UZEBU – 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 on media reports aired by a private owned Independent Television, ITV, and published at page 9 of Wednesday, October 19, 2022 of Vanguard Newspaper, wherein it was allegedly announced that the Benin Monarch, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II CFR, has graciously approved in a gathering of only three persons from Uzebu community, One Pa. Raimi Babatunde alias Erhumwunse, who before now, is the Okaevbo of Ogbe-Ewaise Quarters as the Odionwere of Ehaekpen in Uzebu Quarters.
They reiterated 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 an 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 ITV news and the vanguard newspaper 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 news available to them revealed the Oba’s stern warnings to the 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 issues 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, saying despite written three letters dated on the 17th February 2022 which was duly received on the3rd 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 show remorse and sincerely expressed their apology over the installation of the new Odionwere which he said, was done in a hurry without the consent of the Oba, while 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, stressing that the odionwere of Ehaekpen died three years ago and 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 has allegedly shot one of their supporters, Martins Obakpolor who is currently receiving medical treatment in an undisclosed hospital, while the suspect had been arrested and being detained at Evbuotubu police station.
He reaffirmed their unflinching loyalty to the palace of the Oba, saying they will continuously work in tandem with the progressive ideology of his royal majesty to bring the expected developments to the kingdom.
But confirming the report, the chief press secretary to the Benin Monarch, Osaigbovo Iguobaro, said through telephone chat that it was the true story authorised by his royal majesty, saying he couldn’t have manufactured or fabricated a report to press without the authority of the oba
