The Elders and people of UZEBU community, particularly indigenes of Ehaekpen Quarters, Benin City in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, have faulted and expressed disappointment over a media report aired by a private owned Television, and published at page 9 of Wednesday, October 19, 2022 Vanguard Newspaper.
The media announced that the Benin Monarch, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II CFR, approved One Pa. Raimi Babatunde alias Erhumwunse, who before now, was the Okaevbo of Ogbe-Ewaise Quarters as the Odionwere of Ehaekpen in Uzebu Quarters.
They disclosed that the eligible person to man the position of an Odionwere supposed to come from Ehaekpen Quarters, due to its historical values in the kingdom, especially if a new Oba assumes the ancestral throne, as people usually come to the Oguedion to perform some traditional rites.
Speaking to clarify the true position of the whole matter, the Secretary of Uzebu community, Smart Ezomoghene, who spoke on behalf of the elders and people, said that they were shocked to hear from the news that the Oba of Benin, has directed Raimi Babatunde alias Erhummwunse to be overseeing the affairs of Ehaekpen in Uzebu quarters, a news, they suspected to have been tailored towards achieving selfish goals by some persons, who feel they are in authority.
He said that the information available to them revealed the Oba’s stern warnings to both factional groups, after his royal majesty had reviewed that there had never been an Odionwere in Uzebu community, let alone becoming a contentious issue and that the administrative head of Uzebu community remains Chief Ezomo, prior to his recent indefinite suspension by the Uzama N’iron which was duly ratified by the Oba.
Ezomoghene added that the issue of installation of a new Odionwere in the person of Pa Alfred Omorogieva Ogiefo on August, 20th, was occasioned by their inability to have smooth access to His Royal Majesty for presentation and approval despite writing three letters dated on the 17th February 2022 which was duly received on the 3rd of March 2022, 20th of May 2022 and the last on the 6th of June 2022 respectively, were a pointer to informing the monarch their planned intention to install an Ozukpogieva as the Odionwere of Ehaekpen in Uzebu community, since it is three years of the demise of the former Odionwere.
The secretary said that though they have since shown remorse and sincerely expressed their apology over the installation of the new Odionwere which was done in a hurry without the consent of the Oba, they are begging the Oba for forgiveness as their act was not to despise his authority, but was as a result of the tension created over leadership tussle which was elicited by Raimi Babatunde, alias Erhumwunse and his cohorts, who are desperate to assume administrative positions, even without recourse to the consequences it may cause.
According to him, to set the record straight, the Oba was absolutely right to say that the Ogbe-lwebo, Ogbe-Ewaise and Ehaekpen usually have Edionwere, a position which was later vacant due to the death of the Edionwere.
He stressed that the Odionwere of Ehaekpen died three years ago, noting that it was on that premise they attempted to see the Oba for the purposes of installing a new one, but all their efforts through writing of letters, were blocked for parochial reasons.
The secretary, however appealed to the Oba for forgiveness since they went ahead to install an Odionwere without proper consultation to his noble palace, just as he also appealed to the Benin monarch to advise Raimi Babatunde alias Erhumwunse not to think of assuming the position he does not merit in order to avoid communal crisis which will lead to bloodletting, even though one of his boys allegedly shot one of their supporters, Martins Obakpolor who is currently receiving medical treatment in an undisclosed hospital and the suspect has been arrested and detained at Evbuotubu police station.
