THE NATION ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2015
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REGENT is to oversee the affairs of Warri Kingdom in Delta State despite yesterday’s official announcement of the death of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, and the selection of an Olu-designate. The Olu-designate, Prince Ikenwoli Godfrey Emiko, was presented to the Itsekiri people at Ode-Itsekiri (Big Warri), yesterday morning, but Sunday Nation authoritatively gathered that he would not ascend the throne for at least three lunar months in line with the tradition of the Itsekiri people. Consequently, in line with Section 8 of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict, 1979 of the defunct Bendel State (now Edo/Delta states), a regent is to oversee the affairs of the king pending the coronation of the Olu. It was gathered that the Oloriebi (head of the Ruling House), Dr Duakpemi Andrew Ayu, have automatically assumed the position, in line with the 36-year-old documents. A knowledgeable source said the regent is usually the “oldest among the sons and grandsons of the past three Olus”. The 1979 gazette stated that “Head of the Ruling House acts as the Regent from the
28yrs after, Emiko (Abiloye) fulfils father’s dream By Shola O’neil
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HE Olu-designate is the first of three children (two male and a female) born by his mother to the late Olu Gbesimi Emiko (Erejuwa II), who died in 1987. His siblings are Prince Benjamin (Beliami) Emiko and Mrs Ogbemi Daibo. Various sources told the Sunday Nation that the Oludesignate was trained and tutored for the role he is set to assume since his birth. As the Abiloye, the first male son born to his late father Olu Erejuwa II, after he assumed the throne, he was the natural and traditional choice to succeed his father. “Before the 1979 gazette, the most qualified prince to succeed the Olu is the son of the reigning Olu, who was born after he ascended his throne. He may have older brothers, but only the son born after an Olu was crowned that is qualified. That is why he was named Ikenwoli. “So, everyone had expected Prince Ikenwoli to succeed his father, who had also shown and told several of his close chiefs that his Abiloye would succeed him,” an Itsekiri community leader said. However, it was gathered that following the 1979 gazette, his older half-brother, now the late Olu, became the successor in spite of some resistance by people who felt that the Ikenwoli should not be deprived. Twenty-eight years after, the Olu-designate, is set to fulfil his late father’s dream for him. He is a graduate of Business Administration from the University of Benin and has experience working in the private sector before his elevation to the highest traditional position in Warri (Iwere) kingdom.
NEWS
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Godfrey Emiko is new Olu of Warri From Shola O’Neil, S’South Regional Editor and Bolaji Ogundele, Warri
time of announcement of the demise (of the Olu) until the installation (of Olu-designate). “At the end of the period of about three months, the Olu-designate is formally installed by the Ologbotsere in the presence of the general public,” the document concluded The position was confirmed by various sources, including the Secretary and a member of the influential Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, Edward Ekpokpo Esq., and Mr Sunny Amorighoye. Ekpoko, who responded to our reporter’s inquiry on the absence of Ologbotsere, Iyasere and Uwangue, said there was no doubt about the regency, insisting that Dr Ayu had become the regent immediately after the announcements yesterday. Speaking in the same vein, A.S. Mene said the position of Ekpoko is in tandem with the 1979 Gazette, revealing that everything done by the Olu Advisory Council and the Ojoyes (noble Chiefs), both in announcing Atuwatse II’s transition and choosing Olu-designate, followed due processes. Meanwhile, the official unveiling of Prince Ikenwoli Emiko after the news of Atuwatse II’s transition took place at a poignant ceremony, which was held at the OdeItsekiri (Big Warri), the traditional headquarters of the
• Olu of Warri: Regent to rule for three months • Parties, ceremonies suspended in Warri till December • Confusion over who will crown next Olu
•Prince Abiloye being shown to the people
Itsekiri. Announcing both the passage of Atuwatse II and the choice of Prince Ikenwoli to the Itsekiri National Congress, the eldest member of the Olu Advisory Council, Chief Tesigiweno Yahya Pessu, who is the Ojomo of Warri Kingdom, also performed the traditional ‘breaking of the calabash’, which represents the
death of the king. The ritual was punctuated by shouts of ‘alejefun’ and otatse, meaning “the white chalk has been eaten by the earth” and “the anchor is broken”, respectively. After performing the traditional breaking of the chalkbearing calabash, Chief Pessu, who is also the Chief Priest of the kingdom, reeled out the
code of conduct for the entire Itsekiri nation, home and in the Diaspora, for the three months that the departed Olu would be mourned. According to the Chief Priest, “Itsekiri all over the world should be mourning until the burial ceremony is performed and done with. This may take three lunar months. All Itsekiri men and
women should wear their (expensive) clothes upside down. “There shall be no party, no drumming, no form of merriment for the Itsekiri anywhere, until this process is over. We are in a mourning position now. This shall be in all Itsekiri domains”. The passage of Ogiame Atuwatse II, the Olu of Warri, was announced to a tumultuous crowd of Itsekiri people by the Chief Priest and in the presence of other members of the council of chiefs at around 11:50am. The announcement was heralded with several canon shots. The name of the Olu-designate was announced at about 12:15pm, leading to a wild cheer among the huge crowd of Itsekiri chiefs, elders and people, who had converged on Ode-Itsekiri to be briefed on new developments. Describing the mood of the Itsekiri nation at the announcement of the Olu-designate, a member of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILT), Professor Nesin Omatseye, attributed the cheers that greeted his name to his goodness and acceptance by all. He said “not everybody would be accepted by all, but this is a person that most of us know over the years that is intelligent, intellectually inclined and culturally exposed. We expect the best”. Explaining the uniqueness of the choice of Prince Ikenwoli as the next Olu to be, •Continued on Page 59
How Emiko emerged as Olu-designate
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HE process leading to the selection of 60-yearold Prince Godfrey Ikenwoli Emiko, as the Olu of Warri designate yesterday followed a careful line of programme laid out in accordance with a declaration made under Section 8 of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict, 1979. The declaration, signed by D. P. Lawani, (O.O.N), Secretary to the Military Government of the then Bendel State, is the customary law regulating succession to the title of Olu of Warri. The document, a copy of which was obtained by Our Reporter, specified that there is “only one Ruling House in Warri”, and it is known as Ginuwa I. The gazette further stated: “Succession is limited to Olu’s Company (Otolu’s) i.e., the de-
By Shola O’neil scendants of the last three Olus. The descendants of the other Olus who had previously reigned are known and referred to as Omajaja Company. “Ordinarily, succession passes to a son of a demised Olu, failing which to a suitable member of the Otolu’s, provided that brothers are preferred to uncles, and uncles are preferred to grandsons and grandsons are preferred to other relatives within the Otolus. Females are absolutely barred. “The Ologbotsere summons a meeting of the members of the Ruling House to the Palace (Aghofen) specifically to choose a successor. The meeting is presided over by the oldest man in the Ruling House,
failing which by the ‘Olare-Ebi’ or ‘Olore Ebi’. All the sons of the demised Olu and members of the Ruling House below the age of eighteen are excluded from the meeting. “To qualify, a candidate’s mother must be an Itsekiri or of Edo origin and his father must be Itsekiri. “The oldest man of the Ruling House presents a candidate selected to the Ologbotsere, the Iyesere, the Uwangue, the Ojomo, the Oshodi and a maximum of two other Ojoyes (titled noblemen) whose presence in the opinion of the Ologbotsere is essential. “At this stage, Ifa Oracles are consulted. The oracle must agree on a choice failing which the selection process is repeated until a candidate acceptable to the oracle is selected. The oracle’s decision is final.
“After the approval of the candidate by the Olu Advisory Council and the oracles, the Ologbotsere summons at his residence a meeting of the Ojoyes and there he announces the passing away of the demise Olu and the appointment of a successor who is presented to the Ojoyes by the Ologbotsere. “Thereafter, the Ologbotsere summons a meeting of the Itsekiri National Assembly i.e. of all Itsekiri people and announces to them, the passing away of the demised Olu, and the appointment of a successor whom he then presents to them. The whole process of selection need not take more than two to three days of the demise of an Olu. “Upon the demise of an Olu, and after selection, the Olu-designate participates in the burial rites and ceremonies
of the demised Olu, particularly in the performance of the ‘Iken Rites’ at the royal cemetery at Ijala. “Failure to perform and complete the burial rites and ceremonies is a bar to the installation of the Olu-designate. Immediately upon internment of the demised Olu, the Oludesignate proceeds to the ‘Ideniken’ where he remains for a period of three lunar months during which the burial rites and ceremonies are completed. ‘Otolu’ i.e. Head of the Ruling House, acts as the Regent from the time of announcement of the demise until the installation. “At the end of the period of about three months, the Oludesignate is formally installed by the Ologbotsere in the presence of the general public,” the document concluded.
Confusion over crowning of Olu-designate
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LTHOUGH Prince Ikenwoli Emiko has scaled the first of many hurdles in his quest to succeed his late brother, a long tortuous journey has only just begun, if feelers from the Warri Traditional Council of Chiefs are anything to go by. It was gathered that the Omoba (Olu-designate) can only assume the throne after successfully burying his predecessor and carrying out a number of rituals including, the Iken rites and three months retreat at Ideniken. Our investigations revealed that absence of three of five members of the Olu Advisory Council almost marred the selection process. The Ologbotsere (traditional Prime Minister), Iyatsere (Minister of Defence) and
From Shola O’neil Uwangue stools are vacant. The continued absence of these key figures in Itsekiri traditional administration may pose further problems. The last Ologbotsere, the very influential Alfred Ogbeyiwa Rewane, died in 1995, 20 years after the stool is still vacant. Rewane, who was instrumental to the emergence of Toritseju Emiko as Atuwatse II, reportedly fell out with his protégé, shortly after the coronation in 1987. Why the late monarch failed to appoint Rewane’s successor in 20 years despite the plethora of competent and willing candidates is a subject of theories and conjectures among Itsekiri leaders. The very wise Chief
Gabriel Mabiaku, who was the Iyasere, died shortly before the Atuwatse II; his death left a gaping chasm in the nation. It was gathered that the occupants of the trio of vacant stools, along with the Ojomo and Otsodi of Warri Kingdom, constitute the Olu Advisory Council. The council is empowered to appoint two members of the Ojoye to include in the selection of a new Olu. Ironically, it was gathered that only the Ologbotsere can crown the Olu, in line with the 1979 Gazette, but it is only an Olu that can appoint an Ologbotesere based on names suggested by the family. The same is true of Uwangue and Iyasere. “This has left the kingdom in a very fragile state; how do we get an Ologbotsere when
there is no Olu to appoint one?” one of the younger members of the kingdom told our reporter. It was gathered that Chief Yahya Pessu, the Ojomo, who being first among equal, led the process that culminated in yesterday’s announcement, might not be able to perform the coronation ceremony, as members of the other families saddled with the responsibility could kick. “Even the Uwangue family are still seething after the 1987 coronation, which was done by the Ologbotsere, who is traditional father of Uwangue. We expect either Uwangue or Ologbotsere to perform the next coronation; any other family might not be acceptable,” a source added. But Mr Sunny
Amorighoye Mene, a member of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, who hails from the Uwangue and Ologbotsere families, assured our reporter that the Itsekiri have a long history to fall back on to correct the situation. He explained that going by the tradition, the various families know their routes, adding that prior to and before the 88-year interregnum (1848 – 1936) all families know their roles and how to play them, irrespective of their titular heads. Speaking in the same vein Mr Edward Ekpoko, a lawyer and member of the Ologbotsere family, said the absence of a known holder of the title is no impediment to the installation of an Olu. •Continued on Page 59