiti in particular? After all, most of them are very likely more educated and better enlightened in the history of those parts than you. And may even have higher stakes than you in those parts.

Moreso, how important is your ancestry in the monarchies of Yorubaland that you claim to know about?

Those you call revisionists, what better evidence of history have you that the boundary between Oyo & Benin Empires spheres of influence was not set at Otun?

For many of us, it is not just something about tribes, it is also part personal family history passed down. If you do not belong to that echelon of traditional society, I do not expect you to know. Period.

In cheating game, girls are now head & shoulder above guys.

For most guys it's just recreation. Something you do if you can afford it, but can leave out if you cannot afford.

But for lots of girls, it's now a necessity, even an existential one sef. Because on the average, a lady in Nigeria is more likely to be unemployed than a guy. Made much worse by this recession.

They need these many guys as regular income streams to survive, keep up with the Jones's & maintain a luxury life where applicable.

So babe, this your video is way too late.

stinggy:
Apparently she wasn't dead, she only passed out.
Only God knows how many people have been hastily buried in this country before proper medical evaluation.

Lots of people are buried alive in Nigeria daily. Especially children that are hurriedly buried.

Since most people have no idea of first to administer. How many people can confidently feel for a pulse??

Just imagine if she was embalmed soon after "death".

So as Warri people dey claim to be aproko reach, a small girl waking up from deep sleep scared them.

But some people get mind o.

macof:
similar tradition with Benin? there's no traditional similarly worth mentioning. you can talk of dressing and songs, maybe accents but Tradition taking it too far bro


also, Yorubas have been where Bini is right now. .we practiced that father to son ascension and it carries a lot of problems
opening ascension to all genuine princes and royal families is what makes yoruba stand out.

Maybe. But you will agree that in Yorubaland some thrones remain vacant for long periods due to litigation and can become subject to politics and who has the deepest pocket. Royalty is something you need to train for. Being a prince might not just be enough.

Does it not make more sense to be trained from childhood for such a very demanding job?

I guess such would avoid a scenario where a certain Oba was publicly fighting his Olori and even led to his dethronement then.

SaffronSpice:
Otun-Ekiti was never under Benin Empire,neither did she pay tribute to Benin.

Really? I guess you will also deny that Benin Empire defended Ekiti against Oyo empire. Well, it makes no difference now. Benin gave up the empire in 1914. But history remains same. I happen to still have relatives across both Ekiti and Ondo though.

Maybe next time you will say that Otun was a powerful empire. I expect anything from history deniers these days.

D.

By far the healthiest food there. Amala is far healthier better carbohydrate than white rice. The amount of Okro is more too. Replacing the meat in D with chicken would have made it perfect. We eat too much meat. Even too much chicken is not healthy.

This is really grotesque.

Chai! Rice is becoming gold o. Imagine selling one bag and eating one. No more hunger for next one month.

They should forgive the man sha.

Fact is serious networking happens in places where "decent" people frown upon. Clubs, bars, striptease joints and such funny places.

adebayosun02:
Bereaved of ideas

Bereft ......you mean sir.

This car is so comfy & solid like a moving house.

The 4.7L V8 engine is the only concern if used in a city with much traffic jam.

Is it first body sir?

ok

macof:
that's the point! many people are do ignorant of their own history. .it's killing Nigerians. . most people believe anything (the first thing) they read from any book or online article without meeting an elderly person(Traditional minded person) to confirm

as for Eleko and Bini, I grew up befriending people from the old families of lagos and although they claim Muslim they are still very traditional. It seems not all of Lagos was a bini colony. There was a part founded by Bini warriors which couldn't extend too far into Awori farmland before the Awori invited Ado to come and be settling disputes between the Idejo (land owners of lagos)...till today the Eleko calls Aromire (one of the Idejo) Onile (owner of the land)
The thing is Bini have over emphasized the Bini contributions to Lagos, not realizing that the Bini dynasty started out like what we have in Lagos and the same way Bini are excited to announce "we founded lagos" Yoruba can also claim 'we founded Bini'

what are the connections?
1. A prince invited to settle political crises (Oranmiyan and Ashipa/Ado)
2. The prince left his son in charge and returned home. .(Eweka I and Ado)
3. the chiefs still owned the land above him

not until the sell of land by Ogiamien to Ewedo, and his harsh rules to the Edionisen ( now Uzama chiefs ) the Oba of Benin had his limits like the Eleko.


which brings me to another point to debunk the Ekaladerhan - oduduwa claim
If the Obas are descendants of the Ogiso, Ogiamien will not need to sell their father's land to them during every coronation. Ogiamien family will not even have held authority in Benin from Oranmiyan's time in Benin till Oba Ewedo - 4 generations later. You do know that Oranmiyan up until the time Oba Ewedo acquired the land from Ogiamien, the Obas only ruled Uselu - founded by Oranmiyan - while Ogiamien ruled the main parts of Benin called Igodomigodo?











Whether They existed as they do now or not is not as important as the fact that they came from Bini or at least have close ties with bini but don't know Ekaladerhan. ..only Bini know Ekaladerhan but they know Oduduwa, they know the Ogiso.

which points that this Ekaladerhan is unknown

if I talk of Obamakin, I say he took over oduduwa's throne. .. You can verify in many places. . but when you say Ekaladerhan is oduduwa you cannot verify this ..and the easiest way to verify tales like this is when it's not only you that says it
how can oduduwa come from Benin and Benin are the only ones that know? How did they know he was in Ife? how come he never showed reverence for Benin? how come he wasn't buried in Benin or any part of his body taken to Benin? how come the coronation of ooni doesn't reenact any connection to your Ekaladerhan story? how come Ooni has no influence from Bini or any of the Art historians ever found any reference to Oba of Benin? but the reference to Ife and even European records speak of the Oba of Benin's reverence for the Ooni.


should I remind you that the Oba of Benin has an Oriki? oriki is not Edo culture but yoruba. .and only the Oba of Benin has an Oriki in Edo area, he is also the only one called "Oba". .Oba is not an Edo word

In the Oba’s oriki, he is called Leopard of the House, Son of oduduwa of Ife, son of Adimula(Adimula is Oduduwa's name - He was called Olofin Adimula - meaning something like Emperor Adimula), the name of the oba’s father will also be added ie. son of Akenzua, son of Erediauwa etc

nowhere is he called son of Ekaladerhan!
please if I lie expose me!


That book didn't claim Ekaladerhan to be oduduwa. what page did you read that?






having yoruba grandmother or mother doesn't mean anything, infact having a yoruba father doesn't mean you are yoruba. .. I say this all the time. belonging to an ethnicity, a culture is a spiritual thing, you must have it from the soul.

We can acknowledge our ancestry, our origins but that doesn't make us what our father is or what our ancestors were

Also being from a yoruba and Benin royal family doesn't mean a thing. .. how many people from royal families know their history? do you even know the history of the yoruba family you have links with?


if you are interested in the truth, you will make efforts to confirm what tradition say about oduduwa .. not what you want to believe because of the "Edo Pride"

You made some points, some salient, others very subjective & others mere conjecture.
That you think some people "genuine Yoruba with the spiritual aspect" and others "fake Yoruba" is your opinion. To which you are entitled. What matters is that people explore their identy/ies by themselves and can live happily with it.

But generally, the clamour for share of national cake & political influence by every hamlet, tribe and ethnic nationality has made everything a game of numbers.

If your tribe cannot determine the outcome of a national election, one can now trample on your tribe & history without batting an eyelid. Irrespective of how enthusiastically that history is celebrated in museums across the world. I have no illusion about the Nigerian reality.

Now to oriki. Literally every Benin person has an oriki. And Benin people have an ancient word for it too. Your oriki is that of your ancestral lineage. It is basically a praise poem, extolling your ancestors, their origins, royalty, nobility or exploits, etc.
If I greeted an elderly woman around 27 years ago in the morning, like any other descendant of Eweka I, the oriki she would call me is pretty much similar to Oba's own, with the difference that I will be called "son of" his majesty, home leopard, the spotless white bird from Ife/Uhe, Umogun, and many more...depending on the knowledge & creativity of the said elderly woman.

In the morning Benin people do not greet good morning/hello/ekaro to elders. Your greeting depends on your ancestry. A man of 80 sitting in his verandahin in Benin in the morning would be greeted by children and wives passing by thus:

Delaiso (Ogiso descendants & women married into the family)
Lamogun (Eweka I's descendants & their wives).
Lagiesan (Children/wives of Chief Ezomo/Commander of Imperial Army)
Lamosun (Children of Chief Ero who is Duke of Urubi/Keeper of North-Western City gate)
Delaihe (children of Elawure/Duke of Usen, a Yoruboid/Ado-Akure Town just about an hour from Benin)

And many more families.
Pretty much like bronze/brass commemorates events, ceremonies and more, your oriki reminds you every morning of your ancestry & history. And it is an ancient practice in Benin.

As for Oba, very funny to hear that it is not a Benin word. In philology, both Yoruba & Benin are termed East-Kwa Niger-Congo language family. Just like Igbo. If Igbo that branched out earlier from the tree still call their King Obi, how impossible is it that both Benin & Yoruba retained Oba from the "ur" or "stamm" language? Moreover, the Ogisos of Igodomigodo already used the title Oba-Godo, so what is the big deal?

Well, well, people always came up with this Idejo talk. That Eleko owns no land.

Now listen. To be a Benin person in those times meant making lots of sacrifice: war conscription, huge levies, abstinence from sex for even married couples & many more would be imposed by the King. So many migrated, with body tattoos and tribal marks used to check exit.

The point is Benin did not have a huge population to fight unnecessary wars. They had to be strategic, tactical, ruthless & efficient.

In Lagos, Benin needed to control areas with access to the sea & lagoon. It was expensive paying mercenaries, which Benin did a lot.

Why would Benin just be fighting endless wars deep into Awori country, with many more strategic/important wars to fight?? The Aworis that needed to be overcome were overcome to control the Eko of Lagos Island. But with documented battles at Iru area. Some do not rule out Oniru having Benin connections.

So even if Benin wanted to take over vast lands, it could not get the population to do so. There, sometimes installing stooges or own princes to pay tribute & maintain loyalty & create buffer zones against Oyo & Idah for example as happened in Northern Ekiti (Otun) & North of Edo.
As for the book by Egharevba, I read it several times as a kid, and memory seems vivid about Ekaladerhan.

Like I said, most people do not know their history, let alone Benin history. We really do not need other people to tell us our history. Everyone can tell his. It does not mean others will agree with you on it.

However, I salute your enthusiasm & interest in history. More people should do same.

As for selling land again to the Oba by Ogiamien, for a token, it has become part of tradition & coronation rites, like many that will happen in the 15 days the rites will take. He will for example symbolically climb a palm tree, to commemorate the suffering of an ancient crown prince centuries ago, who faced opposition before becoming king. Does this mean this crown prince really cannot feed himself without first harvesting palm fruits?
It is meant to further train the prince in humility and appreciate the efforts of his ancestors.

mazifrankmore:
That's why those he helped to power in order to hit jonathan are teaching him politics 101?

I heard Bisi Akande warned him against working with north but hate and greedy couldn't allow him.

I have no pity Tinubu

Funny world, isn't it?

Tinubu maybe good with propaganda, subterfuge, scheming & political smooth operation, but he's a surprisingly poor student of history.

You cannot be repeating mistakes made in the past and call yourself a political force.

At this rate, Tinubu will go into history as someone who delivered 56% of South-West vote but still very much depended on Northern vote to bring a govt to power that gave him no say at the centre, made life worse for Nigerians and selectively hunted only opposition members for alleged corruption.

I doubt if just helping ease out GEJ (who had 5 years in power that Tinibu may never have) is hardly anything to boast of as a legacy.

The money our economy has lost through bad economic policies under Bubu in 17 months is far more than money allegedly stolen under GEJ's 5 years of economic boom, that made us Africa's biggest economy.

macof:
You cannot know more about Ife or how oduduwa became king better than Ife and the entire yoruba tradition institutions

I'm not saying this to insult or hurt the pride of Binis. ..I admire Bini and the General Yoruba people see Binis as brothers
But for the reason of not distorting history I need to make certain things clear

1. Ekaladerhan has never in any Yoruba tradition been connected to oduduwa, infact Ekaladerhan is unknown outside Bini and it's environs. The urhobo don't know him, the Esan don't know him
this whole Ekaladerhan episode began with the late oba of Benin. .the hostility between bini royal house against Yorubas started with Oba Akenzua.. I hope the new Oba can set things straight and not follow that path

2. In Ife, a prince elected by the kingmakers must journey to Oke-Ora to collect the crown of oduduwa ( although this is a quick made counterfeit with leafs and wood as the original is in the possession of the Owa of Idanre). The original crown of oduduwa was taken by his younger brother Aremitan when he left Ife after the death of oduduwa, at that time there was pressure from the family of Obatala which later usurped the throne.

So the story of oduduwa, although not known by many is still intact and known, you only have to reach out to the right sources
so how come oduduwa had a brother if he was Ekaladerhan? How come oduduwa had a crown if he was Ekaladerhan? Ekaladerhan wasn't said to have left Igodomigodo with a crown
Bini certainly don't know this, listening to many of you binis that I have encountered trying to connect to Ekaladerhan, you only bank on the ignorance of the majority of yorubas on their history. .. most of these things are only open to those who are initiated to the traditional cults. .and today because of foreign religions and colonial mentality people see that as evil, and run away from it, thereby running away from knowledge.. you binis also are ignorant of oduduwa, because you are not yoruba, not much about oduduwa was taken to bini so you Listen to pseudo historians who say things like oduduwa came from mecca etc and things like oduduwa came from the east (although true Oke-Ora is at the eastern outskirts of Ife towards Ijesa but our father didn't come from Bini area) and want to make benefits out of that.
If more about oduduwa hadn't been a Awo (initiation matter/mystery), you wouldn't get the chance to take this Ekaladerhan story this far

You see, I do not really have much time to write this morning. Well, each tribe writes its history according what history passes down from its ancestors. How many people even know their own history, let alone the history of Benin? Would you know the name of the Oba ruling in Benin as late as 1853? I know without Google you will not. But Eleko Akintoye ruling Lagos in 1853 made it clear to the British that Oba of Benin had authority over Lagos. It is documented. Ignorance of an individual or individuals is not equal to absence of knowledge out there. You have to be actively seeking it.

Moreover, the Esan, Urhobo or Etsako etc of today did not even exist as they are now. Except perhaps unknown aboriginal people they might have met where they are now (if applicable), the tribes were yet to migrate from Benin at that time. After migration, they forged/formed their own identities there despite acknowledging Oba of Benin as overlord and indeed their rulers were either Benin princes or people selected/approved by Oba of Benin. So those tribes are not the custodians or preservers of Benin history.

To be continued.
You made several false assertions: I know this is based on your limited information & bandwagon effect.

One is that it was Oba Erediauwa who began Ekaladerhan story, as a kid, I still met many very old people alive who, if still alive now would be around 150 years old. The story they told us under the moonlight were not much different.
Moreover, A short History of Benin was first published by Chief Dr J. U. Egharevba in 1933. Oba Eweka II personally reviewed each and every part of it. The Crown prince then (who later became Oba Akenzua II and father Oba Erediauwa) read the whole manuscript to him for correction, etc.
So how can history reviewed by the grandfather of Oba Eradiauwa suddenly have been invented by Eradiauwa?

You also claim that Benin people since they are not Yoruba cannot know Yoruba stuff. FYI, I am even partly a descendant of a major Yoruba royal family. And in my part of Edo, most people are still bilingual (Benin/Yoruba dialect) as products of Benin Imperial times in Eastern Yorubaland.
We certainly do not need extra initiation into a Yoruba cult like Aro & several others. As long as you have been initiated you have the "codes" . We still have them. Though most do not bother due to Abrahamic religions. This will surprise you I am sure.

As for the crown, remember that crowns can be made. And it can be given mythical standing to elevate the power of the king. Like Ashanti royal golden stool dropping directly from heaven. Very convenient, considering that the earth in the area was awash with gold.

I do not think that Olu of Warri still uses the crown Prince Ginuwa took away from Benin or Eleko/Oba of Lagos still uses the Crown given to Asipa from Benin.

I am more interested in the truth of the matter. I have even suggested that Benin & Ife royal houses conduct joint DNA studies, that can be used to trace ancestry. Even my humble self who has both Benin & Yoruba royal origins would happily take part in such studies.

That should sort it out once & far all.

Hmmm. Ok.

joeprince23:
tinubu dey pretend like say the thing no pain am

You got it.

This is just strategy. He has weighed the permutations.

With so many outsiders like Fayoshe & FKK coming to fight his corner recently, he needed to re-assure APC there was no anti-party activities going on behind the scenes. Tinubu is doing this for the record.
But rest assured, serious overtures both ways have been going up & down over the past week.

Tinubu is keeping the game VERY close to his chest. He doesn't want FKK others to spill too much.

What politicians really do in private & what they make us believe are different like day & night.

Danny0531:
1) GX470(Prado)
2) Volkswagen touareg (I'd go for the V8)
3) All Land Rover SUVs.

Freelander has not lived up to LR standard really. That's why it's one of the most cheaply available Second hand SUVs around.

Jeep Grand Cherokee.

That is the original beast. Landrover Defender just about tie with it.

Ah! Wetin person nor go hear for this cont3?

So the other 5 kids found with them were kidnapped for being ugly, short, fat, intelligent, fair, dark or fine also?

Were they going to clone her or what?

Let them make the couple talk true. That their story na wash. Haba!

ovieigho:
How can a whole university be on fire? Where exactly is on fire? Which dept ,which hall etc....I hope the new site is not even a glorified secondary school where everything is crammed and jammed together on 2 plots of land...God bless university of ibadan....that university is a mega city on its own

Actually, many universities you hear of abroad do not have big campuses. You will be surprised to see the size of UCL, Imperial College, King's College, LSE, Oxford, Cambridge, John Hopkins, Dartmouth, Sorbonne, Heidelberg, Bologna, Karolinska, etc.

In fact Oxford has no main campus, just many buildings all over town housing various colleges, Halls, departments of the school & so on.

It's about organisation & proper use of space. The same way a small landlocked nation like Switzerland is far more prosperous than massive 9ja with massive resources.

Moreoffaith:
I don't believe this.

Actually very true.

A great number of creative people like artists, composers & writers have been bipolar people. They did their greatest works during the manic phase with high energy, needing little sleep and just churning out impressive works.

But many everyday people suffer from same. A housewife can suddenly become flirtatious & cheat, gamble money away, give out expensive gifts, go clubbing anyhow, drive recklessly, talk endlessly & things she would normally not do. Same for guys.

It can be mostly controlled with medication. But compliance with doctor's advise/prescription is a major problem & cause of relapse.