Royalty Represents For Our People Justice, Peace And Unity

The events of today mark the end of activities prescribed by customs and tradition for my ascension to the revered throne of this ancient kingdom. I accept with faith and humility the Destiny which ordained that henceforth, I shall be the embodiment and expression of the Culture, Aspirations and History of our people.

As the principal actor in the events of several months that led to this awesome position, I have had a unique opportunity to reflect on the values and essence of our historical continuum. What Royalty represents for our people are Justice, Peace and Unity. These ideals shall be reawakened, and will be so stained in the dispensation that will soon unfold.

The time-tested, rancour-free succession process bequeathed to us in our customs and tradition is a great tribute to farsightedness and wisdom of our forefathers and our people. This collective achievement is a veritable proof of our ability to manage our own affairs. It makes us very proud of our heritage

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by paying deserved tribute to my illustrious father, OMO N’OBA N’EDO, Uku Akpolokpolo EREDIAUWA, CFR who joined our ancestors after 37 years of glorious reign. With — all due modesty, I must admit that as his son and heir, I enjoyed and so benefited from his fatherly love and wisdom more than anyone else. His visionary leadership, courage and dedication to the protection of our cultural heritage, ensured that the legacy of several centuries was preserved.

He was a true symbol of our cultural identity. Throughout his reign, the Palace was a warm and welcome home to all who laid need for good counsel, guidance and material assistance. Traditional Rulers from far and near consulted him for clarity on touchy issues or to resolve a vast range of socio- cultural problems.

Ethnicity, religion or social it status were no barriers to reaching him for advice or support. He was a good and caring father to us all. He led our common cause with dignity, tact and wisdom. In the comity of Royalties, he was exemplary and hence, he was revered throughout his kingdom and beyond. Although for him, culture and tradition occupied the pride of place, he was open to new idea and respectful of progress made through social and scientific innovations.

Time constraint will not allow me to give a full account of all my father’s achievements, or the benefits his reign brought to Benin Kingdom, Edo State, our country, and indeed, to humanity. His life of service is aptly captured in the title of his own Auto-Biography

"I remain, Sir, your Obedient Servant”. His views and wise counsel on several issues affeeting man and society are well documented in his work — “Cradle of Ideas: A compendium of Speeches and Writings of Omo N’Oba Erediauwa of Great Benin”. These two literally works give some insight into the monumental legacy that is now left for us.

Our responsibility from now on is daunting. But I am confident that with time blessing of God Almighty, the love and support of my family, my people, Nigerians in general and my international friends, we shall succeed in this life mission of building upon the legacies of our father.
Let me crave your indulgence to also make a few remarks about my late Mother — PRINCESS IKUOYEMWEN AKENZUA, of blessed memory, who passed on to the great beyond in 1976, when my father was still Crown Prince. It was my mother who taught me to work hard for success in everything I set my mind upon to achieve. Circumstances and hands of fate did not allow her to enjoy the status of a Queen in her life time. But she was a Princess in her own right. By my Coronation today, she is now qualified to be bestowed with the title of IYOBA, (QUEEN MOTHER) which custom allows us to confer posthumously. This will be consummated at the appropriate time.
Reminiscences are not just for sentiment because the experiences reinforced in us the importance of history. History also reminds us of the importance of the present time which is the only opportunity we have to take the different and too often fragmented components of our- collective past to prepare the foundation for a unified and collective future.

The long line of succession of Kings in the Kingdom known as Benin started in the l2th Century by modern reckoning. There may be some differing views about the origin of some of our ancestors, but there is unanimity in the shared heritage between the peoples of Benin and lIe-lfe in identifying Oduduwa as forebear of kingship in many kingdoms in the part of Africa called Nigeria today Historians all agree that Oduduwa sent his son Oronmiyan at the request of elders of Benin to return with them as ruler of their realm. Oronmiyan’s stay in Benin may have been short, but before he left , a child was born to him, who was later crowned Oba (King) and is known today as Eweka I.

Oronmiyan’s time in Benin, however short lived,he was an Oba; and so, he was the first Oba after the Ogiso dynasty came to an end. He established Obaship in Benin. By implication, the listing of past Obas should therefore begin from Oronmiyan as it is listed in Egharevba’s book Short history of Benin, making my revered Benin a direct desendant of Oronmiyan,  the son of Oduduwa whom the Benin people of that era knew as Ekharaderan, their self exiled Prince who later became   ruler in IIe Ife, the Benin people recognized Oduduwa and his origin but it is not in our place to force this recognition on others outside our boundaries. The history of the world is a shared one and they will certainly be unexpected connections in future. This is a time for unity and not divisiveness’. A time for mutual respect, recognizing that our wholeness as equals is so much more than some of our past. “E pluribus  Unum”

The Oba remains the channel through which the powers of the ancestors continue to guide and protect the kingdom and its people. To that extent, we shall faithfully discharge this sacred responsibility, we shall pay due attention to all manners of all customs and traditions, focusing on real issues of security of our communities and welfare of our people. We shall carry out our reforms in palace administration in order to be adequately responsive to our people’s sincere and deep longing for justice, equity and stability. We shall strive to ensure that conflicts are resolved between individuals, families and communities along the principles of social justice. We shall use cultural diplomacy as a veritable tool for the promotion of harmonious relationship with our neighbours far and near. I also strongly advise my Benin people, we should strive to maintain our culture, especially our language by insisting on its use in communicating with our children and each other. You will agree with me that the Benin empire which encompasses part of Lagos, across to Asaba, even to the then Dahomey, has now reduced to one state. To survive, it is imperative that we maintain our culture which is now the only unifying force for our people. Our culture and tradition remains the grand main factor that the entire country and the international community respect us for.  I appeal to our Benin people to uphold and respect our traditional institutions at all times. I implore government to also include Edo language and Benin history in our schools curriculum. We shall forge links with other traditional institutions here in Nigeria, in Africa and beyond. We must especially acknowledge how honoured and gratifying we are to have in our midst today, representatives of monarchs from other parts of the world. The Zulu King in South Africa, the Kabaka of the Kingdom of Bugunda, as well as the Queen of England and the monarchs of Sweden, Denmark and Norway are all represented in this event by the Ambassadors of these countries. I hope this will provide an opportunity to strengthen contacts and build linkages and will complement and enhance excellent bilateral relationships that already exist between our countries.

We shall uphold and maintain the principle of neutrality and none partisanship in political party activities. While our people remain free to play politics in the political party of their choice, we shall however continue to pray for and always support the right kind of political leaders who will safeguard the welfare of our people, provide for their basic needs and who will accord due recognition to the traditional institution.

We will initiate a cultural renaissance that will focus on tourism promotion, through arts and craft. To drive this initiative, we have already established two  special purpose vehicles(spvs)  The Benin Royal Dynasty Trust will in collaboration of the Benin Traditional Council establish a foundry or two in Igun, Iguewon quarters to enhance the productivity of the bronze casters Guild . Benin Royal Academy for performing arts will train youths and develop their talents. They will reach out to international choreographers in different parts of the world for the purpose of transforming Benin dance into an international brand.

Through these initiatives, we hope to attract tourism to our land and provide jobs for our teeming youths. We shall also support efforts to build partnership and seek international assistance for the restoration of Benin monuments including revival of the creative and artistic talents of the Binis, which are already globally acknowledged through our rich artifacts.

It is pertinent at this point to express our deep concern about poverty and the rise in crime and juvenile delinquency in our society. The problem is both a consequence, and it is aggravated by wild spread youth unemployment. The solution will require a well-articulated and structured youth development and empowerment programmes with active support of government at all levels. We should partner with government to attract domestic and international resources for