₦airaland Forum

FYI. Akenzua's father, the preceding Oba of Benin affirmed the story written by Egharevba and other historians and it was one unanimous account replicated in all colonial records. The basis on which the Ooni of Ife - Sir Adesoji Aderemi was pronounced the Governor of the old western region (1955 - 1959) of which the present day Edo was a part, ahead of the Oba of Benin.

Tell me which historian apart from Akenzua himself has ever written the version of Ekaladeran you all are putting forward now? So to you, everyone is wrong but Akenzua, right?

About the special seat, I am hearing from you for the first time. However, if it happens to be true, it is possible that Oranmiyan brought it back from Bini to Ife (not sure) since he was the first documented contact with Ife that both parties agree to. I will investigate.

How about Ooni's assertion that until 190X, all demised Oba of Benin's head were buried in Ife?? You go find that out.

"Since Oranmiyan dynasty started in Benin, all the heads of the Obas of Benin on demise were buried in Ife in a sacred place called “Orun-Oba-Ado” up to the year 1900. 4. Records in the archives made it clear that since 1191AD, the Ooni of Ife had to be informed, and clearance must be given by him on the new Oba of Benin to be installed up to 1916. "

What are we debating? The origin of Oduduwa or where the Oba was buried? And it is funny you keep bringing Egharevba up, but what did the same Egharevba write about Ekaladeran? You  go find out.

What did the preceding Oba of Benin ( Akenzua's father ) tell the British?

And what exactly did the Oba of Benin ( Akenzua's father ) tell the British? That Ekaladeran was not a Prince of Benin who later became Oduduwa? Maybe you should post what he said, because I have no clue what you are on about.

How come Akenzua's version was never written and has never been heard anywhere in history until he launched his book?

Is that a genuine question? Never been heard? The story of Ekaladeran (the banished Prince) is well documented in Benin history. Maybe it is you who haven’t read all of Benin history. Read more and not the only ones convenient for you.

Why did it take the Benin people hundreds of years to lay claim to Oduduwa's ancestry?

And who said it took hundreds of years? Again, the story of Ekaladeran has always been well-know.

But here is my question, why did Oduduwa himself reserve a special seat for the Bini Monarch and not someone from Egypt/Sudan or anywhere else in the world?

And here is something very interesting I found:

The Yoruba story about Oduduwa is extremely thin on substance. What we have is wrapped largely in myths, parables, and folktales. In fact, the most generous way to describe the story is that the Yoruba do not know anything about their highly revered progenitor. Oduduwa himself left a tell tale evidence of his ancestry in his lifetime. He reserved a special seat in his palace for his ancestors, which only the Bini monarch can sit on even now. No other human, whether Arab, Eskimo, Alaafin, Ooni, or Yoruba, (bleached or not), can sit on the seat. Despite this vivid evidence that has survived through the centuries, some Yoruba historians still claim that he was from somewhere in Arabia.

Any place from Egypt to Lebanon to Iraq to Saudi Arabia has been mentioned, and the Yoruba professors’ strongest proof of Oduduwa’s Arabian ancestry so far is that he was light in complexion. This may have influenced some heirs of Oduduwa, who have been accused of serious attempt at bleaching. The ‘light’ in complexion argument could place Oduduwa’s origin any where in the world from Edo, to China, to Britain, to Mexico, but who dares fault our professors who passed their exams on European history? The Saudi Arabian origin theory is not popular with the Ijebus who erroneously claim Wadai as their roots. Those linking Oduduwa with Iraq claim that he descended from Lamurudu (the Nimrod of Babylon’s myth). Nimrod was not an historical figure but a myth constructed from the life image of Ausar, the god of the Chaldeans, who invaded and colonized Persia from 4000 BCE. In any case, is it not dishonest to try to link 6000-year-old ancestry with 900-year-old personalities, without authentic and verifiable historical documents or DNA test? You can deceive the illiterate with myths but Nigerians are becoming more and more educated now.

There is another school of thought among some Yoruba historians claiming that Oduduwa came from the East. Some Yoruba historians are more specific and claim that Oduduwa first settled on a hill east of the valley over-looking the native Yoruba settlements. If he settled first in the Eastern side of the hamlet, isn’t there a good chance that he may have come from that side too? Bini would appear to be more East of Yorubaland than any Arabian country. The argument that the native Yoruba people probably did not know their East from their North is not tenable because the same people told us that the Igbos attacked them from the East in Moremi’s story, and both the Bini and the Igbos are East of Yorubaland.”


Now my own observation is:

"Oduduwa himself left a tell tale evidence of his ancestry in his lifetime. He reserved a special seat in his palace for his ancestors, which only the Bini monarch can sit on even now. No other human, whether Arab, Eskimo, Alaafin, Ooni, or Yoruba, (bleached or not), can sit on the seat. Despite this vivid evidence that has survived through the centuries, some Yoruba historians still claim that he was from somewhere in Arabia"

Why did Oduduwa do that? Is that not Oduduwa himself paying homage to his ancestors?

How can some people here claim to be more Benin than the historian - Egharevba How can Egharevba spit in the face of the then Oba of Benin (the father of Akenzua, the current Oba of Benin) and give -in to a deliberate distortion of the Benin history?? How is it that the then Oba of Benin in many reports available at various colonial archives in UK affirm the story of the Ooni of Ife to be true only for his son to come up with a different one years later

Actually thats very simple. Egharevba was half Benin and Yoruba and the Oba of Benin also stated that was the reason his version was biased.

Oyo is not included in any supposed "colonization" of Yorubaland, and it was the largest part of Yorubaland.

I could post specific quotes from Biobaku's Sources of Yoruba History which go into detail about the apparent Edo influence and origin of many of the smaller non-Oyo, non-Ife, Yoruba city-states, but it would be a lot of typing. I might post a few parts, but I don't really share the OP's zeal for this "Edo colonized Yorubaland" idea.


As for Edo colonizing Yorubaland, I doubt it because the use of "colonization" implies a kind of relationship which I don't think Benin actually had with most of the groups or city-states whose institutions they influenced or originated. It was more loose than that, I think.

My view with regard to the Edos and Yorubaland is that the acknowledgment of the religious supremacy of Ife is what kept Oyo and Benin from really clashing all those years, but the Alaafin of Oyo was certainly not the vassal of the Oni of Ife and the Oba of Benin was certainly not the vassal of the Oni of Ife. In the same manner, neither the Oni of Ife nor the Alaafin of Oyo were the vassals of the Oba of Benin, so how can one say Edo colonized Yorubaland when it never subjugated or attempted to subjugate the two most important states of Yorubaland?


In 1863, Benin did seem to clearly feel that at one time long ago they had bequeathed "civilization" on the Yorubas, but of course that view got suppressed and overridden by the Johnson-Talbot-Egharevba construction of the Yoruba-Edo relationship. Whichever version of origins is true, I think "colonization" is not what happened between either group upon the other.

The Benin story is actually very clear. They never claimed that they “colonized” all of the Yoruba-land. They only claim that Oduduwa was a Benin Prince. But the problem is with the Yorubas who claim Oduduwa was the progenitor of the Yoruba-race.

But if any of the parties should take a closer look into their history, it should be the Yorubas and they should put Oduduwa in his rightful place that he was not the progenitor of the Yoruba-race sent from heaven but just leader who came from the East. But of course they can’t because this will only prove the Bini story to be likely true that Oduduwa was actually their banished Prince, and why they demanded his return when the last Ogiso died without an heir to his throne and leader to lead the land of Igodomido as it was called during the Ogiso dynasty.

Funny enough, recent Yoruba scholars are beginning to dispute the fact the Oduduwa was the founder of the Yoruba-race. A leader? Yes. But the progenitor? No.

I guess this discussion is a bit stale now. I actually stumbled on this thread while searching for any information I could find on MODENINE who by the way is the greatest lyricist/rapper in Nigeria but that is by the way.

However after reading all the comments, replies, rejoinders, and "what nots" from both aforementioned artistes and all the posters, the only ones that stuck with me are the replies from Eldee and Qudus.

The Rooftop MC guy was trying to be "polite" and trying way too hard to impress Mr Abati as a "learned" person, while Banky W did address the issues and confronted Mr Abati but was still trying to come off as "polite" and “learned”.

However, Eldee wrote from his heart with raw passion and to me that was not rude but speaking his mind to a man who knows/knew nothing about what he was talking about and people he was insulting. And that’s what the generation of Mr Abati's need. They need to be told off when they go blabbing and the "blah blah blah" from Eldee was the most intelligent thing Mr Abati needed to be told not wasting brain cells trying to confront him constructively. And it does not matter if Eldee’s response never made it to Guardian but we the people read it!

And finally, Qudus called for a Revolution and that is what Nigeria needs.

9ja for Life!