₦airaland Forum

cbrass:
Bro I dey feel you gan, you know alot of history, but how did you know all these

Lol. Thanks.

I began listening to elders at a very young age. Early interest. I was lucky to have a close relative who wrote & taught the history.
I also have relatives who are palace chiefs, and some dukes of the Kingdom.

Any country I visit or live in, I go to their museums and try familiarising myself with their history. Funny enough, I find Benin arts and history taking a prominent place in these foreign museums. Aside Egyptian history, no other African arts draws more people than Benin one. Not even Nubian or Ethiopian sections.

But crucially, it's also part of my ancient family history.

Nice

OK

Would APC have relinquished power in GEJ's position?

An emphatic NO.

papparatzzi2013:
Benin people should simply read up on Ugie Erha Oba festival.

The two most important rituals of divine kingship are Ugie Erha
Oba, which honors the king's royal paternal ancestors, and Igue,
which augments the king's own mystical powers. These two rituals,
which were introduced by Oba Ewuare in the fifteenth century, are
equally concerned with the concept of divine kingship, although in
Ugie Erha Oba the king is the officiant of the rite and in Igue he is the
object (Ben-Amos 1980:82). Ugie Erha Oba is preceded by a ritual in
which all the families of Benin commemorate their own paternal
ancestors. This is followed by Ugie Igun, in which rites honoring each
former king are performed individually. The rites honoring the father
of the present Oba, Ugie Erha Oba itself, begin with a greeting
ceremony, Otue, in which the living king receives the homage of all
his chiefs and titleholders, in order of their rank. They greet him and
receive gifts of kola nuts and palm wine in return, thus dramatically
showing their acceptance of his superiority and of their own rank in the
Benin sociopolitical hierarchy. In the central rite of Ugie Erha Oba,
the Oba appears in public, dressed lavishly (fig. 11), preceded by the
Ifiento, retainers who clear a path for him with magically charged
bracelets (see fig. 49). Sacrifices are performed to appease evil spirits,
honor the earth, and to commemorate the Oba's father, the focus of the
day's events. The chiefs, dressed elaborately, again demonstrate their
support and reverence for the king by dancing past him with upraised
ceremonial eben swords (fig. 12). The king, dressed in his most
elaborate beaded costume, then performs in similar fashion with an
eben before the altar dedicated to his father. Ugie Erha Oba concludes
with a ritual called Iron, in which the seven Uzama engage in a mock
battle with supporters of the king, who eventually triumph (fig. 13).

This part of the festival refers to the past conflicts between the Oba and
the Uzama, [b]who represent the original people of Benin as opposed to
the alien rulers from Ife.[/b] The inclusion of Iron in the ceremony
honoring the ancestors of the king emphasizes the supremacy of the
Obas and the struggles that were necessary for them to achieve it; it
also indicates the Oba's ability to vanquish any enemies who may
oppose him during the coming year; finally, it illustrates the historical
consciousness that has motivated so much of Benin art and ritual.

I guess many Benin people would have witnessed or heard of this ceremony. Certainly, the battles between Ogiamien & Oba Ewedo, and between subsequent Obas & Uzama/ancient senior nobles for supremacy from an Oba that was simply a primus inter pares to a sovereign ruling over a centralised kingdom/later empire are stuff of history & folklore.

But it was the Uzama chiefs led by Oliha who went to get Prince Ekaladerhan from Ife in the first place and not actually his son Oranmiyan, but had to accept Oranmiyan just to ensure Ogiso bloodline continue to rule.

They were much more concerned about influence of people who came from Ife with Oranmiyan. Like the Oloton, who's the keeper of royal ancestral shrine till tomorrow. They feared those people might bring Ife system to Benin, against the established Igodo/Benin system of the Ogisos.
It was also about maintaining own personal influence.

Remember that the Uzama defied Ogiamien, ruler of Igodo that time & son of usurping ruler, Evian, who took power after Ogiso Owodo, the last Ogiso/Obagodo died without an heir. His only heir having been maliciously banished, presumed dead until discovered in Ife.

Ugie Erhoba honours all royal ancestors. But Ododuwa is not in the roll call of Benin Obas because he never was Oba of Benin. Even Oranmiyan did not stay long enough for Ododuwa to have used him to influence Benin. In fact, Oranmiyan never even set foot in Oredo/Benin proper.

His palace was in a village outskirt of Benin. He was in Egor area, though now grown to meet Benin but many kilometres away from Benin then. Evian/Ogiamien prevented him. It took Oba Ewedo, great, great grandson of Oba Eweka I, several battles to enter Benin proper and build a palace. About 100 years after Oranmiyan left Benin.

About 530 years after Oranmiyan, in 1714, Anne, the Queen of England died heirless despite having conceived 18 times and had some kids that all died, the royal descendant of English royal family, George the Elector of Hanover became King of England. British parliament had passed the Act of Settlement in 1701 that forbade Catholics becoming King/Queen of England. Till today. The mother of George, The Princess Sofia of Hannover was made crown princess. With her descendants as heirs after her. So far not Catholic. But Sofia died three months before Anne. So George became King.

George who was raised German and barely spoke English did not feel comfortable in England. So he appointed Robert Walpole, an English man to rule as Chief minister on his behalf while George mostly lived in Germany. That position became Prime minister of England.

Even in 1066, William of Normandy waged war on England successfully to claim the crown of his dead relative, King of England.

Anecdotally, the position of modern prime minister began earlier in 1624 when French King Louis XIII made Cardinal Richelieu his chief minister.
So bringing a royal descendant back to be King is something quite normal. Even in Europe. For various reasons.

The reason for this epistle is to illustrate that royal ceremonies in Benin not only have a meaning but also a very detailed and logical history behind it. Sometimes also reflected in the history of other distant countries.

JuanDeDios:
Your observations are right but too much step by step won't do. Mr Chukwuma needs to forget the one-man show and either bring in partners or go plc to raise cash. Then he can run a serious autobiz and compete. Forget Murray-Bruce's silly campaign. You need to get your basics right.

Correct. He doesn't just need cash ($billions) but expertise in running car manufacturing.

But we all know it has been a labour of love for Dr Chukwuma. He needs to think big now.

Like by 2025, a third of all new cars registered in 9ja should be Innoson.

Family cars, 4x4 and buses for transport will be the real deal.

He can retain at least 51% of the shares and control the boardroom.

Partner with a solid bank to provide car financing options for young upwardly mobile/middle class.

We have said this years ago already.
Innoson cannot rely on government patronage.

Do serious marketing and provide good after-sale service. Plus affordable $6000 to $10,000 cars. It will be hot cake.

This is the right time. There is more consciousness now that we need to buy 9ja and create local jobs.

But I suspect that Innoson may not yet have the capacity to produce enough cars if demand should surge.

Maybe they are taking it step by step.

God bless her hustle.

She could have entered town with fake hair and skimpy dress to entice big boys. The easy virtue way.

But no. She's doing what our virtuous mothers, grandmothers & great grandmothers have done for generations.

Kudos to her.

dnatz:
What are you insinuating? People from polygamous home steal?? Some people sha, must u comment if you lack what to say??

She might not be correct in all cases...but we all know that poor people have more kids than they can care for. And polygamy is one major way to have too many kids.

A 30K a month earner with three wives and 12 kids will surely struggle.

Polygamous people sometimes marry still at the age of 60. If he dies at 67, he might still have under 6 kids. They will likely grow up in poverty, maybe roaming the streets, no education to keep them busy.

Or kids of the divorced 2nd or 3rd wife might live in poverty, and possible social problems with

PussyKrook:
This issue is not so much about young boys stealing. It is about the state of the decay of our society. There is so much drive to get rich quick; wear the most expensive things, drive a car, spend lavishly, etc. To make matters worse, people are willing to do whatever it takes to 'make it'.

Our society does not even question the wealth flaunted by others. We worship it, we adore it. and prostrate in front of those who flaunt it.

We livw in a society with corrupt, faulty foundation.

Word.

We can all pretend and be sanctimonious.

We the society are the push factor behind it.

Jadekitana:
But why should we split bills when we go out on dates? It's simple, either I pay for everything or he pays for everything. It's somehow when we start doing donation in front of the waiter or waitress because one person has decided not to cheat the other.

Well, the oyinbo that we so much like to imitate with fashion, fake hair, taste, entertainment, gayism, religion and others do it that way.

So why is the money aspect suddenly somehow?

sweetgala:
What was the statement made so it can be analyzed ?. Just saying a statement was made can not be the conclusion

On January 7, 1952 at the opening of the Western House of Assembly the Alake of Abeokuta said this:

On my right sits the Oni of Ife;
On my left, the Leader of our Government,
Obafemi Awolowo.
The Voice of the West is complete.

This was in Ibadan, not even in Egbaland.

He completely ignored Oba of Benin, Akenzua II and other minority royals & leaders seated.

Of course Oba of Benin walked out and others of Delta followed. Obviously, they were not part of the West and wanted to have their own region.

Midwest/Bendel was the only democratically created region/state through a popular vote/referendum. Others were by colonial fiat or military fiat.

cbrass:
I really loved the way you explained it all here, but one thing that gets me confused or shocked was when one of my itsekiri friend asked me to teach him how to speak Yoruba and simple Yoruba words I was trying to teach him are the things he already knew, and pronounced correctly even though the guy has never stepped foot in the west.

Well, any Itsekiri who speaks it fluently should understand a good amount of Yoruba. It is a Yoruboid language.

Itsekiri were mostly Ijebu and some other Yoruba groups who settled there.

The Royal family & some other noble families came from Benin.

As usual, over the years, the nobles/royalty also adopted the Yoruboid ways/language.

The Royal family of Sweden is French, but the Swedes are not French.

Awo was said to have been surprised just how close to Yoruba the Itsekiri culturally were.

bokohalal:
The distortion started from colonial Western Nigeria. Placing the minority group in the Midwest under a majority Yoruba led to the expansion of Yoruba history, culture and language into the Midwest.
Western Nigerian politics , not tradition or history, is the the root of the contention.

True. The distortion became too much that Oba Akenzua II got fed up with it. Especially after the Alake made a careless statement in Western Region parliament in 1952. Midwest Region was loading seriously from then.

bokohalal:
See Yorubas jubilant. This confirm that they do not know history. The OGIAME is not recorded as Oduduwa's descendant. Anywhere.

Well, Prince Ginuwa, the first Ogiame was the son of Oba Olua of Benin. No member of Ogiame royal family has ever disputed that.

The title Ogiame only has a meaning in Benin language.

Do you tell your father who his ancestor was or your father tells you?

Olu of Warri has every reason to be grateful to Yoruba, because Awolowo raised the stool from Olu of Itsekhiri to Olu of Warri. Something the Edoid tribes of Urhobo & Isoko protested seriously. Even Izons did. Awo only pacified them by agreeing to change Warri province to Delta Province. Basically Awo sought to raise Yoruba/Yoruboid people. The seed of discord was sowed partly through that. This is still recent history.

If you look at the referendum to create Midwest region, more Itsekiris voted to stay with Western Region than any other tribe.
Also, right now, it's more politically expedient to suck up to the larger, more influential Yorubas than Edos.
But still, Ogboju and intimidation based on numbers cannot change history.

You're right. Olu of Warri is not mentioned as Ododuwa descendant. He can only claim that through Oba Olua of Benin.

But soon we will see revisionists writing that the Olu of Warri was one hitherto undocumented son Oranmiyan sired after leaving Benin or Oyo.

Anyone can claim Ghengis Khan or Julius Caesar as ancestor.

If they like let dem deploy boys scouts or fire brigade people to welcome him, na them sabi.

How many times do you see Saudi Kings visiting 9ja? Dem no send anyone.

If you respect yourself, others will respect you.

viickerz:
short girls are portable.. buh.. they like trouble...

trust me theres nothing like having sex with an extremely short lady.. ..

you will just lift her up and continue digging... the legs are short.. so no unnecessary twisting

If she's not lazy o.

A lazy one cannot even take any strain, even being lifted, during activities you mentioned. And it can become awkward.

If you nor marry from Edo, you dey miss chumchin.

OBJ, Danjuma, Omosexy, Mercy Johnson, Stephanie Okereke and many more concur.

Now Kabiyesi, Ooni Orisa concurs too. There must be something honey sweet there.

In another news, Edo is about to begin rationing marriageable boys & girls. In the spirit of resource control.

Because there won't be enough to go round at this rate.

People like Linda Ikeji, Rita Dominic, Don Jazzy and other eternal bachelors & spinsters would do well to hurry up.

Sunnycliff:
Has APC meetings ever yielded any positive effects to our economy? Na so so travel our Junketeer they do. Thats why they do easily overthrow him. Ruling Nigeria from Space!!

These taboos and more were pretty much common in most parts of Edo. Until modern Christianity came.
Certainly, a married Esan woman who has a son will mostly likely be VERY careful before engaging in illicit affair. Son and heir in particular danger.

I have come across a couple of ladies who weren't very particular about it until they had a son each. These are even city bred under 30s.

It seems to be mostly relevant if married to an Esan man, and living in rural areas now.
In Benin, if bride price has been paid, a woman ought to know that infidelity would have consequences: danger to hubby & her kids. And her in child labour.

Christianity seems to be obliterating all these in Edo.

Pastor says all have sinned. If you sin and pray to God, go on soun.

In 9ja, people are not particular about names when beginning primary school.

The village teacher can write your name down using your father's first name as surname.

If ur father is call John Akpors, and ur first name is Andrew, He can call you Andrew John. maybe some even including your middle name, Atutukpoyoyo.
This can then follow you into secondary, and you may later be conscious to change surname to Akpors.

Andrew John, Andrew John Akpors, Andrew Atutukpoyoyo Akpors, etc. All can seem very different.

You may then have certificates bearing various names. I know many people like that.

But he will sure have classmates and teachers still alive.

If he didn't bother to do official name change, then no proof.

There's certainly fraud in the system, but we need to look carefully first.

Ol' boy, you try o.

Maybe na manslaughter case for dey ground now if na some people he slap like that.

One serious uppercut, and he might not have survived it.

Before nko?

Anybody without a death wish would reject that. With Boko/ISIS menace we have already.

When will he withdraw us from OIC that he took us to by applying (though IBB got the positive reply from them)?

They knew he was the Islamic guy likely to join the coalition.

He rejected perhaps because he's aware of people's fear of his Islamic zealotry. During election & since.

Who can say he won't join in the future?

khSteel:
@Op

Sanusi created this whole mess with his re-introduction of the BDCs in the Nigerian monetary system.

Soludo took the BDCs out and had banks providing such services; banks then employed more graduates and expanded their portfolio but Sanusi came in and claimed that Soludo made some "people" unemployed. This incident happened in 2009/2010.

This is exactly the problem with Nigeria - One Step Forward, Five Steps Backward, always making myopic considerations in the implementation of permanent governmental & economic policies.

Its easy to love Nigeria and wish to make it work, but its very easy to despise everything about Nigeria; how hard can it be to make policies for the benefit of all Nigerians instead of this constant attitude of always trying hard to favour a few because of myopic ethnic/regional considerations?

There is a good role for BDCs in every decent market economy. They just have to be well-regulated and made to strictly adhere to regulations.

Even banks don't always play by the rule, so using banks alone was also imperfect. Banks just have more leeway to give it to the "big men" that matter for their shopping spree abroad & launderers, punishing the average person on the street who needs hard currency.

plappville:
Thanks so much for your advise, Work has already started and is in progress.

I will make sure i give it to a housing agent as you said since i wont be around to handle it myself.

Yes, Lagos is a good place to build, but land there is extremely expensive.

Congrats on the work so far. I remember we talked about it a couple of years ago.

True about expensive Lagos land. I missed opportunities over 10 years ago. Areas I looked down upon as too bushy then, are now unaffordable. Even in Ikorodu.

Instead of building, saving up & buying already built can save lots of headache in Lagos. You know when people need money badly, they sell off well below market value.

You have done very well. E nor easy, nice one.

dennisworld1:
his father was killed by fulani kidnappers. he is the eldest son living in UK since he was born. he is 15years old. according to tradition he is the heir to the throne

Hmmmmmmm.

I can see it in his demeanour. He looks a bit flabbergasted as an average UK teenager would be.

Raising heirs to the thrown in totally foreign cultures is not ideal at all.

It's a major turbulent time for him. Especially the sudden loss of dad and all this furore now.

Wish him luck.

chynie:
see as that police man dey look

anyway long live the king

make he no spoil girls finish

That caught my eye too.

Police be like: Ehen, you this small boy na king? In police kingdom, a recruit cannot lord it over a big belle ACS o.

Kastonkastroll:
Look at how the disrespectful iyabo is smiling like a goat. Very shameless woman.

Anyway obasanjo is not a saint. He is directly the architect of our current problems in the country, if only he didn't imposed a clueless Jonathan as the VP of yar'adua, we won't be in this sorry state we are today. He brought a sick yar'adua who can be easily controlled by the cabal but death shattered his(obj) plans. Jonathan and his cronies did nothing for six good years aside from looting, looting and more looting. Ordinarily, an incumbent president is not supposed to lose an election in Africa, but bcuz of cluelessness and foolishness, jonathan was booted out.

So those 14 new federal universities, railway, almajiris schools, agricultural boom, becoming Africa's biggest economy, several better roads like Lagos-Benin road, Lokoja-Abuja, renovated airports and more just fell from the sky.

When lying and insulting, one should still remember God. When you count people's sins, also count their good work.

Incumbents don't lose in African elections because they cling to power & manipulate electoral process, detain opposition leader (as just happened in Uganda) not because of stellar performance in Office or because they always actually legally win. Even plunging their country into war & carnage for years like Gbagbo, not minding how many die as a result. Is that what you wanted GEJ to do? Haba!

cruzita:
mourihno destroyed Mikel ,but u can see changes in his games under this new manager .I have always known Mikel to be a game killer ,he doesn't push attacks ,[b]u give him pass at the midfield and he sends it back to the keeper,[/b]but now he gives accurate passes,opens up to receive passes and even tries to score. Under hiddink I think we are going to see more of Mikel.I rest my case

That was never actually fully correct.

His game was analysed by a UK football pundit a few years back. The computer counted his Touches and passes and analysed direction of passes.

The vast majority of passes were either forward or sideways. I was surprised because I used to believe seeing him mostly passing backwards.

Fact is we are more conscious of his back passes because we're more thrilled by attacking football. Anything that takes away from that thrill, even if 10 back passes per match, those stay in our memories than the 25 forward and sideways passes.

Remember, Mikel's game was shaped by Mourinho. Kill the game was the instruction. And he became very good at it. He reached the height of his game in the semi-final against Barca in 2012.

cool

dragonking2:
Although I don't support APC but PDP is highly fo0lish for giving the chairmanship to a bokoharam northerner.

In a country currently ruled by someone who was chosen by Boko Haram as their negotiator with FG?

What is the definition of hypocrisy again?

If Sheriff is oga pata pata of Boko as you guys claim, is Buhari not failing in his constitutional duty if he claims to fight Boko & let their oga walk around freely?

Unless Buhari is a bigger Boko boss & Sheriff is a floor member.

Sheriff does not currently enjoy any form of immunity.

seunmsg:
[b[b]]"He led a team that
successfully mobilized a large number of the more
that 24 million disabled persons in the country to
support the APC candidate and his running mate in
the 2015 presidential election"[/b][/b]


And APC got 15 million votes nationwide

Govt of compensational appointments. Congrats to him. Hope he won't see his appointment as just a personal reward, but a chance to serve people actually in need of better care & consideration in the scheme of things.