The Eyo Festival in Lagos

                The Origin of Eyo Festival

The Eyo festival in Lagos Nigeria, also known as the Adamu Orisa Play, has been staged since the days of old and probably dates back much further than most Lagosians can ever imagine.

Historians claim the cultural festival was inherited from Ibefun, a town in Ogun state, where according to folklore, the then Oba of Lagos, Oba Akinsemoyin, set out to assuage the Eyo deity so that his childless younger sibling, Erelu Kuti, can bear a child.

The Erelu did eventually bear two children whose line to date determines an Oba's ascension to the throne in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria.

According to historians, the earliest documented show dates back to the 19th century when the first festival was staged at Oke Ipa, today's lagoon end of Glover Road area in Ikoyi.

Oke Ipa was where the Obas (kings) of Lagos, their titled chiefs, elders and important dignitaries came to from their homes and palaces, sometimes a three day journey by foot, to watch the Eyo play.

It soon became a cultural display of splendour and though the purpose of staging the festival has been slightly modified over the centuries - culturally staged in memory of a departed Oba of Lagos or for the enthronement of a new one.

More recently, it is also staged in memory of eminent Lagosians who recently passed on, or to commemorate visits by State and foreign dignitaries with a parade that terminates at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos Island.

When a King (Oba of Lagos) dies, it is mandatory that a festival takes place, a farewell rite of sorts to a monarch who just passed on. In the case of families who desire a festival for the passing away of their family member who must be an eminent Lagosian, a request must first be put forward to the Akinsiku of Lagos, himself the head of the Eyos’.

The Akinsiku of Lagos will then specify what has to be done to meet the conditions. He requests for the Ikaro (offerings and gifts), and when the family meets this obligation, the Akinsiku collects the offerings and distributes them among the deity families of Lagos.

Though much of its details are still shrouded in secrecy as it is meant to be, according to traditional laws, a divination process must follow the distribution of the gifts and offerings. This rite is carried out at the sacred sanctuary of the Eyo Orisa called the Awe Adimu. This is where an appropriate and favourable date is chosen for the festival to hold.

When a date is chosen, each of the five Eyo groups (conclave) will meet individually to work out their plans and strategies. They must map out their plans on how to organize their numerous contingents and masquerades who will stage the Eyo play.

This is done through their chieftain houses. The whole process takes a while, but must be concluded a full week before the Eyo festival day.

The appearance of the Opa is an important rite to be observed and commences a week before Eyo festival day.

Each of the top five senior Eyo conclaves come out in their hierarchical order to visit eminent individuals, distinguished people and other organisational bodies, to inform them about the coming festival, why it will hold, and how important it is for it to hold.

Finally, the State Government is informed through an official visit to the Governor of Lagos State.

Each and every one of the five groups has to observe this process.

The night before festivities begin, custom demands the men taking part assemble at the reigning Oba's Palace for a great party and merrymaking. This is the night the Oba officially gives his blessings.

There is another important rite that's perf

By 5am on the day of the masquerade festival, the Eyos gather together to the sounds of the Gbedu and Koranga drums, two drums that are only beaten during an Eyo festival.

As their numbers begin to swell at the gathering point, all masquerades in their full costume and regalia begin to move towards the Para, a tent built with raffia mats, erected somewhere in the neighborhood of Enu Owa in Lagos Island.

Enu Owa is an important place on the island where the ceremonious crowning of any Oba takes place.

They all proceed to the Oba's Palace at Iga Idunganran to pay obeisance before moving out into the streets of Lagos Island through Idumota, Tinubu Square and other major and minor roads.ormed by the Eyo Laba group (one of the five conclaves) called the Agodo Erection Rite.

Eyo Laba conclave is the second in command of the 'Senior Five' Eyo conclaves.

Once the erection ritual is completed, the most senior of the conclaves, the Eyo Adimu carry out an inspection of the structure after the merriment has ended and everyone has left.

After their own inspection, the other groups carry out their own inspections one group after the other in hierarchical order.

There is also the observance of the 'Gbale' rites which symbolizes the 'sweeping away' of evil and the ushering in of prosperity, peace, and harmony.

They finally converge in their masses at Tafawa Balewa Square where thousands of people including the locals, dignitaries, tourists, etc. will be waiting to receive them, rejoice with them and join in the festivities

While festivities go on in a carnival-like atmosphere, the Eyo masquerades in their thousands, give a walk past procession that's a sight to behold. Singing, dancing and displaying weird acrobatic moves, the masquerades present an awesome display that's worth taking a trip to Lagos for.

Conclave by conclave, with thousands of Eyos' who include the elderly, and young are all clad in pristine white Agbadas', beautifully coloured wide brimmed hats, and their Opambatas' held firmly in their two hands.

After a wonderful but probably tiring day for the average Eyo masquerade who had walked so many miles all through the day, the cultural ceremony winds down at sundown.

After the grand show the Eyo masquerades move back to the Para, where the opening of the traditional festival was declared at dawn, to tear it down.

The tearing down of the Para is instructed by the Orisa Adimu, and his Eyo masquerades.xcite all, leaving a memorable impression in their minds of how history, culture, and the art is still as beautiful and relevant in the present as it was in the past, and will be for future generations yet to be born.

Because they are considered as spirits of the dead, the Eyo speaks in a strange manner when communicating verbally, which isn't very often. They speak in a ventriloquial voice that suggests that they are from the spirit world. .

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The life history of the egbas

The Egbas are a major sub-tribe of the Yoruba who inhabit south western part of Nigeria. They are the biggest of the four ethnics groups within ogun state, one of the 36 states making up the federal republic of Nigeria.

The Egbas share boundaries with the lagosians of Lagos state, the Ibadans and Ibarapas of Oyo state and the benoise of the republic of Benin.

For occupation they are largely farmers and traders, while in religion, they follow Islam and Christianity, with a small number still adhering to African traditional religion. The Egbas are culturally rich as depicted in their mode of dressing, food, festivals, and other ceremonies.

The Egbas are warlike people once occupying a vast territory, known as egbas, forest, extending eastwards to awe now in Oyo state and westward to the edge of Lagos lagoon. They once came under Oyo empire but soon librated themselves through a cooperative strategy schemed by Lisabi. however in the early nineteen century they suffered a crushing defeat in the hand of up and coming Ibadan forces who drove them out of their lands, and assassinated their commander in chief , Balogun Lamodi. The Egba command then refuge in 1830 ‘’beneath the rock’’ named OLUMO. This known as Abeokuta was located on the farmland of Aaagba, an itoko farmer.

The new settlement grew rapidly into a well-secured town which gave the Egbas sufficient confidence to extend an invitation to the fleeing own squad, heading for Egbado country or Badagry in search of safety, to stay with the Egbas in Abeokuta.

The enlarged Egbas community soon entrenched itself in the, subduing the neighbouring Egbado communities who had attempted to join the Dahomeans to dislodge the Egbas . The pseudo allies were routed, and the egbas became secured in Abeokuta. Nor could the Ijebus, Oyos and Ibadans henceforth disturb the Egba settlement.

A significant development which occurred about this time in the history of the Egbas was return of some Egbas element bringing back with them superiors know-how in every sphere of life.

Coincidentally too, Christianity made its advent into Nigeria through Abeokuta in 1842, and with it came western education which was to transform the life of the people. The egbas thus began to benefits from the enlightenments which came with the early interaction with the British, and placed the community above all others in the sub-region.

The wisest decision taken by the Egbas in their early days at Abeokuta was the abolition of the numerous city kingdom, fusing them into one solid egbas state. The war chiefs who had led the Egbas into Abeokuta under the authority of Seriki Sodeke, established a strong central administration over the town of its environs. So impressed were the British colonialist with the level of egba civilization that they exclude the egbas from the British subjugation, when the rest of Nigerian came under the protection and rule of her majesty government.

The British thus recognised the independent status of the egbas which earned the territory the nomenclature of egbaland, in contradiction of the rest of Nigeria which become known as the protectorate of northern and southern Nigeria.

Indeed in 1893, the British concluded a treaty with the Egbas underlined the autonomy of the federated Egba kingdom. In 1898 were to consolidate their enviable status with an All -Egba cabinet made up of the ALAKE of egba land as president at the head of the cabinet ministers, comprising the sectional Obas; the Osile of Oke Ona, the Agura of Gbagura and the Olowu of Owu and the top traditional muslims and Christians general title chiefs as ministers with assigned portfolios. The Egbas ogboni house at itoku served as senate exercising legislative powers and judicial powers as well over serious crimes like treasons. Less serious offences and civil disputes were handled by the royal court at Idi ere in ake palace all decisions confirmed by the Alake were final hence the saying:Ejo ku s’Ake.

Each of the townships numbering 143 or so administered its own affairs, thus enjoying relative autonomy Vis a Vis the central administration at Alake. Between the central administration and the township administration stood the sectional administration presided over by each Obas i.e. the Osile of Oke Ona, the Agura of Gbagura, and the Olowu of Owu. In the exercise of their respective powers, both the townships and the section were subject to the overall authority of Alake- in council. Here is one attribute of the Alake’s paramountcy over all other the obas of Egbaland.

Egba indigenous federalism worked perfectly and helped to promote peace unity and stability. An important feature of this federalism which as endured till today is the sharing formula adopted by the Egbas to the allocation of political offices distribution of assets, and other benefits as well as bearing of burdens . thus Egba Alake being bigger than the other 3 sections put together will take 50% while the remaining 50 % would be divided into three parts to be taken equally by Egba Oke ona, Gbagura , Owu, .

Such was the aura of the unity and stability carried by the egbas in the twilight of the nineteen century and extended to the early twentieth, that their prestige and reputation resounded across the seas. . A famous English author wrote a book about the time which he approximately titled “sunrise within the tropics” describing life and the level of sophistication of the Egbas in that period compared other communities across Africa and elsewhere.

The Egbas administration concluded treaties of friendship, commence and judicial relationship with the British. to further assert their independence status, the Egbas moved to established diplomatic relationship with the British colonial masters by appointing a special envoy in the person of prince Ladapo Ademola who later became oba Ademola II, Alake of Egbaland in 1920. Ademola thus became the diplomatic representatives of the Egbaland in lagos, the seat of the British colonial administrative in nigeria. A further illustration of unique status of Egbaland was the invitation extended to Oba Gbadebo I, to pay a state visit to Britain in 1904 as a guest of Queen Victoria he was very well received.

Regrettably however, the British colonial government soon grew impatient with the Egbas who refuse to take dictation from the colonial governor in lagos. They then seized upon a local disturbance in Abeokuta the ijemo-war to deal a deadly blows on the egbas . On pretext on quelling the ensuing unrest and to check the insecurity in the area, which the British felt posed a serious threat to their national interest, they proceeded to ask the independence government of Egbaland.

Thus Egbaland was forcibly brought into the British protectorate of Nigerian in 1918, deftly ending the posture of a proud independent Egba nation, a free enclave within a dependent Nigeria.

Following the annulment of Egba sovereignty by the British, the Egba quickly reconciled themselves to their new dependent status. The British policy of indirect rule adopted in administering colonial Nigeria enabled the Egba to continue to enjoy some autonomy through the aegis of Egba native authority [ENA]. Thus Egba federation survived with its practice of true federalism which guaranteed unity and stability as well as –prosperity of the area.

The early embracement of western union education as noted above also enabled the Egba to produce high level manpower in virtually every sphere of human endeavour. In the context of the new Nigerian nation, therefore the Egba soon dominated every segment of the society the professions, the public, service including the judiciary, even commerce and industry.

In the former western region under premier Obafemi Awolowo himself, half Egba, the Egba fared reasonably well especially in he civil service . The legendary Simeon Adebo was the Head of the Service while professor Saburi Biobaku was the secretary to the premier and the executive council, with chief S.O Eriwunmi as permanent secretary in charge of a key ministry, Sir Adetokunbo Ademola headed the judiciary.

When Nigeria attained independent on oct.1960, Egba star dimmed politically somewhat. The highest Egba political holders were federal ministers in Balewa government , Dr Koye Majekodunmi and chief Ayo Rosiji.

In the western region , however Alh. D.S Adegbenro was second in command to chief S.L Akintola who had succeeded Chief Obafemi Awolowo as premier. When the crisis within the ruling party, Action group [AG] erupted a majority of the members in western house assembly endorsed D.S Adegbenro as the premier . The NPC-NCNC federal government coalition however blocked Adegbenro premiership thus precipitating a serious political crisis which resulted in the declaration of the state of emergency in the western region in 1962. interestingly the lot fell on Dr. Koye Majekodunmi , a federal minister and an egba son to wear the mantle of sole Administrators with near absolute powers.

The western region crisis deepened culminating in the in the first military coup of January 1966 which sacked elected civilian government and paved away to a prolonged military administrator in Nigeria. The civil war which was fought to check Biafran secession was won by the federal government with General Olusegun Obasanjo, an illustrious Egba son playing a leading role in the combat and had the honour of accepting the surrender of the Biafran Army.

It is worthy of mentioned that the 9-years of general Gowon ,two Egba sons namely Brigadier Oluwole Rotimi and Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson were among the 12 states military governors . It is a matter of pride that only the two of them emerged untarnished following the probe of all the military governors in the country.

With overthrow of General Yakubu Gowon as the head of state, General Muritala Mohammed moved in with General Obasanjo as second –in command when the popular Muritala Mohammed administration fell in to the abortive coup of Dimka in 1976, Obasanjo stepped in as head of state and made history by voluntary handing over power to the elected government of president Shehu Shagari in 1979.

In February. 1976, the two provinces of Abeokuta and Ijebu were merged to form Ogun State when Nigeria was restructured in to 19 states. Abeokuta became a state capital. This

development threw up a high expectation that, the old Egba glory would return, Unfortunately, acute rivalry among the ethnic groups making up ogun state, namely Egba, Ijebu, Remo, and Yewa [formerly Egbado] has not enhanced Egba progress.

When in 1979, the military took a bow to usher in an elected civilian Administration, it was assumed that the Egbas would have the first slot as governor. What looked like an ideal candidate emerged in the person of Chief Soji Odunjo being the both egba and the egbado stocks ironically, the Egbado dumped Odunjo and aligned with the Ijebus and Remos to paved the way for Chief Bisi Onabanjo from Ijebu to emerged as the first civilian executive governor of Ogun State .

On the second coming of the civilian rule after yet another military regime [1983-1999]Chief Olusegun Osoba an Egba became governor and served his full termed of four years . He was succeeded in 2003 by Otunba Gbenga Daniel from Remo who is now serving his second term as Governor.

How have the Egbas feared since the creation of Ogun State? The General verdict is that their situation could have been better, given the size of their population and the fact that the capital of the state was suited in Abeokuta the heartland of territory, The grouse is that given the historical structure of Abeokuta and the fact that it is now a state capital , the town should have had more to show for its new status compared to the other state in the country.

The present Administration in Ogun State is quite aware of Egba discontent which recently re-echoed during the high level dialogued between the Governor Daniel and a high powered Egba delegation led by his majesty Oba Adedotun Gbadabo Okukenu IV, the Alake and paramount Ruler in Egbaland.

The Egbas acknowledge some notable improvement which the Governor has introduced to Abeokuta the modernisation of the royal pavilion at the Ake palace square, transforming the Olumo rock into the Ultra- modern tourist attraction of international standard the dualisation of a number of city roads, notably lalubu street, Oke ilewo the construction of modern residential estates at various location in the city for all level of the society high, middle and low.

The Governor took the trouble to explain that he was willing to do more, but emphasized his constraints mainly funding, expenses incurred on behalf of the federal; government in carrying out works which are responsibility of the federal government where the latter has been slow to act, where often not defrayed timely, thus, participating a short fall in the available funds for states project.

The Egbas applaud the state governor for the new surge in development of Abeokuta and the other areas making up Egbaland, but still felt that much more was deserved, they recognized that the governor is responsible for all the segment making up Ogun State that must be even handed .

At the same time, we must stress that all fingers are not equal. In any distribution, given the size and stature of Egabland, the Division must take a lion's share in the State. In other words on grounds of its population and for hosting the State Capital, Egbaland must receive primary and bigger attention.

In this regard, we would like to know percentage of the State Budget is allocated to Abeokuta as State Capital, and what share is allocated to Egba Division as the biggest of the four divisions. We may have here respectfully suggest that after deducting the expenses for the State Capital (Abeokuta) whatever remains should be allocated to the four Divisions on the basis of two-fifths (2/5) going to Egbaland, while three-fifths )3/5) are shared equally between Ijebus, Remo and Yewa. This is true equity.

If the Egbas appear not to have fared satisfactorily within Ogun State, what is the position nationally, that is, within the large Nigeria Nation?

The Egbas had produced many outstanding human materials for Nigeria; within the Profession: Law (Chief F.R.A. Williams, Prince Bola Ajibola), Medicine (Professor Thomas Lambo and Koye Ransome – Kuti), Accountancy (Akintola Williams, Egunjobi, Folorunso Oke, Bola Kuforiji-Olubi, Idris Sulaiman), Judiciary (Justice Adetokunbo Ademola – first indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olumuyiwa Jibowu, George Sodehinde Sowemimo, S. O. Lambo), Public service (Simeon Adebo), Literature (Wole Soyinka – of Egba mother), Music (Sowande, Fela Ransome-Kuti, Ebenezer Obey, Sina Peters, Adeola Akinsanya – Baba Eto, Prince Adekunle, Yusuff Olatunji – adopted Egba son, Ayinla Omowura) Sports (Sprinters: Arogundade, Ajao, Erinle; High Jumpers: Majekodunmi and Sobande), Women Emancipation and Enterprise (Iyalode Tinubu, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and Iyalode Bisi Tejuoso).

In the political life of Nigeria, we have given the country a military Head of State in the person of General Olusegun Obasanjo. We even produced one Civilian president in the person of Chief M.K.O. Abiola who was elected on June 12, 1993 in the fairest and freest elections in Nigeria but who, alas, was not allowed to take his post following the unpardonable and controversial annulment of the landmark elections. Abiola was to die a martyr and hero in strange circumstances while in Abacha’s detention. There was also Ernest Adegunle Sonekan, the Interim Head of state (1993). We also gave to Nigeria chief Olusegun Obasanjo in is coming as elected president of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, sadly marred toward the end by his alleged Third Term Bill which he has vigorously denied.

Under the current Administration of President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, the fortunes of Egbaland appear to be on the rise once more. Providence delivered an unexpected top political position to the Egbas in 2007 through the fortuitous emergence of Hon. Dimeji Saburi Bankole as Speaker of the House of Representatives thus becoming the No. 4 Citizen of Nigeria.

Without sounding immodest, no other group in Nigeria had given so much to the Nation as Egbaland, yet we seem to have got little in return. There is no major Federal presence in Egbaland. Even though Egbaland was the cradle of Western Education in Nigeria and the birthplace of Christianity in the Country, it rook decades after the establishment of the University College of Ibadan in 1948, before a full-pledged University was sited in Abeokuta in the form of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Some may argue back that the Obasanjo have held the Head of Government position twice in rear times. He should know what was best for his own people.

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The Benin Kindom

Benin City, Nigeria - 

Nigeria is a constitutional democracy that elects its representatives.

But the 250-plus ethnic groups that have been gathered into one country by the British colonisers also acknowledge their own traditional rulers. Of these leaders, the monarch of the Bini people of Benin is among the most respected. But what kind of power does the Oba of Benin wield? And what is his influence on the development of Nigeria's Edo State, of which Benin City is the capital?

When the Portuguese first set foot there at the end of the 15th century, Benin was a city-state in the middle of the rainforest that surpassed many late medieval European cities in urban development and where the streets were lit at night by palm oil lanterns.

"The king's court is as large as the city of Haarlem, and ... divided into many magnificent palaces, houses and rooms of the courtiers, and ... galleries, about as large as the Exchange at Amsterdam," the Dutch geographer Olfert Dapper wrote in 1668 about the Oba's court, based on accounts of explorers and missionaries who had visited Benin.

At the time, the Benin Kingdom was at the height of its military and political power and stretched far into the east and west of modern-day Nigeria.

That supremacy strengthened Benin's position towards the European intruders, explains history professor Osarhieme Benson Osadolor of the University of Benin.

"The Oba maintained his independence despite pressure from the Portuguese, Dutch, and British."

There was, however, a lively intercontinental trade relationship, during which Europeans provided the Oba with firearms and other items in exchange for slaves that his army brought back after their conquests.

Resistance to the British

From the 19th century onwards the empire went downhill. The slave trade had been replaced by the trade in palm oil and the Oba enforced a personal export monopoly that did not make him popular among his chiefs and the general population, says the historian.

Therefore, when Oba Ovonramwen kept resisting annexation by the British - as one of the few local leaders who still maintained their independence at the time - he did not receive the usual military back-up from his chiefs.

On February 18, 1897, the once glorious city fell within a day. In the process, the British set a large part of Benin ablaze - though only after ransacking the palace's treasures, of which the famous bronze sculptures can be seen in the British Museum to this day.

Following the defeat, Oba Ovonramwen was banished to Calabar town, not far from Nigeria's border with Cameroon.

But the Oba's opposition to Benin's invaders contributed to the almost mythical status of the monarchy in modern times, says Osadolor: "He wasn't popular at the time he came to the throne, but his resistance made him hugely popular afterwards."

Contemporary subjects of the Benin Kingdom often quote the royal resistance as one of the reasons for their appreciation of the monarchy.

Even after independence in 1960 the monarch did not regain his previous absolute power. So, on what then is his influence on Benin society based?After Ovonramwen died in exile in 1914, the British, who needed a traditional leader for their indirect rule, convinced his son to ascend to the throne. This great-grandfather of the current crown prince had none of the powers of his father, but was presented by the colonial rulers as the new authority, Osadolor explains: "The Oba had become a ceremonial position, but people saw him as the one deciding."

Coral beads

A long chain of coral beads, a gift from the Oba, decorates the bare chest of barrister Godwin Aigbe, the Enogie of Ukhiri. It is two days until the coronation and together with the other traditional leaders in the village of Useh, the chief is waiting for the arrival of the edaiken, the crown prince. It is ancient custom that the crown prince choose the name he will answer to as Oba in this dense little forest in front of which an expectant crowd has gathered - a name that won't be divulged until his coronation.

As a lawyer, Aigbe explains how the Oba's authority relates to Nigerian law. "In our legal system we recognise traditional law, as long as it is not repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience." Simply put: the constitution recognises customary law, and as long as he remains within the boundaries of the law, the Oba's voice still counts for something. He can mediate, but not adjudicate.

"The Oba settles disputes and is a peacemaker. He cannot legally punish anyone, but he will make you realise when you have committed an offence and you will learn from it," the chief adds, as he tightens the white fabric wrapped around his waist.

In addition to that, the Oba's subjects consult him about family feuds and community disputes. The inertia of the Nigerian justice system - the average length of a court case is four to 10 years - turns the relatively quick arbitration by traditional rulers into a welcome alternative form of justice.The Oba has some authority over land issues, when it concerns land owned by indigenes in the south of Edo State, and his decisions are quoted in regular court. To many Nigerians, property is a matter of life and death: land equals wealth and the possession of it is often their only pension plan.

That explains part of the Oba's popularity in the modern Benin City society. But there is more.

Hereditary

"Our Oba stands above the parties," cheers the plumber Osatohanmwen, as he sees the red and blue parasol covering the Oba moving through the crowd.

Kings are born not made Bini proverb

The woman next to him, who wears a dress sewn of fabric with the Oba's portrait, agrees: "He is not into politics. That's why we trust him." A Bini proverb says that kings are born, not made. And citizens have so little confidence in the game of politics that they prefer a hereditary monarch whose appointment cannot be manipulated.

Not everyone in Benin is Bini. There are many other ethnicities living and working in the modern city, from Hausa and Igbo, to Ijaw and Bajju. That doesn't matter, they say at the palace: the Oba is sovereign over all of them, and his impartiality exceeds his ethnic background. An Igbo man, they say, has come to the Oba for a ruling and was put in the right. But does everyone in the city feel as invested in the royal festivities as the Bini do?

In front of a student dormitory on the University of Benin campus, 20-year-old Linda is chatting with fellow students. The student of philosophy welcomes the state-wide day off the coronation has given her, but says she feels indifferent to the monarchy: "You see, I am Delta Igbo, and we have never had such centralised authorities. What the Bini call royal does not exist in my culture."

On the other side of town in GRA, two friends having a beer under a mango tree are muttering about the lockdown of the streets in preparation for the ascension. Because of it, the traffic all over town has reached gridlock.

One of the men has not been able to go to work; the other one turned around halfway to an appointment and cancelled all others for the day. "Why must everything else stop because of the coronation?" he complains. "People at the palace think this coronation is the only thing going, so all of us go suffer. I am Esan, not Bini. What do I have to gain from their Oba? Let me just do my work I beg."

Mock battle

To the Bini, their history and tradition are still very much alive. That much becomes clear on a visit to Chief Ogiamien's red clay palace, some two kilometres away from the Oba's. The single-storey building is one of the few of this stature in Benin City that survived the ravaging flames in 1897.

The Ogiamien were a rival dynasty defeated in the 13th century by Oba Ewedu. That military skirmish is usually commemorated by a mock battle between the current Ogiamien and the Oba-to-be, on his way to the coronation hall. This time, however, that tradition will not be honoured: the person holding this hereditary title vanished almost two decades ago, and no one knows where he is.

Under normal circumstances another representative of the Ogiamien family would have taken his place, explains Moses Igbineweka in the palace courtyard, where a shrine in the wall represents the presence of the ancestors, but the Ogiamiens have been in court ever since a dissident faction of the family went and crowned another man their leader. "Someone came to steal the title from us," says Igbineweka, "so we cannot honour the tradition."

He shakes his head over the actions of the self-appointed Ogiamien, who begrudged his exclusion from the royal ceremony and even went to court to stop the coronation process because of it, an injunction dismissed by the court of appeal. Igbineweka does, however, hope that the newly crowned Oba will observe another tradition.

According to him, as part of the 13th-century treaty between the warring dynasties, the Oba offered gifts to his former rival, including a royal stool, a tray of kola nuts, and a bronze staff. He points to a spot in the outer wall that used to be a doorway but is now bricked shut, calling it the gateway to heaven. Only the Oba may pass through this gate, which will be unblocked when the monarch pays a visit.

The representative of the Ogiamien family hopes that he will do so soon, with his offerings: "We are waiting for him."

'That's a secret'

On the morning of the ascension, the ekasa dancers - a group of about 60 men - sit around with their green and red banners resting against them, waiting for the moment the drums start talking and they can perform their traditional dance, which may only be staged during the coronation process and at the burial of the queen mother.

The men - aged between 12 and way beyond retirement age - have some time to chat. But there is not much they can say.

Only people who speak the old Bini will understand. A Bini citizen

What do the symbols on your banners stand for? "That's a secret."

What text are you singing while you're dancing? "Only people who speak the old Bini will understand."

In what way is your family related to the Oba? "We don't speak about that."

The practices surrounding the monarchy are rife with myths and taboos.

To many Bini, the Oba has a godlike status. When the previous king passed away, the whole of Benin kept silent about it for months, until the chiefs officially announced that 'the chalk had broken'. According to Bini tradition, an Oba does not die.

The Bini may hold on to their customs, but that does not mean that traditions don't change, says Princess Elizabeth Olowu, a sister of the late king. She is at her Benin home taking out the regalia she will wear at the coronation and trying on the coral-bead headgear.

She remembers her father, Oba Akenzua II, who ruled from 1933 until 1978, as a progressive man who refused to marry off his daughters at a young age, as was the custom, but sent them to school instead: "He abolished so many things, like the fact that he was not supposed to see his newborn children for three months after their birth. He figured one of the pleasures of being a parent is to see your children develop, so he put an end to that tradition."

Abomination

Another palace taboo concerned bronze casting: it was a craft women were forbidden to perform, since the Bini believed a woman would go barren if she handled the bellows. But then the princess told her father she was interested in casting bronze, to which he responded, 'Why not?'

"He was sure I would succeed," the princess, now 71-year-old, says.

The bronze casters saw their female pupil as an abomination, but couldn't say much, because the Oba's word is final. The princess would go on to become a well-known Benin artist.

"Culture is not static," adds her daughter Peju Layiwola, who followed in her mother's artistic footsteps. Does that mean that one day the Bini will welcome a female Oba to the throne? She smiles and shakes her head: no.

Apart from dancing and singing his praises, women hardly play a role in the Oba's coronation ceremonies. They are also absent from the customary leadership structures. "Women traditionally face a lot of restrictions," Layiwola admits. "Benin is still very much a patriarchal society."

She does, however, point out the important women in the history of Benin, like Emotan, the market woman who warned a 15th-century Oba of a murder plot against him, and Idia, the 16th-century queen mother, who successfully went to war on behalf of her son. The Oba regularly commemorates them, Layiwola says, recognising the role of women in society: "Bini women are no pushovers, and the Oba acknowledges that."

Lift a spell

The other influence the Oba has on his people is less easy to describe, because it is spiritual. Some believe the monarch possesses supernatural powers.

They are sure that ill fate will strike you if the Oba looks at you with angry eyes; one family even went to plead with the late Oba Erediauwa, the father of the present monarch, to lift a spell one of his predecessors had cast over their entire line. Although the majority of the population in Benin City describe themselves as Christian, many also believe in the indigenous spiritual customs.

We know our history and tell it to our children. That is what everybody should do Owaeghiange

Criminals have found ways to abuse that belief. A large number of the Nigerian women trafficked into prostitution in Europe come from Benin City. And many of these victims are controlled by their fear of juju rituals.

Sociology and anthropology professor Kokunre Agbontaen Eghafona at the University of Benin acknowledges that superstitious beliefs play a role in trafficking, but argues that poverty and the patrilineal system, according to which daughters traditionally do not inherit, also play a part in women searching for prosperity abroad. "All the factors that gave rise to the problem must be adequately addressed. Our Obas have declared trafficking for prostitution as wrong, but the phenomenon has gone beyond traditional legislation. It is of global concern," she says.

In other ways the monarchy does appear to affect society positively. The high degree of education and development of the royal family - the late Oba attended Cambridge University, his son the crown prince was an ambassador in several countries including Sweden and Angola - serves as an example to the Bini, who are known in Nigeria for their thirst for book learning and high levels of formal education.

It's after 5pm when the crown prince, wearing a dress covered with coral beads said to weigh up to 20 kilogrammes, enters the coronation hall and one of the palace chiefs places the crown on his head. Only then is the new name of the monarch announced: Ewuare II.

"Named after Ewuare the Great, who had our city walls built in the 15th century," says 26-year-old Owaeghiange, who is awaiting the Oba outside with thousands of others. The hairdresser effortlessly makes this historical reference, which is extraordinary in Nigeria, where history hasn't been on the school curriculum for years.

"The Bini are not a traditional people, but we know our traditions. That is not the same thing," says the young woman. "We know our history and tell it to our children

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Benin City, Nigeria - A wooden staff thumps on the landing in front of the temporary palace. "Long live the king!" bellows Chief Osa, as he raises his fist. The sun reflects off the golden decorations on his horn-shaped red hat.

The other Iwebo chiefs who have followed Osa in a procession onto the palace grounds and now stand behind him say "Isee" in agreement. 

Then Osa and Chief Osuan, the crown prince's escorts on his way to the ascension, enter Usama palace, a nondescript bungalow on fallow terrain in the centre of town.

It is 8am and it will be at least seven hours until Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa shows himself in public, but his subjects have already come out in great numbers. Thick crowds clog the roads in the heart of Benin City in the south of Nigeria, in expectation of the coronation of the new Oba of the centuries-old Benin Kingdom.

Coronation day in Benin - not to be confused with the West African country that used to be known as Dahomey - on October 20 was preceded by 10 days of ceremonies and rites. 

Banners with the crown prince's portrait and flags with his name fluttered all over the city, the pavements received a new daub of black and white paint and the lawns in front of the cultural centre were trimmed. It didn't matter which local radio or TV station you tuned into, all of their bulletins started with what the crown prince had been up to that day on his way to the throne.

"The Oba is a father to all of us," says 24-year-old student of mass communication Esosa, who left home at 5am on coronation day to get a good view of the proceedings.

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Yoruba and Benin Kingdom: Ile Ife The Final Resting Place of History

By

Olawale

olawale_oladapo@yahoo.com

Introduction

The Yoruba race originated from Benin Kingdom, was very rich in details and calls for re-examination by historians of high repute from all the Nigerian Universities and recognized institutions not from uneducated and bias sources of chambers or shrines of some Obas or traditional rulers as presently being envisaged or contemplated. The statement from Ooni of Ife disputing the fact of Oba of Benin was not strong enough or capable of influencing any academic exercise. The statement from the two kings and the follow up from Oba of Lagos and host of others had generated lots of discussion worldwide but some questions still remain unanswered. This has given this writer the opportunity to further ask questions hopefully it will lead to getting the solution about the source of the Yoruba and Edo.

I was often fascinated by the different versions of uncoordinated folk stories we were told about the origin of the Yoruba.  As a very young Yoruba man from Abeokuta I was told Oduduwa was the first man created by God just like the Bible said Adam and Eve were the first to be created by God. The Bible says Cain the only surviving child of Adam and Eve went to another city called Nod to marry his wife. The question is who created the wife, the wife parent or the family of the in-law if any. Just like I asked in my innocent mind as a student in the primary school then who created Oduduwa and how did Oduduwa marry his wife? Where did parent of the wife of Oduduwa come from?  My Teacher never told me the answer.  We were even told Oduduwa was the son of one Lamurudu from Far East most likely Saudi Arabia and that some of Yoruba cousin can be found in Uganda infact they call the Yorubas in Uganda Akarabas, which is true.  Most of these uncoordinated conflicting stories were very difficult to prove or be binding on history for any academic minds.

The Genesis of the Yorubas

Oduduwa had sixteen children we were told and the eldest was Orangun of Ila and the Egbas in Abeokuta were descendants of the female child of Oduduwa named Alaketu. None ever disputed the fact that Oranmiyan the last born of Oduduwa also ruled the Benin Kingdom. Why did Benin or Edos allowed the last child of Oduduwa to be made a king over them or his descendants through Eweka 1^st, if there was no blue blood connection?  Oba of Benin gave a detail account of fact of history that are very difficult to dispute. The Yoruba share so many things in common with the Edo’s in names and culture, which must be part of the reason why it is very difficult to dispute the version Omo noba polo polo Oba of Benin.

Again, in the Bible, Adam and Eve who were believed to be the first human creation by God never told or shown Cain the only surviving child the Garden of Eden where God created them, just like Oduduwa never shown the place and real evidence how he was created by God. The idea of a rain and dove as the method of earth creation sounds more like magic than real. Archeologically, the Yoruba race is not more than 2000 years meaning other tribes excited before the Oduduwa appearance. None availability of any other serious fact to negate this lend credibility to Oba Benin’s version in which he the Oba of Benin himself has not proved positively where the Edo’s also came from. Did the Edo’s also come from heaven? Or emerged from the Igbos that often regarded themselves as the lost tribe of Israel? Why does is necessary to bury the head of any late Oba of Benin at Ile Ife or why is it compulsory to receive the blessing of Ooni before a King or Oba is crowned in Benin. All these are missing gaps of facts and history, which the academic institutions must trash.

Aside from the above both versions of History from Oba of Benin and Yoruba agreed that Oramiyan the last son of Oduduwa returned to Ife from Benin after he installed his son, Eweka the first as Oba of Benin after he became frustrated with the strange land.  He met  his father Oduduwa who was very advanced in age and blind more also, all properties had been shared and distributed among his fifteen brothers and sisters. Alternatively, seven brothers according to Oba of Benin, Oduduwa was at a dilemma on what to do because he assumed Benin Kingdom would be enough inheritance for Oranmiyan.

Both versions of history agreed that the name Benin meant “the land of the annoyed” because Oranmiyan left the place in annoyance. Could it be said that Benin had another name before Oranmiyan went there? What was the name? Does it have anything to do with the destruction of the Edo Empire or can we say Oranmiyan actually founded the Benin Kingdom, which must be the reason why he changed the name of the city to Benin? Oba of Benin comment on the Edo’s checking the secrecy of Oranmiyan led to his abdication of the thrown for his son is not convincing enough taking into consideration the attitude of Oranmiyan who was believed to be ruthless, one would have thought he would have handled the issue in different method.

The Returns of Oranmiyan

Oduduwa found an easy way out to appease the disgruntled son Oranmiyan he gave him, his staff as a symbol to present to his brothers and sisters to be able to collect ten percent of revenue derived from yearly harvest through out Yoruba Land. With this, Oranmiyan was able to collect over 150 percent of all the returns throughout the uncoordinated kingdom. Oduduwa also grudgingly agreed to allow his last son Oranmiyan to be king at Ile Ife after his death. The reason for this was unknown as this was against the customs and traditions of giving priority to first child or son who was Ila of Irangun. 

On the other hand, could it be said that Orangun was too afraid to challenge his junior brother or Oranmiyan was indeed the senior? Or could the version of history that actually claimed Okanbi as the only son of Oduduwa was right and Oranmiyan was indeed the same person as Okanbi? This is a fact of history the present Orangun of Ila should clarify. His silence amounts to selling his birthright to his junior brother if he was indeed the first-born and why did all other 14 brothers and sisters fail to do something? Some even say Oranmiyan was not a direct son but a son of Okanbi. Some even argued that Okanbi was the same person as Oranmiyan but Okanbi literarily meant only child if that should be the case it will amount to a conclusion that Oduduwa had only one child while his only child Okanbi gave births to the 16 children that became the pillar of Yoruba race this is another area the historians must explore.

Oduduwa was primarily a skillful priest and voodoo person who the Oba of Benin argued picked up the powers in the forest. Who were his teachers? Was it by demons or gods? Or by the power of abcadabra. Who verified how Oduduwa acquired his powers? None and how did Oba of Benin come to this conclusion? It is often said rituals and sacrifices is an everyday issue at Ife except for one day and that is never made public probably the only day Odududua took vacation. Oba of Benin must explain the reason why the Head of all previous Oba of Benin were buried in a cave at the shrine of Oduduwa at IFE.

Origin of Ooni Title

We have read and heard stories that in one of the ritual ceremonies where nobody was allowed to be outside, an unidentified foreign woman of no means of tracing her background was captured and was to be used as sacrifice for the gods. She was later spared because she was found to be pregnant beside; it was against custom at that time to use a pregnant woman for sacrifice. The child from the woman was dedicated to the gods and acted in an assistant capacity to the aging Oduduwa in his day-to-day ritual and voodoo job. The child was named Ooni: meaning, “This is Spared One”. This cannot be totally disputed because the Yoruba’s often named children after events surrounding their births. Nobody apart from this simple understanding of Ooni has given any other meaning interpretation of the title. This writer did not create this meaning every Yoruba man or woman grew up with this assumption. It may not necessary be the reason.

After the death of Oduduwa his son, Oranmiyan was invited to take over the job of his father, which was primarily ritual and voodoo, as well as traditional ruler of Ile Ife. Oranmiyan refused because he had succeeded in building an economically viable place at Oyo Ile with administratively sound method of government around the Oyomesi council in chief and it would be very degrading to leave and move to Ile Ife to be involved in ritual daily sacrifices exercises. In the light of that assumptions Oranmiyan gave conditions that he must be buried at Ife to symbolize his right to Ife thrown. Ooni the Assistant to Oduduwa in the day-to-day ritual sacrifice exercise continued with Odua’s job while he continued with supervision from Oyo Ile.  It was that condition Ooni the son of the slave woman that was captured and dedicated to the gods who was assisting Oduduwa continued the work of Oduduwa at Ife. This is the reason why ALafin of Oyo will never accept Ooni of Ife as a king or a superior in any Yoruba gathering of Obas. The creation of Oshun State out of Oyo State was the major events that separated the two kings in one of the sittings of Obas in the old Oyo State the Chairmanship issue was almost a national problem that which was exploited by the political leaders of both the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and national Party of Nigeria (NPN) at that time.

Ooni assumed superiority was a British creation because the King of England assumed a king at Ife the assumed cradle of Yoruba must be superior to all Obas just like the British did in Abeokuta by imposing Alake superiority over other Obas at Abeokuta. In case of Egbas Sorunke who led the Egbas from Ibadan to the present Abeokuta was from Oke Ona, which Oba Tejuoso is the King today. This is the reason why there was conflict between late Alake of Abeokuta and Osile of Oke Ona. In fact both the Akes and Oke Onas met Owu’s in the southwest area of the city. Power and control in Abeokuta was not evenly distributed among the five kings. The British creation has led to communal disagreement among the city’s five kings. Including the Ibaras and Gbaguras the side of late Moshood Abiola. Although the late Alake of Egbaland was very technical and tactical in the way he cautiously curtailed other Egba Obas to accepting his leadership that can not be said of Ooni who does one thing better by allying himself with the government at the center in and out of the state all time a strategy Alaafin must have to adopt.

IFE THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF ORANMIYAN

Why was Oranmiyan buried at Ife not at Oyo Ile or Oyo Igboho? What is the meaning for Opa Oranyan symbol at Ife today? Except to confirm his right to the thrown or seat of Oduduwa. If Ooni was not a true son or direct descendant of the sixteen children of Odua or a relation of Okanbi how did he get his title so recognized that it became the symbol of Yoruba center of unity and not Alaafin the much feared Iku babayeye? Some historians will argue that Ooni was just his name that became his title. If Ooni was a direct son of Oduduwa how come he could not be traced to the 16 children of Oduduwa?  Did the first Ooni pay tributes to Alaafin or Oranmiyan like all other Yoruba Obas and Baales (village Heads) at that time or was he exempted from taxes or levies? If not. Why? Those emerging empires that refused to pay were destroyed or sold away as slaves. The practice to sell any opposition as slaves stopped after the Oyo Empire was destroyed. It is rather difficult to accept the Ooni’s version as against the Omonoba Polo polo but then Oba of Benin’s version was not full proof. Has any Oba of Benin from history been a member of governing council at Ife? If yes. Why? And why must Oba of Benin’s head be buried at Ife if Ile Ife is not the source for the two tribes? Oba of Benin must be courageous to explain this fact of history.

Oranmiyan’s Role In Yoruba History

Oranmiyan from history was a belligerent person. A war hero and where his brothers and sister failed to give the yearly ten percent duty as agreed with the staff of Oduduwa he used force. He later appointed his representatives in each of the kingdoms of Yoruba to monitor the returns, thus the creation of Oyo Empire that lead to the end of the kingdom Oduduwa created which was not properly coordinated. There was no proper channel of control during Odua. Oyo Empire gave the Yoruba race the much respect and proper foundation in the south of Sahara. The new empire grew with amazing rapidity throughout West Africa and was like the Ghana or Shonghai Empire of the medieval history in the south of Sahara.

 One of the strategies of the Oyo Empire was engagement in slavery. It was a tactical way to weaken opposition among the Yoruba’s and those captured. Oranmiyan and his descendants were absolute in control and management. Infact, the word Kabiyesi that was later adopted by subsequent Alafin from the time of Sango oko Oya in Oyo meant absolutism the king could never be wrong. Such was the fear and power of Alafin throughout Yoruba land.

Oranmiyan’s administration was the best in Africa and could be likened to the British system of Administration during the colonial government. The Empire expanded up to the present Benin republic. Those who escaped the control of Alaafin are the Yoruba’s living in Benin Republic, which was formerly Dahomey. On the East side there was no historical record of any interference between the father and the son the rulers in Benin Kingdom. The reason for this was not known but it will amount to fighting yourself if Oranmiyan had to wage war of control over Benin. Oba of Benin Omonoba Polopolo did not explain the reason for the prolong truce between Benin and Oyo Empire. Spiritual contact was established with each Benin King’s head buried at Ife and spiritual approval from Ife before any Oba is crowned at Benin? Why is this so if Benin was the source how come the source goes to the Ife for approval of final rest of the head of Benin Obas? Ile Ife in actual fact demonstrated its superiority by having the head of Oranmiyan himself.

 At least there was no record of history of any transaction between father and son commercially or any known tribal or communal war between Yoruba and Benin Kingdom while Benin Kingdom continued to progress and Oyo Empire continue to expand to the west coast. In Lagos, there could not be a clash, it was a place of reunion for Edo’s and Yoruba it was said Eko, which is Lagos, and in our local dialect is a Benin word. Why did Oranmiyan and his descendants fail to expand towards the East of the empire, which would have been a clash with Edo’s? Was it a mutual agreement or respect or tactical error or oversight in the expansionism of Yoruba Empire?

THE FALL OF OYO EMPIRE

Oyo Empire later suffered from over expansion while some local heroes started to emerge to challenge the authority of the Oyo kingdom or that of the Alafin of Oyo. Among them was the Lisabi Agboagbo Akala who liberated the Egbas from Oyo Empire to create a fearless Egba Kingdom. Lisabi was never a king in fact he was murdered by the Alake of Egbaland because of his popularity after he used his Aaro o method to form a rally point and effectively destroying the mirth surrounding the Alaafin control in Egbaland The Egba emerged as a new power block in the south west. And major control of the slave market at Badagry and women like Madam Tinubu from Owu Abeokuta moved to Lagos known as Eko to further consolidate the gain of slave market route.

 Egbas as a kingdom with its own capital at Abeokuta in the present Ogun State with a conglomeration of five kings with its own National Anthem “Lori Oke ati Pele” was merged with Nigeria by the British Empire after 1914. In addition, Lagelu emerged from Ibadan, Ogendegbe Agbogungboro from Ijeshaland and Shou of Ogbomosho and Ilorin through the deserter Chief of Army Staff of Oyo who was killed by Alimi a Fulani thus the end of Oyo Empire. The new empires moved toward western civilization with sophisticated weapon while the Oyo remained old fashioned and did not modernize its weapons. The attack from the Sokoto Caliphate from the North finally nailed the coffin of the Oyo Empire. The collapse of the Oyo Empire led to the Yoruba Wars, which was never concluded until the British finally took over Nigeria in 1914 with the amalgamation of North and Southern Nigeria by Lord Luggard.  The present Oyo town is a shadow has Old Oyo town, which is still visible at Oyo Igboho. Oyo town in the present Oyo State is just a new creation to symbolize the memory of the Old.

The Egbas and Ijebus took over the control of southwest towards the Atlantics because of lucrative slave trade and closeness to the white man. The emergence of western civilization further weakened the Old Oyo empire, the empire collapsed and the ruminants of it can still be found at the old site, the irony of it is Alafin of Oyo in the present Oyo town continue to live in the memory of his ancestors glory of the Old Oyo empire. Alafin has never made spiritual contact with old Oyo town nor effort to salvage the relics of history, which should be used as fundamental tourist place in Yoruba history

Ile Ife The Final Resting Place of History

Ooni who is not a direct son or descendants of Oduduwa may not necessarily be considered viable in this discussion. Alafin of Oyo who is a descendant of the acceptable link between Yoruba and Edo must examine his place in history and that of his senior brother Orangun of Ila the first son who had disappeared into history because he never challenged Oranmiyan. The abdication of the thrown is a loss of right for Oranmiyan to his son in Benin but if the son (Eweka) and his descendants according to history continue to respect tradition and be buried at Ife or received blessing before being crowned then we can conclude that Ife is superior to Benin and Edo’s must have infact originated from Ife?

The question is this. Can a son be greater than his father can? Or can a river be greater than its source? No. Otherwise it will dry. The source of Yoruba from Benin although appeared to be very authentic as presented by Oba Eredua than Saudi Arabia or Lamurudu, which cannot be traced, traced in Saudi Arabian history. But the fact of history of allegiance of Oba of Benin to Ile Ife the cradle of Yoruba race before being crowned and after death is an indication that Ife is the source of both the Yoruba’s and Edo but the Yoruba’s and historians must come up with a very scientific and foolproof history to support this argument. This is an area the Ooni and other Yoruba writers have not defended. The argument of Professor Ajayi was not detailed or courageous enough. The professor wrote as if he was afraid to offend both the Yoruba and the Edos as against the fact, which would have helped the issue unless the Professor has no answer to the problem.

Conclusion.

Alternatively, can we write off Alafin of Oyo from this discussion because his descendant failed to head the thrown at Ile Ife when Oranmiyan was called? No. Some will say since he was buried at Ife to symbolize his rights to the thrown or why did all his brothers fail to challenge his right to the Ife thrown if he indeed was the last born maybe, that part of history was right that Oranmiyan was the first born not the last as mentioned by Oba of Benin. They’re so many unanswered questions of history. The answer is not if we will offend ourselves or change the place of Edo’s or Yoruba in history but who we are and where we were coming from. It is often said that it is a taboo to bury a king in exile. Ile Ife from all indications and by having the heads of all the late kings of Benin and that of Oranmiyan himself buried at Ile Ife to this writer is the source of Edos and Yoruba and this fact must not be distorted with sentiments.

Olawale Oladapo.

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The ''Yorubas'' are the descendants of Ham who was the third son of Noah. They are the direct ancestors of Cush, the son of Ham, and the black Cushite migrants and settlers that refused to go to Africa with the other descendants of Cush and his son Nimrod but that rather chose to settle in the ancient Cities of Mecca and Medina in what is presently known as Saudi Arabia. They were there as settlers for thousands of years and they constituted a prosperous powerful, large and respected minority within the larger Arab community.

However they were eventually driven out of those Arab towns and communities and forced to leave them for refusing to give up their religious faith, their deep mysticism and paganism and their idol worship after Islam was introduced to those places by the Prophet Mohammed in 600 AD. They then migrated to the banks of the great River Nile in Egypt where they intermingled with the Egyptian Arabs, the Nubians and the Sudanese of the Nile. Many remained there but the bulk of them eventually migrated to what is now known as the north-eastern zone of Nigeria and once again mingled and bred with the Shuwa Arabs and the Kanuris of the Borno people. From there they eventually migrated down south to the forests and farm lands of what is now known as south-western Nigeria making their primary place and location of pagan worship Ile-Ife. Ife was to the Yoruba gods what Mecca is to the Muslims and the establishment of Ife as the centre of all that is Yoruba was confirmed by Oduduwa himself when he sent his sons out from Ife to other parts of Yorubaland to establish their own independent kingdoms.

It was after that that we broke up into various kingdoms and communities within what is now known as south-western Nigeria. Some of those kingdoms and empires were sophisticated, powerful, large and great (like the Oyo Empire which was one of the greatest empires that ever existed on the African continent and indeed the world and which was responsible for halting the ''jihad'' of Usman Dan Fodio from coming any further south by defeating the Fulanis and their allies in battle and confining them to Ilorin) and some were not so great and large. These Yoruba kingdoms spent hundreds of years fighting one another in totally unnecessary wars but it is a historical fact that they were never defeated in any war or conquered by any foreign army. Yet the only thing that they had in common amongst themselves was their language (which broke into different dialects depending on where you were), their historical stock, their affinity and respect for Ile-Ife and their acknowledgement of it as being their spiritual home and their anthropological source.

This group of different kingdom states with a common ancient root were collectively known as the ''Yoruba'' and the fact of the matter is that the word ''Yoruba'' has NO meaning in our language or any other language that is known to man. No-one has been able to tell us the meaning of the word ''Yoruba'' or indeed where it came from. This really is very strange and is indeed a deep and unsettling mystery. For all we know it could even be an ancient insult. That is why I have always preferred to be referred to as an ''Ife'' rather than a ''Yoruba''. Another question that is often asked is why did our forefathers indulge in all the mass migrations from first Mecca, then to Egypt, then to Borno and then finally to the plains and forests of what was to become, thousands of years later, the western region of modern-day Nigeria? Well my own personal theory is that the reason that our forefathers kept having to emigrate until we found somewhere of our own was because we refused to give up our pagan beliefs and practices and when Islam was eventually introduced or took full root in all the areas that we once settled our forefathers were no longer comfortable there and they must have suffered all manner of persecution for their tenacity to their ancient pagan and ''Ifa'' faith and practices. Whatever the reasons for the mass migrations may have been it is clear that the influences of paganism, their traditional faith of ''Ifa'' worship, the Egyptians, the Nubians, the Sudanese, the Arabs and the Kanuris is very strong amongst the Yorubas, their music, their language and their culture till today.

The religious faiths of Islam and Christianity both came much later and were both established primarily through the strong trade links that existed between the Yoruba and the north-western Hausa/Fulani caliphate from the north, the Turkish traders of the Ottoman empire of the southern Atlantic African coast from the south, the primarily Portuguese and European sailors and traders who plied that same southern Atlantic coast from the south and finally with the strong efforts of the Christian missionaries of both the Anglican and Catholic churches respectively. Both of these two great monotheic faiths of Christianity and Islam eventually took full root in the land and in the hearts and minds of the Yoruba people whilst paganism, the worship of ''ifa'' and the practice of our original and more traditional faith was eventually pushed to the back seat even though initially, and for hundreds of years, they were both fiercely resisted.

That is why, till today, it is very rare to find a Yoruba family that does not have Christians, Muslims and adherents of the more traditional and ancient tribal faiths in their ranks. The slow and massive migration of our forefathers from the Middle East, north Africa and north-eastern Nigeria to our own homelands in the south-west are why the Yoruba, together with the northerners of what is presently known as northern Nigeria are generally known as the ''Sudanese Nigerians'' whilst the Nigerians from the rest of southern Nigeria, which comprise of the Igbo race and the people of the south-south are generally known as the ''Bantu Nigerians''.

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