Oba akenzua biography for kids

The monarchy of Benin was hereditary ; the eldest son was to become the new Oba. In order to validate the succession of the kingship, the eldest son had to bury his father and perform elaborate rituals. If the eldest son failed to complete these tasks, he might be disqualified from becoming king. After the son was installed as king, his mother — after having been invested with the title of Iyoba — was transferred to a palace just outside Benin City, in a place called Uselu.

The mother held a oba akenzua biography for kids amount of power; she was, however, never allowed to meet her son — who was now a divine ruler — again. In Benin, the Oba was seen as divine. The Oba's divinity and sacredness was the focal point of the kingship. The Oba was shrouded in mystery; he only left his palace on ceremonial occasions. It was previously punishable by death to assert that the Oba performed human acts, such as eating, sleeping, dying or washing.

The Oba was also credited with having magical powers. The Impluvium was used in Benin architecture to store rainwater. Among the residences of the nobility, a compluvium channeled the rainwater into the impluvium in order to permit light and air through the walls since windows were absent among these structures. The stored rainwater in the impluvium was discharged out of the house through a drainage system beneath the floor.

Archaeological works from the mid 20th century has revealed the existence of edge-laid potsherd pavements in Benin city, dated around or prior to the 14th century. The Walls of Benin are a series of earthworks made up of banks and ditches, called I ya in the Edo language in the area around present-day Benin Citythe capital of present-day EdoNigeria.

They consist of 15 kilometres 9. Some estimates suggest that the walls of Benin may have been constructed between the thirteenth and mid-fifteenth century CE and others suggest that the walls of Benin in the Esan region may have been constructed during the first millennium AD. The Benin City walls have been known to Westerners since around Aroundthe Portuguese explorer Duarte Pacheco Pereirabriefly described the walls during his travels.

In Pereira's Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis, we read:. The houses are built of sun-dried bricks covered with palm leaves. Benin, which is 80 leagues [ sic ] long by 40 leagues [ sic ] broad, is always at war with its neighbours from whom it obtains captives, whom we buy at from 12 to 15 brass or copper manillas. Another description given aroundone hundred years after Pereira's description, is by the Dutch explorer Dierick Ruiters.

This city is about a league long from gate to gate; it has no wall but is surrounded by a large moat, very wide and deep, which suffices for its defence. The archaeologist Graham Connah suggests that Pereira was probably mistaken with his description by saying that there was no wall. Connah says, "[Pereira] considered that a bank of earth was not a wall in the sense of the Europe of his day.

At the gate where I entered on horseback, I saw a very high bulwark, very thick of earth, with a very deep broad ditch, but it was dry, and full of high trees That gate is a reasonable good gate, made of wood in their manner, which is to be shut, and there always there is watch holden. Estimates for the initial construction of the walls range from the first millennium to the mid-fifteenth century.

According to Connah, oral tradition and travelers' accounts suggest a construction date of — It has been estimated that, assuming a ten-hour work day, a labour force of 5, men could have completed the walls within 97 days, or by 2, men in days. However, these estimates have been criticized for not taking into account the time it would have taken to extract earth from an ever deepening hole and the time it would have taken to heap the earth into a high bank.

It is unknown whether slavery or some other type of labour was used in the construction of the walls. The walls were built of a ditch and dike structure; the ditch dug to form an inner moat with the excavated earth used to form the exterior rampart. The Benin Walls were partially demolished by the British in during their punitive expedition.

Scattered pieces of the structure remain in Edo, with the vast majority of them being used by the locals for building purposes. What remains of the wall itself continues to be torn down for real estate developments in Nigeria. Fred Pearce wrote in New Scientist:. They extend for some 16, km in all, in a mosaic of more than interconnected settlement boundaries.

They cover 2, sq. In all, they are four times longer than the Great Wall of Chinaand consumed a hundred times more material than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. They took an estimated million hours of digging to construct, and are perhaps the largest single archaeological phenomenon on the planet. Ethnomathematician Ron Eglash has discussed the planned layout of the city using fractals as the basis, not only in the city itself and the villages but even in the rooms of houses.

He commented that "When Europeans first came to Africa, they considered the architecture very disorganised and thus primitive. Military operations relied on a well trained disciplined force. At the head of the host stood the Oba of Benin. The monarch of the realm served as supreme military commander. Beneath him were subordinate generalissimos, the Ezomothe Iyaseand others who supervised a Metropolitan Regiment based in the capital, and a Royal Regiment made up of hand-picked warriors that also served as bodyguards.

Benin's queen mother, the Iyobaalso retained her own regiment — the "Queen's Own". The Metropolitan and Royal regiments were relatively stable semi-permanent or permanent formations. The Village Regiments provided the bulk of the fighting force and were mobilized as needed, sending contingents of warriors upon the command of the king and his generals.

Formations were broken down into sub-units under designated commanders. Foreign observers often commented favorably on Benin's discipline and organization as "better disciplined than any other Guinea nation", contrasting them with the slacker troops from the Gold Coast. Early Assignments and Problems His first year in office was concentrated in acquainting him with the practical role of an Oba and the intricacies of Benin traditional law and customs.

He engaged himself with the rehabilitation of the palace to meet the modern treads of the society. He under took renovation of the palace which hitherto instill awe and fear in the minds of people, particularly visitors, who attempt to visit the palace. The walls abounding the large enclosed courts gave way to large expanse of open court yard with forming a fence it were, to mark the extent of the Palace.

He was accorded rousing royal reception by the Edo Community in Lagos in particular and all sundries in Lagos and environs. Tumultuous crowd lined his route to cheer him. He was received with great jubilation by Oba Ademola and the Egba people. Other inhabitants of Egbaland were not left out. The Edo speaking people figured prominently in the reception and turned out gaily dressed to pay obeisance to their Lord and king.

The same yearthere was the great Forest Reserve dispute between the colonial Administrator and the Benin people. There follow a long dialogue which resulted in the establishment of the Benin Native Authority Forest Department under a British Forest Officer with the late Ranger Adams Obasogie Ekuawe at the head of the field staff. He also made the Osula of Benin and Obaseki Titles hereditary.

In Earl of Plymouth visited Benin City. He was given a Royal reception by the Oba and the people of Benin. On the invitation of Mr. Hunt, the commissioner, he went to Enugu to discuss state matters with him. The reorganization of Benin Native Administration was carried out oba akenzua biography for kids in the year. Appointment of district heads which began with the occupation of Benin by the british for effective running of the administrative machinery in Benin division was abolished in The district heads helped in the adjudication of minor cases, supervision and collection between the people, the Oba and the colonial officers.

This event, acting as an educating factor to cast aside the yoke of titular masters, the people of Uzebu Quarters revolted or rebelled against their overlord and titular master the Ezomo of Benin. Prior to that time, they were regarded as Evien Ezomo. The people contended that they would no longer remain sub-servant to any servant of the Oba of as Ezomo is one of the Evien Oba.

They would rather wish to be directly that of the Oba. This was later settled and their wish upheld. Later in the same year, there was general dissatisfaction over the introduction of water Rate3 based on tenement basis to which the oba alleged to have given assent without consultation with his chiefs and people. It was alleged that the owner of the house is not the owner of the land on which he build.

This led to great dispute and open confrontation of the people and chiefs of Benin with the Oba of Benin. Uwaifo as the secretary to the agitators. Several petitions were written and threats offered by the people to dethrone the Oba by the agitators. The dispute led to an enquiry which resulted in the division of the City into twenty-four wards for easy consultation and administration.

In continuation of the agitation there was a formidable move to depose the Oba but for the early intervention of the chief commissioner, the Olu of warri and other prominent Yoruba Obas, the matter was amicably settled leading to the setting up of Iguobaziro in Inthe Benin Taxpayers Association was formed with the principal aim to compel the Oba to confer the Iyase title on a literate person.

They alleged that the Oba has announced earlier, the abolition of the title at an extra-ordinary meeting of the council and to substitute the title of Obadeyanedo as published in the Nigeria Daily Times of November 8,and which read as follows:. Although I have abolished now and for all times, this most coveted title, but I do not propose to alter the political set up of Benin.

In other words, I have re-christened the title of Iyase, now and forever, for the sake of peace and tranquility of this most ancient and historic kingdom. The Association persisted through petitions and demonstration and the British Office, the Resident, brought pressure to bear on the Oba that the title should be resuscitated. As a follow-up, the Government appointed Mr.

Bourne an Administrative Office, to compile progress report on Benin which he did after going round the wards and the Districts. The report was acceptable to the Oba, as the Oba alleged that Mr. Bourne did not see anything good in Native tradition or custom. He was an illiterate person. This further infuriated the Taxpayers Association to further action by forwarding a protect letter to the Oba dated 11th February,for his action and demanded that they should be given the privilege to nominate a literate candidate for the post.

At the meeting the Oba stated, resulting from the pressure brought to bear upon him by the Resident, Mr. The Reformed Ogboni fraternity member seized the opportunity of their leader being appointed the Iyase to dominate the Benin political life, molestation, victimization and oppression of non-members devastated Benin Division. In march, a new political party sprang up to the rescue of the Oba from the grips of the Ogboni dominated Council.

Several of Otue Edo members were arrested and detained in the Benin prison under the pretext that the meeting was an unlawful assembly as the members carried banners of which one read Gaius must go. Nevertheless, the members of Out Edo wer4e undaunted and continued to wax strong numerically. Obaseki was said to have been elected Vice President.

Towards the end of the year when Ogboni activists like the late Messrs Obaze and Iyare with others went to Iyekeorhionmwon to molest the people, riot started and soon spread over the whole Division like wild fire. Several houses and lives were destroyed in the wake of the riot. The Otu-Edo swept the poll with hundred percent victory.

This seemed to have silenced the Ogboni cum Action Group for a while. Oba Akenzua II had courage, ability and patience to surmount all trials and intrigues of his reign. He worked relentlessly to find solutions between the British rule and culture of his people.

Oba akenzua biography for kids

He was forceful and dynamic in the advancement plans for the welfare of the nation as a whole. With the fall of the oba akenzua biography for kids at Emotan shrine inthere was great indignation that the fall was due to evil machination of the enemies of progress and peace in the realm It was known that an expatriate working for the French Company known as M.

Gualin, used a winch on the tree few days before it was blown down by storm. The tree was at the site of a royalist called Emotan who gave cover to Prince Ogun that enabled him gain the crown from his usurping brother, Uwaifiokun. Ogun later reigned as Oba Ewuare. On her death, the Oba deified her and ordered that on all occasion celebrations, homage should be paid to her.

To perpetuate the memory of the woman and to keep the tradition going, Oba Akenzua II caused a statue of Emotan to be erected it the site, and it, was unveiled by him on 11th March, Akenzua II convened general meeting of the people of the two provinces at his oba akenzua biography for kids in Benin City on 1 8th September, in which he delivered the following opening address:—.

By your attendance at this meeting, you have shown your keen interest in the affairs of the people of this area. It is a very interesting subject because it is national. The first thing it is expected to do this morning is to find out whether or not all members present welcome the idea of the people of Benin—Delta Province living together as kith and kin in one separate State of their own.

I quite realize that each member of this meeting will proudly do his duty for the glory of his father land I am very certain that this matter cannot be in better hands than yours and I trust that inside and outside this meeting each member will pull his weight in this national struggle. I am sure all of you will agree that at this critical time when all the nations of this country, called Nigeria.

There is no reason whatsoever why the people of Benin Delta Province should be complacent. The argument that Benin-Delta Province is small and financially weak is nonsense; this kind of argument being used only by those who do not want to be dominated, are to dimidiate and overshadow others. The time has come when the people of Benin-Delta Province should rise as one man and speak with one loud and great voice to demand the creation of a separate Benin-Delta State.

By right, Benin-Delta people are entitled to exist and should exist as one people. Other principal reasons why there should be a Benin Delta State are:. Ii Britain has no right to put together a number of different Sovereign Nations of this country to form one country and a number to form another and so on and so forth, when she cannot make one country Out of these diverse nations which have formed old Nigeria Benin Delta Province was a Sovereign nation before the occupation of this country by British Government.

That is why Britain cannot annex it to Yoruba State. For these and many other reasons, the 3enin-Delta Province should be free from the yoke of the Yoruba State. A few years ago, a prominent citizen moved at a provincial meeting of this area the creation of Benin-Delta State and the motion, seconded, was carried. At the Western House of Assembly meeting at Ibadan, the demand for the creation of Benin-Delta State also was made by one natural ruler of this area.

So you can see that the idea of the creation of Benin Delta State is not a new one. If Lagos is happy to be freed from the Western Region, there is no reason why Benin- Delta people should not be happy to be freed from the Western Region too. IF natural wealth alone makes a State, there is abundance of it in this area. Why then should the national status of Benin-Delta Province not be declared and asserted now?

Even, if the London Conference on the Nigerian Constitutional Reform has not so decided, the people of Benin-Delta Province are sensible enough to know their right and the need to live together because they had similarly and prosperously lived together for centuries. It will be a national calamity to the Benin-Delta Province to annex it to any other Region.

This calamity should be averted by all means. God has made the Benin-Delta Province as one strong link to connect the Eastern chain with the Western chain and it is our bounding duty to make this strong link very strong now so that coming generation may not blame us. The divide and rule policy of the British Government. Miller a son of a member of the Benin expedition, who had loaned the pieces to the British Museum in His chosen title was founded on the name Ere, relating to Oba Eresonye who is traditionally considered to be an incredibly wealthy Oba.

This biography of a member of an African royal house is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This Nigerian biographical article is a stub. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Because this was the way births were announced, Esigie was declared the firstborn and official heir to Ozolua.

To avert a succession crisis, Ozolua sent Arhuaran to Udo and installed him as the Onogie duke. However, after the death of their father OzoluaArhuaran of Udo resisted the authority of Oba Esigie, which led to a war between the two brothers. Arhuaran was eventually defeated, and Udo became a subordinate part of the Benin kingdom. With this victory, the Oba re-established his sway over the entire Benin region.

During the reign of the warrior kings, the frontiers of the kingdom were highly unstable, expanding and contracting depending on the power at the center as new territories were subordinated and as vassals on the borders rebelled and were re-conquered. Although the political and spiritual powers of the Oba of Benin were never in doubt by the conquered territories vassal statesthe lack of identity with Benin, as well as the desire to maintain their sovereignty, led many vassal states to rebel against Benin.

This made it necessary for the Oba to suppress revolts and enforce the payment of tribute to Benin. The failure of any group to fulfill its obligations to the Oba was referred to as Isote rebellionwhich provoked serious retribution from Benin, including destroying the rebel communities and imposing huge fines. Despite the remarkable fame and accomplishments attained by the fifteenth and sixteenth-century rulers, the power of the monarchy suffered a sharp decline in the seventeenth century.

Perhaps this development was precipitated by the change in the military structure of the kingdom, which saw the Oba after the reign of Ehengbuda displaced as the supreme commander of the army. This meant that the Benin monarch became more dependent on the military chiefs for territorial expansion and to suppress rebellion in the vassal states.

The Benin monarch also lost royal monopoly over European trade, which created the opportunity for some ambitious chiefs to accumulate wealth. This impacted negatively on the military strength of Benin and the ability of the Oba to maintain internal cohesion. The major consequence of all this was the outbreak of a civil war, which destabilized the center and created the opportunity for many of the vassal states, such as Itsekiris and Ijaws, the lshan chiefdoms and inhabitants of Agbor, to reassert their independence.

Nonetheless, the Benin monarchy emerged stronger from the civil war, thanks to the shrewd political sense of Akenzua 1, who restored much of the former authority of the crown. This enabled the rulers of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries to suppress revolts and enforce the payment of tribute in subject territories such as Agbor and Ubulu-Uku.

By the s, Benin war chiefs used firearms provided by the Portuguese and British, who first arrived inin their military expedition against vassal states. This gave the kingdom a strategic advantage in its military operations with the subordinate territories. The nineteenth century presented new challenges which threatened the continuation of the empire and weakened the influence of Benin over its tributaries.

It was a century that witnessed the rise of neighboring states, powerful enough to challenge the military might of Benin or compel subordinate states to submit to their authority. Economically, the abolition of the slave trade led to a decline in European commerce and the wealth of the Benin monarch. Eventually, the kingdom fell to the superior military might of the British during the reign of Oba Ovonramwen in