OBITUARY: Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, ‘secretive’ Oba of Benin who united enemies

At birth, he was proclaimed a “Solomon” – one who would grow up with a deposit of wisdom rarely found in humans.

“You Agho! You again, you have passed through this route. You have reincarnated to become an Oba. An Oba indeed!” Oba Akenzua II, his father, had screamed on June 22, 1923 while announcing his birth.

Lifting the baby up, he added: “You will be Solomon – wise as King Solomon. The Lord will be your pillar and strength – (Igbinoghodua) but nobody should dare curse or invite your wrath.”

Ninety-two years on, and despite already nearing his ancestors, he would be described as wise man who still had the alertness to attend to matters of his people.

That is Solomon Aiseokhuoba Igbinoghodua Akenzua for you: Wise at birth, wise at death. You didn’t know him as Solomon, though; you did as ‘His Royal Majesty Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa I’.

It is unclear when exactly he died and rumours of his demise had been in circulation since 2015, but on Friday, the Edo state government confirmed that the king had kicked the bucket.

By Edo tradition, the death of the king is announced after 30 days, meaning the Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa I may have died in March 2016.

REINCARNATION AT BIRTH

When the king was born in 1923, he was believed to be a reincarnation of Agho Obaseki – a very rich and powerful Benin man who was favourite of British colonialists to become Oba but was consistently rejected by the Edo people.

So his birth three years after Obaseki’s death was viewed as Obaseki’s reincarnation as the son of Akenzua II just so he could finally be king.

EARLY LIFE, EDUCATION, CAREER

Erediauwa underwent traditional palace tutorials at birth, before moving on to Government School, Benin, and then to Government College, Ibadan, before gaining admission into Yaba College in 1945. From there, he was admitted to King’s College, Cambridge, to study Law and Administration. He returned to Nigeria in 1957 to join the eastern Nigeria civil service as a district officer, and then transferred his services to the federal civil service, rising to the position of permanent secretary.

He retired from the service as a permanent secretary, ministry of health in 1973 and became the regional representative of Gulf Oil. He was appointed commissioner for finance in the military administration of Major-General Innih in 1975. He retired from service early to fully prepare himself for the challenges of becoming the next Oba of Benin.

CORONATION

After the death of Oba Akenzua II, the Erediauwa ascended the throne on March 23, 1979, becoming the 38th Oba of Benin at 56 years.

In 2013, when he was celebrating his 90th birthday, TheGuardian praised him thus: ” Today he is 90, still waxing strong, alert and sensitive to issues that affect his kingdom. His mind is sound, never entangled in the briars of detail. All through his reign, he had demonstrated inflexible integrity, regal mannerisms that tie him to the souls of the ordinary folks. Oba gha to Okepre Ise!”

THE QUINTESSENTIAL PEACEMAKER

The late king built a reputation for himself as a peacemaker. His biography, available online, reads: “…several times, he acted as a peacemaker between politicians.

“For example, he intervened in a dispute between Abia State governor Orji Uzor Kalu and Tony Anenih, chairman of the People’s Democratic Party Board of Trustees, and resolved another face-off involving Anenih and former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion.”

A MAN – SORRY, KING – OF FEW WORDS

The Erediauwa I rarely granted press interviews, and when he did, he was taciturn. Vanguard did manage to interview him in 2013, but getting words off the monarch was like fetching water with a bucket. The king treated every question as though he was being asked to reveal his longest-kept secrets!

Asked to explain how he had managed to maintain peace in his kingdom (since there hadn’t been any major upheaval since his reign) and to generally speak on on the secrets behind his success, the king said curtly: “I am sorry; I cannot go into all that.”

The following question failed to yield a better result. The interviewer had asked: “Can His Royal Majesty tell us how growing up was like, his peers, the places he worked in around the country including Aba, Enugu and Jos either as Divisional Officer or Resident officer. How was it like then?”

Still, the king replied: “About myself, go and read biography.”

All that will have not bother Edo indigenes, though. They are a people who love their king unconditionally; and if there was something they could do to bring their ruler back alive – even if it meant he won’t utter a word at interviews – they would surely do it.