Oba of Benin


By Monday EBALU, Benin City

Crisis seems to be brewing  in Benin kingdom  over plot by Ogiamien
descendants to dare the power of
Oba of Benin, by carvering  out a separate kingdom, Ogiamien kingdom, in
apparent ridicule and
desecration of the sanctity as well as reverence of the throne of Oba
of the kingdom,

The Ogiamien  family , on Wednesday installed the new Ogiamien and
declared their own kingdom,  Ogiamien of Sakponba , declared that
children of the family cannot kneel  down to greet the Oba of Benin, a
posturing that irked the Benin Traditional Council and eminent chiefs
who are poised for a showdown.

Top  chief  in the ancient Benin kingdom ,Chief John
Osamede Adun told journalists   in Benin
City that the action of the Ogiamiens was a taboo
and an abomination as nobody has the right and powers to challenge the
authority of the Oba of the kingdom.

Chiefs  Ayobahan of the kingdom, Chief Osamede  Adun declared that
ab-initio the Ogiamien family has no blue blood (Princely lineage) and
therefore “its palace is non-existenT and cannot stand as it is a
mere ‘cave’.He warned the Ogiamien family against attempts to drag the
kingdom into a bloody war even as he called on all the market women,
youths and elders to come out in their large numbers to challenge the
action  of the Ogiamien whom he tagged as ‘slave’ after the then Oba
conquered their forefather several decades ago. Adun who is the chairman/CEO of Bob
Izua Motors specifically lashed at Chief Arisco Osemwingie for
championing the cause to topple the Oba of Benin by carving out a
separate palace for himself,  stressing that the throne is not for
sale.

According to Chief Adun, Ogiamien family was destroyed  in 19AD by our
forefather many years ago, he is not a chief; he is a (alleged) slave.
He is not a prince, people who can bear prince in Benin are the
children of Obaof Benin.

 Today I call on all Edo people, it is an
abomination, and it is a taboo to the Benin people for anybody to
challenge the authority of the Oba. He is challenging the authority of
the Benin, it’s not the Oba. Our Oba is not for sale and Oba is an
authority. After God it is the Oba. If you go down the history of
Benin kingdom there is only one Oba, nobody has the right to challenge
the
Oba. The Ogiamien’s family wants to cause war in the kingdom. He
maintained that “nobody in the whole world can challenge the Oba of
Benin, he is an authority himself and cautioned that anybody who
aligns himself or herself with the Ogiamien’s family “is an enemy of
Benin kingdom. He further asked the embattled family to go to court to
prove its claim if indeed it has right to such position. As at the
time of filing this report, Chief Arisco Osemwingie could not be
reached for comment yesterday as he failed to answer calls to his GSM
phone.