Obas’ Ranking: Oba Of Benin Superior To Any Yoruba Monarch, Benin Palace Carpets Alake Of Egbaland

Oba of BeninThe Palace of the Oba of Benin has rejected the recent ranking of Yoruba traditional rulers as declared by the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, saying the stool of the ancient city of Benin is superior to that of any Yoruba monarch.

Oba Gbadebo had while receiving the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi in his Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun State palace on Sunday, said there were five principal obas in Yorubaland and listed the Oba of Benin third on the hierarchy after the Alaafin of Oyo (2nd) and Ooni (1st). The Alake listed his own title as fourth and the Awujale of Ijebuland at fifth.

Reacting to the ranking, the Esogban of Benin and Odionwere of the Kingdom (traditional head), Chief David Edebiri, yesterday, said the Alake got his history wrong as the Benin stool had no connection to Yoruba, adding that the Ooni of Ife was a son of the Oba of Benin.

Esogban, third in command in the palace of the Oba of Benin, said: “We wanted to discard this report as something that was not necessary at all. We do not see how the Alake of Egbaland suddenly woke up to think that the Oba of Benin is also a Yoruba Oba.

“There is no basis for such classification; Oba of Benin has nothing to do with the Yoruba Obas. It is simply unnecessary, unless they simply want to stir up an unnecessary controversy.

“We are not in Yorubaland. To be frank, it is because many of them are not willing to come up with the truth, the word Oba is alien to Yoruba monarchy; it is not part of their title from time immemorial.

“For instance, the one they call the Oba of Lagos, these are recent adaptations. In the 50s, there was no Oba of Lagos, what we had was the Eleko of Eko. That is the title of the King there. In Ibadan, you have the Olu Ibadan. You come to Abeokuta, you have the Alake of Egba land. You come to Oyo, you have the Alaafin of Oyo. In Ilesha, you have the Owa-Obokun of IIesha. So no Yoruba monarch had as part of his titles the word Oba except the Oba of Benin.

“That word Oba is indigenous to Benin. It is only in recent times you find everybody bearing Oba. When the Western Regional conference of traditional rulers took place in Benin City in 1942, go and check the attendance, there was no other monarch in the whole of the Western Region then that bore the title of Oba, except the Oba of Benin.

“So it is an unnecessary excursion, an unnecessary attempt to turn history upside down by the Alake by classifying the Oba of Benin as third in the hierarchy of kings.

“Our own traditional history says that the Ooni of Ife was a Benin Prince who wandered from here to Ife, settled there and became the ruler there. That is the position, if they don’t know, they should send people here; we will teach them.

“We will show them landmarks. So this is unnecessary misrepresentation of history. Maybe the Alake wanted to mention a different place and not Benin.

“The monarchical rulership in this part of the world started from Benin during the era of the Ogisos. It was the son of the last Ogiso, Owodo, that wandered from here to Ife and he became a ruler there, carrying everything about the Benin monarchical system to that place. There is no basis for such classification.

“The Ooni of Ife by historical facts, is a son of the Oba of Benin, so they are not in the same class. The Oba of Benin is the only one that answers Oba, the rest don’t. But today, we hear Oba here and there, they are all recent adaptations. I am saying categorically that the word Oba is indigenous to Benin and not to Yoruba nation”.

10 COMMENTS

  1. THIS IS VERY INTERESTING, PLEASE CAN YOU TELL US WHERE ODUDUWA THE ORIGIN OF THE YORUBAS COMES INTO THIS EQUATION AND IF THE ONI IS THE SON OF THE OBA OF BENIN, WHY ARE THE BENINS NOT PART OF THE YORUBAS. YOU MAY ALSO WISH TO EXPAIN THE OLD BENIN KINGDOM, WHICH WE WERE MADE TO UNDERSTAND EXTENDED BEYOUND THE SHORES OF PRESENT DAY NIGERIA AND ALSO TELL US IF THE THEN BENIN KINGDOM INCLUDED ODODUWA AND THE YORUBAS?

  2. Ummm! When a God sent son of Oduduwa is doing everything possible to unite all sons and daughters of Oduduwa, some are trying to pull the hand of the clock back.
    Let me quote the Oni of Ife in one of his interviews “America is one of the British colonies, but today they are far ahead of them in all ramifications ”
    So let the Chiefs and the Oba, that are older that the Oni in age, continue to cause confusion.
    Oonirisa! Ride on the Lord is with you Kabiesi oooo

  3. Interesting! Where are youtuba Elites, the historians and the like, something needs to be corrected and theses ought to have been corrected long time ago. What we read was that the origin of Benin was traceable to Oduduwa, which originate from Ile Ife, Onibibini ti Binini was also one his sons, but Today we are getting another version of history because of supremacy, although I stand to be corrected, more clarification pls!

  4. Amos tobi,when I saw u handsomely dressed I was eager to hear what’s going to emanate from your buccal cavity but not knowing the said buccal cavity is full of tribalistic shit.first of all,let me warn you that no one dares the oba of Benin,and moreso no one insults my oba before he invite d spirit to descend on you. Well I will plead on your behalf to b forgiven because you know not what u r saying.please I will advice you go back to history n check or follow d link DAT has been given u (1942.) .or if you ever studied Nigerian people n culture in your university. Den u will truly appreciate the truth.like d esogban said”if they don’t know let dem send some people here we will teach them” pls do ur self a favour of being a part of those that will b coming to Benin to b taught.