BY GABRIEL OMONHINMIN
The ancient Royal Palace of Ogiamien of Utantan, sited in Sakponba Road in Benin City, Edo State Nigeria, was built in 1130AD. It is one of the oldest palaces in West Africa still standing.
After several visits to the palace in Benin City by the then British Colonial Masters, the ancient palace was on May 29, 1959, declared one of the country’s national monuments.
62 years after this proclamation, members of the great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty of Benin, especially their elders, are still having problems clearing the surroundings of the palace of illegal structures and debris to pave the way for the National Museum and Monuments to take over the site of the ancient palace.
The Ogiamien Royal Dynasty’s strenuous efforts to eject all the illegal occupants of the surroundings of the ancient palace in Benin City, have yielded very little results. Unfortunately, the illegal occupants of the ancient palace neighborhood have done all within their powers to frustrate this move, just because they want to continue to remain in the vicinity.
The sawmill owners who sell plywood in the area in Benin City, who have made the palace surroundings their trading spot for years, constitute the majority of the occupants in the area. They are also accused of generating the huge dirt that litters everywhere around the palace ground, thus making it difficult to access the palace and the entire area. The matter is further complicated, just because some relatives of the Ogiamien larger family have also built their personal houses in the area in question without getting the approval of the elders of the great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty.
This has obviously resulted in a tug of war between the elders of the great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty and all the illegal occupants of the surroundings of the ancient palace for 62 years now.
The National Museum and Monuments management on its part, has continued to maintain, that it can only take over the ancient palace, only when all the surroundings are cleared of the filthy and illegal structures. They stressed that there must be, at least 50 meters radius of distance between the ancient palace and all the structures in the vicinity.
In a deliberate effort to meet these conditions, the elders of the Great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty of Utantan sometimes last year, met in Benin City, and resolved to do all within their powers, to clear the palace surroundings of all illegal structures and debris so that the National Museum and Monuments can move into the place.
The head of the Great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty of Benin City, His Imperial Majesty, Rich Arisco Osemwengie, JP said, “We are surprised that this matter has continued to linger unnecessarily. Some persons, who bought the un-authorized areas in conjunction with some of our relatives, who have built their personal houses in these areas without seeking approval, are making things to be very difficult. At some point, they went to court, to restrain the Great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty from ejecting them from the palace surroundings. After their suit was thrown out, we on our part have now resolved to clear the place so that the National Museum and Monuments can take over the palace. It was in line with this resolve that the larger Ogiamen Dynasty recently met again in Benin City, and decided to task itself and contribute money to rebuild part of the ancient palace that has fallen. From these contributions, the family has also embarked on the renovation of the inner chambers of the ancient palace.
“As we speak, 15 deities inside the inner chambers of the ancient palace excluding Olokun and Orunmila, have all been appeased and revived. The Great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty, however, rejected the Olokun and Orunmila idols we located in the place, because these idols are not aboriginal to the Bini people. As the name suggest, these idols are of Yoruba extraction. We are Bini people, not Yoruba.
Continuing, he said, “I was physically present in that palace on Sunday, October 21, 2021 on a one-day working visit, to supervise the work going on, in the inner chamber and surroundings of the ancient palace. The point that must interest you to note, is that among the deities just revived in the inner chambers of the palace, has one of the most potent deities in Bini land. It is known and called the fire eating and fire spitting “Osu Nazengban.”
This deity immediately it was revived swung into action to exterminate all the people, who have been working over the years against the peace and progress of the Great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty of Utantan Benin City. Another idol known as “Evan Nu Regbe” was also recently re-awoken, and is now set to strike.
His Imperial Majesty stressed, “The time for the National Museum and Monuments to take over the ancient palace as a national monument is now because this project can no longer be delayed.”
Asked what specific measures now put in place that will last and ensure that normalcy returns to the place and eventually results in the clearing of the palace surroundings of all the intruders, the monarch said, “As civilized people, our measures or more appropriately efforts, to clear all these surroundings of filthy and illegal structures, were initially that of stick and carrot. Initially we were pleading and begging them to vacate the area peacefully. It was when these entreaties fell on deaf ears that we decided to adopt other measures to clear the place of all the mess.
“The truth is that we are fighting very hard to remove this mess. No matter the present odds, we will succeed. My family will not relent in its efforts to make the ancient palace ground a tourist attraction. For those illegal occupants and owners of those structures, who are recalcitrant and are still living within the palace grounds or areas, they either learn to leave the place voluntarily or they would invariably be forced out of the place. It doesn’t matter how long it will take us.
“I must confess, presently, it has not been easy at all for us to clear some of the surroundings of the ancient palace, which we have so far succeeded in clearing. It is sad and unfortunate, that a place as important as this ancient palace surroundings has been for decades now the hub of Sawmill operators and plywood sellers and other illegal activities, which we strongly objected to as a family. I must say, this illegality festered, just because we as a family were not too decisive in our initial actions then. So these people saw our passiveness as a sign of weakness, which is not. But now, this is no longer the case. In the process of being peaceful and civil in our approach, all manners of illegal structures continued to spring up in the palace ground. While the debris generated by Sawmill operators and plywood sellers daily and other activities in the areas continued to mount. Thus, making the whole area and eye saw. This can no longer be tolerated or remained unchallenged.
“I must at this point emphasize that no responsible member of the Great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty sold any of these areas to anyone.
“As civilized members of the society, we initially tried to be civil in all our approaches. We appealed to the senses and conscience of all the people involved in these illegal activities, especially the Sawmill operators and plywood traders, alongside some of our relatives who decided to illegally build structures in the palace surroundings to vacate the areas.
“At some point, we have to issue them, with quiet notice since they refused to vacate the areas peacefully. At another point, we have to write to invite the Edo State Ministry of Environment to come and do their job and ensure that the whole area becomes habitable. At another point, the law enforcement agencies were invited to come and help in the clearing of the place of these people who have continued to constitute themselves as a nuisance in the entire area.
After all these efforts, the people who still have their buildings in the area, and who have refuses to leave the place on their own volition, will have to be forced out of the place, when we finally appeal to the Federal Government to help us prevail on the Edo State Government, to do all within its powers to implement the Monument law and clear the areas of all illegal occupants and structures, so that the national monument can now take off.
Asked how this National Monument will benefit the Great Ogiamien Royal Dynasty directly when it finally becomes functional, Ogiamien Arisco: explained that “The preservation of the ancient palace and its relics is of great importance not only to the Ogiamien Royal Dynasty of Utantan-Bini alone but to all the aborigine Bini people home and abroad. Firstly, this particular palace was built before the palace now known as the Oba of Benin Palace. The present Oba of Benin palace was never inhabited by any of the Ogisos, who are the original owners of Benin City. The palace situated around the Ring Road area of Benin City, if the truth must be told, was once the burial ground of the people of Igodomigodo land.
“Ogiso Evian and Ogiamien Erebo also lived in this particular ancient Bini palace before the invasion of Benin City by Oranmiyan and his forces. It was during the reign of Ogiamen Erebo that the sanctity of the ancient Igodomigodo now known as Bini Kingdom was violated by the Yoruba invaders.
“It was the crisis that arose, after several failed attempts to invade Igodomigodo land that was mostly responsible for the exit of our relatives, who later went to establish other ethnic groups or kingdoms in other areas of Edo state of today. These kings and their people migrated from this place to where we now know as Edo North, Edo West and Edo South.
“In the case of the Niger Delta areas of today, majority of our kingsmen formed the bulk of some of these areas in Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers States. People from these areas, were our kit and kin who fled during the unfortunate attempts to invade our land.
“The Bini history is very clear about the early rulers of Igodomigodo land, who were all known as Ogisos “King of the Sky”. A succession of the Ogisos then maintained political, traditional and administrative control over Igodomigodo land. The last Ogiso called Ogiso-Owodo, who died without a son, ruled Igodomigodo Bini from 1125AD to 1130AD. As there can never be a vacuum in the throne, Ogiso-Owodo younger brother, Ogiso Evian, who was born of the same parents with Ogiso Owodo after his passage ascended the throne and took effective control of Igodomigodo land. It was Ogiso Evian, who gave birth to the first Ogiamien Erebo, who ruled Igodomigodo land from 1130AD to 1170AD.
“Ogiamien Erebo, just like all the Ogisos before him, maintained all the political, traditional and administrative structures and took effective control of them, until the unfortunate invasion of Bini, by Oranmiyan and his forces from Ile-Ife. Much as they tried then, they were not able to take over Igodomigodo land as they were just knocking at Ogiamien Erebo’s gate as it were then.
“It was sometime in 1170AD, as the war between the Binis and Yoruba became protracted and bloody, and the fight that ensued between the Oranmiyan forces and Ogiamien Erebo troops continued unabated. However, the Oranmiyan troops were held in abeyance in a place now called Egor. Egor then mind you, was an outskirts of present day Bini. While Oranmiyan was residing in Egor, a Bini woman called Erhinwinde had a son for him, who later became known as Oba Eweka the first.
“While the war progressed, Oranmiyan became very old while still living in Egor and still he could not penetrate the heart of Igodomigodo Bini. At some point, he finally departed for Ile-Ife, with his son Eweka I. Eweka I, as an adult later returned to continue the fight his father could not win. This time, Eweka I had a lot of support from his kit and kin from Ile-Ife, who helped him in wreaking havoc in all the areas surrounding Bini, all in their desperate attempts to take over the seat of power of Igodomigodo land. In spite of all these desperate attempts they met stiff resistance from the great fighters of Igodomigodo land.
“At some point, this protracted war could no longer be sustained by Ogiamien Erebo and the Bini people. As some of the Ogiamien Chiefs were alleged to have begun plotting to surrender themselves to the regime of Eweka I. Ogiamien as expected saw through this dangerous antics and then decided to move fast to broker some truce with Eweka I.
“This was when Ogiamien Erebo decided to secretly invite Eweka I to this particular palace in Benin City to eves dropped into the proceedings of the meeting that was held in this palace on a particular day.
“It was also in this same palace Eweka I was hidden, in a place called AZA on that day. The AZA of a place is still here in the palace up till this very day.
“At the close of that meeting and when all the chiefs have left this palace for their respective homes, Ogiamien Erebo of Igodomigodo brought Eweka I out from the secret room. It was then Eweka I, told Ogiamien Erebo that it was a privilege to have listened to all the discussions that took place in the ancient palace on that day and that he was now ready for peace.
“Immediately after then, both parties agreed to reach a truce. It was then after Ogiamien Erebo and Eweka I, decided to sign what is today known as “The Ekiokpagha Treaty”. It was during the signing of this treaty, that the present day Benin City was divided into two equal parts between Ogiamien Erebo and Oba Eweka I by the Colonial Masters, who supervised the meeting.
“The point you must note again, is that the aboriginal Bini people never had an Oba in the ancient Bini. It is Ogie ‘Kings’ that we have in Bini. This happens to be my title ‘Ogiamen.’
“While signing this treaty Ogiamien Erebo insisted that some of his conditions must be met for the treaty to be binding. The details of this treaty are known to most Bini people including the present Oba of Benin.
“It was after the signing of this Ekiokpagha treaty, that Oba Eweka I reign began in Benin City. As we speak, seven out of the Local Government Areas in Edo South in present day Benin City are in what used to be known as Igodomigodo land or side of Bini. Another fact that is incontrovertible is that the people of aborigine Igodomigodo areas of Bini, live in areas that are located within the original Bini moat, while the settlers reside outside the original Bini moat area.
“I have taken my time to take you through the brief history of present day Bini, and to further emphasize the importance of this palace being made a National Monument.
“Let me again seize this opportunity to say, that there is no fight or problems between the Ogiamien of Igodomigodo kingdom and the present Oba of Benin City, once both parties learn to keep within their historical boundaries made by their ancestors.
A senior Palace Chief in the Oba of Benin Palace, who pleaded anonymity, said he does not want to be involved in unnecessary controversies with the Ogiamien as the claims of Ogiamien Arisco are false.
“The truth is that Ogiamien is just one of the chiefs, among other numerous chiefs in the Oba of Benin palace.
“Ogiamien Arisco with this type of dangerous mind set, in 2015, decided to violate the Edo State Traditional and Chieftaincy law, by installing himself in that same palace as the Ogiamien of Utantan-Bini. As expected, he was promptly arrested and detained in Oko prison in Benin City. He was later granted bail and he jumped bail and has since then remained a fugitive in Benin City.
“Contrary to the Ogiamien Arisco story, Ogiso Owodo was the last Ogiso of Igodomigodo land before that era ended. The Benin people first operated a system of governance based on seniority or the oldest man in the town, known as gerontocracy.
“Ogiso Evian and Ogiamien Erebo were nothing but ordinary administrators who held forth, during the interregnum until the emergence of the Oba of Benin era in Benin City.
“Unfortunately, Ogiso Evian and Ogiamien Erebo wanted to continue illegally in power, but the Edo people at large said no, we want our Oba. And that was it.
“When Ogiso Owodo died, the Edo people who wanted to install a new king consulted the oracle, as it has always been the practice, before installing a new king, it was then the oracle told them, that the only son of Ogiso Owodo Prince Ekaladeran, who was unjustly banished from Benin is still alive somewhere, and that the Benin people should endeavor to look for him and install him as their new King. It was after a very long search, that it was discovered that Prince Ekaladeran, was now settled in a place called Ile-Ife, with the name “Izoduwa”. It was this particular name the Yoruba people corrupted to be their present Oduduwa.
“Izoduwa, however, told the Benin people that reached out to him, that although he was wronged and unjustly treated he was then too old to go back to Benin City to ascend the throne of his ancestors. He elected to send one of his sons, Oranmiyan, to go and ascend the throne in Benin City in his place, since his son was his own flesh and blood. This is the link between the present Oba of Benin with the Ile-Ife people.
“And when Oranmiyan arrived in Benin City he married the daughter of the Enogie of Egor, who gave birth to a son for him who was named Eweka. Eweka later ascended the Benin throne as Oba Eweka the first. This is the true history, not the history according to Ogiamien Arisco,” he concluded.