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Wednesday, May 1, 2024

ORUN OBA ADO: A CALCULATED LIE.

ORUN OBA ADO: A CALCULATED LIE.

Jacob Uwadiae Egharevba the first Benin historian first edition "Short History of Benin" published in 1933 did not mention burial of Obas of Benin heads in Ife and he only introduced it in his second edition after a visit to Ife and met with the Ooni. Yorubas have postulated that all heads of Obas of Benin from Oba Eweka the first to Oba Ovonramwen were being buried at a purported place they cunningly coined as "ORUN OBA ADO". One could easily fault the authenticity of that place from the name, if the Yorubas have said all Obas of Benin heads were being buried from Oba Eweka I and history reminds easily reminds us that the word "Edo (Ado)" was introduced as our national identity by the 12th (old chronological order) Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare I, one could easily ask what was the name of that place before Oba Ewuare I became the Oba of Benin, or was it a calculated move to project their supremacy ideas over Benin in the 20th century? In Benin history it is well recorded where all our Obas we're buried, all Obas of Benin from the time Oba Ewedo moved from Uzama to Ogbe, were all buried in Ogbe hence the parable "AiguÔba vbie Ogbe" meaning "None other than the Oba of Benin has his final repose in Ogbe soil". The four Obas of Benin Kingdom known not to have enjoyed this unique right since the reign of Oba Ewedo are:

* Ewuare : At his death, his instructions were carried out faithfully. His remains were taken out of Benin city to Essi village in the Oha River basin near the Siluko town. There Ewuare the great, Oba of Benin was interred.

* Ehengbuda: Ewuare's great grandson, who died by drowning in the Lekki lagoon - the river Agban- on his way to Lagos, a settlement founded by his father Oba Orhogbua, the only sailor king that the Edos ever had.

* Ahenkpaye: deceived into exile to his native village of Iguosa in the Orhionmwon territories by the Benin city chiefs for his parsimony, his excessive parsimony.
*Ovonramwen: died in British in exile in Calabar in 1914.

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