The ancient city of
Benin Kingdom has been in the news. Social media is buzzing with the coronation of the new Oba which is historic.
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| Coronation Of Crown Prince (Amb.) Eheneden Erediauwa, Edaiken N’uselu pic source:bbc.co.uk |
The great Benin Kingdom remains one of the most famous
kingdoms in the history of Africa and the world. Benin was central to the cultural and pre-colonial political
evolution of some contemporary states in Africa.
Historical background
Most of the Benin history is told in Bronze. Past Obas of
the kingdom are well represented in bronze statues both at Igun and the Royal
Palace as Brass casting reached a particularly high level of aesthetic and
technical sophistication in the sixteenth century when decorative plaques and
sculptures (now known as ‘The Benin bronzes’) were made to decorate the palace
of the Oba.
The origin of Benin monarchy dates back to the origin of Ogiso
Igodo, who was reputed to have begun his reign in the year 900 AD. Linguistic
evidence suggests that that Benin civilisation has occupied their region for
thousands of years. Benin, the capital of Edo state, south-south Nigeria, was
founded in1440-1897, as a per-colonial African state. The original people and
founders of the empire were ruled by Ogiso (King of the sky) who called their
land Igodomigodo. In 8th century AD he (Ogiso) expanded Igodomigodo into a
system of autonomous settlements that is protected by large earth walls under
the rule of the king. In 12th century AD, the grandson of the last Ogiso,
Eweka, became the first Oba, changing the ancient name of Igodomigodo to Edo.
Since then, several Obas have ruled this great kingdom, with the Crown Prince
father, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’ Oba Erediauwa, Uku Akpolokpolo, as the 38th
Oba, and most recent translated.
The new Oba
His Royal Highness Crown Prince (Amb.) Eheneden Erediauwa,
Edaiken N’ Uselu, is the eldest son of His Royal Majesty, Omo N’ Oba Erediauwa,
Uku Akpolokpolo, (the translated) Oba of Benin, the possessor and custodian of
this unbridled heritage which had gone way back into thousands of years. Born
in 1953, Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, is a former Nigerian Ambassador to
the Kingdoms of Sweden, Norway and Denmark; the Republics of Finland and
Angola.
He also served in Rome, Italy and Albania. His Royal Highness attended
Edo College, Benin City, from 1965 to 1967, and Immaculate Conception Collage
(I.C.C), Benin City, from 1968 to 1970, where he obtained his Secondary School
Leaving Certificate. After obtaining his Secondary School Leaving Certificate
in 1970, His Royal Highness proceeded to England, and studied from 1971 to
1972, at South Thames College, South West London, for the General Certificate
for Education (G.C.E. Advance Level).
As a result of the Crown Prince’s love for
education, he quickly applied for tertiary education and secured admission to
study at the University of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, in 1973, and
graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics (B.Sc. Econ.) in
June, 1977. His Royal Highness Crown Prince (Amb.) Eheneden Erediauwa, Edaiken
N’Uselu, did not just stop at acquiring a first degree from the University OF
WALES because of his quest for knowledge, this time around, he relocated to
another continent of the world, America, in 1979, where he studied and obtained
a Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) at Rutgers Graduate School, New
York, New Jersey, U.S.A., from 1979 to 1981.
His Royal Highness also enrolled for a Doctorate degree in International
Administration at the University of London, United Kingdom, but had to suspend
his thesis due to family commitments.
Worthy of note about this well read and
outstanding Crown Prince of one of the world’s greatest and oldest kingdoms on
earth, is that, he also served the compulsory one year National Youth Service
Corps (NYSC), at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos,
in which he is currently a member; and participated in the Graduate Internship
at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S.A., as part of A post
graduate training in international administration.
Since 1987, His Royal
Highness Crown Prince (Amb.) Eheneden Erediauwa, Edaiken N’ Uselu, has been
active in leading positions within the Nigerian business community, especially
in the oil and gas industry, and prior to his diplomatic assignments as
Nigerian Ambassador to the Kingdoms of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, as well as
Republic of Finland, Angola, Italy and Albania, served on the Board of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and many other Company Boards.
Based on the foregoing, it is very clear that this new Oba of Benin is well
armed with education and experience to take his kingdom and the entire people
of Edo state to enviable heights.
Culled from vanguardngr. Read more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/coronation-crown-prince-amb-eheneden-erediauwa-edaiken-nuselu/
