Tony Osauzo & Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin                                                

Disagreement over who should be installed Odionwere (oldest man and community head) and illegal sales of land are generating anxiety in Uhie, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State. This may lead to imminent crisis in if urgent steps are not taken to address the issues.

Some elders have raised the alarm over mounting tension and threat to their lives for standing against the youths operating on the platform of the Community Development Association (CDA), outlawed by the state government.

The elders, routing for Pa Frank Ehigie Aisagbonbuomwan, 85, as the most senior in Uhie to be Odionwere, alleged that the Enogie of Oghobaghase Dukedom, Idu Akenzua, is backing Mr Alfred Imafidon. 

Aisagbonbuomwan, a retired Inspector of Education,‎ had written to the Oba of Benin:  “From the period of Pa Oviawe in 1868, until that of Pa Isaac Igbinoba, who died in 2015, nomination and installation of Odionwere is by virtue of the principle of seniority or gerontocracy. So, for this age-long and time-tested practice to be suddenly jettisoned and brazenly undermined by any group of persons baffles our sense of purpose and imagination. Hence this clarion call to your Royal Majesty to intervene and save our tradition.”

He then narrated his story to Daily Sun: “At the moment, I am the most elderly in that community. At the death of the 55th Odionwere in Uhie on November 8, 2015, one Alfred just imposed himself as a take-off Odionwere of the community with force with the support and backing of the ex-CDA members and youth organizations in the community.‎

”They did not even notify anybody. There was no meeting held with the elders. He just imposed himself with all those people backing him and they have been threatening the Edions, that is the four elders in the community; they have never given them rest in the community neither to give the opportunity to the most senior person to go into that throne of Odionwere.

”So, early February 2018, I petitioned that we will not allow the juniors to rule over the seniors in our community. I protested to the Enogie of Oghobaghase, Idu Akenzua, and he asked me that I should give him time to inquire from the elders and from the palace the procedure of appointing the Odionwere in the community.

”And after about two weeks, he called a meeting and in that meeting, he informed them that he has found out and he has seen that myself as the most senior in the community is the person to go into that position.

”Since then, the Enogie has been tossing me here and there. At times he would say he wanted to take us to the palace and in the next meeting he would say he has postponed it. Postponement upon postponement until this moment, he has not given an answer to it.

”I am still waiting for the actions he is going to take but I am tired of waiting. Enogie ‎even gave that option that anybody who is not satisfied can further protest and that is why my last protest to the palace.”

Another elder of the community, Pa Sunny Omon-Egharevbha, 82, narrated how the youths of the community were grabbing and selling community lands: “It is unfortunate that things are getting out of hand in our community. Most especially our traditional grounds have been encroached upon by the disbanded CDA in connivance with some youths in the community.

“They are selling, bulldozing and erecting buildings on our traditional grounds and most of those old shrines have been destroyed. I felt that I should report the matter to the Enogie because he is one of the custodians of the land on behalf of the Oba of Benin. He is the one to hear it first.

“I took the pains to go and see him. When I spoke to him, he felt pitied about it and even warned that if the Oba hears about it, he will not take it lightly with anybody who will want to destroy our traditional ground.

“And he quickly set up a three-man-panel to go and investigate. I went with them and I showed them the whole place. To my greatest surprise, I saw them measuring a land and I told them that the whole of this land is the traditional ground.

“When they came back and reported to the Enogie, I was not there but suddenly I discovered that they kept on selling more of the land than ever before, giving the impression that the he (the Enogie) has authorized them with the continuation of the sales of the land. They allocated 100 by 200 to the Enogie.

“When I heard of it, I became so sad. I decided to put it in writing because my fear was that all these things are done and the Oba is not aware. That means to me that all of us connived to carry out the sales and the encroachment of the traditional ground. So, I decided to address a letter to the Enogie.

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“I did not copy the Oba but the Enogie because I thought that he would be able to solve it by asking them to stop the sales and the encroachment.

“When he got the letter, he called a meeting and I was present at the meeting. He brought out the letter and said Egharevbha has written a letter. He read it to them and said he was going to look at the land again.

“Then I asked him if he is sending the same persons who have gone there before or a different set of people. He said he has no other persons than his staff. So he sent them.

“I decided to follow the team to inspect the land so that it will not appear as if I have disobeyed the Enogie so I have to go with them. All those who shared the land were present. They, however, started pointing accusing fingers at me saying, look at the person spoiling our community.

“They even threatened to beat me up. They did all sorts of things to me but all I was only trying to do is to ensure that I am not identified as one of those selling and encroaching on the traditional ground.

“I have addressed a letter to the Oba himself. There is nothing I can do. It is only Oba that can help us in this situation.

“The truth of the matter is that the CDA and the youths are still operating. The outcome of what they get from the sales of land has made them to project among themselves who will now become the Odionwere of the community. So that the rest of us will now be under them.”

‎ Col. Felix Onaiwu Egiebor (rtd), also narrated how the community youths destroyed an oil palm plantation he inherited from his father and started selling the land amidst threat to him and his brothers:

“This problem started in 2016 after the death of our Odionwere. We have been expecting that after the death of the Odionwere and his traditional burial, and the time tradition allows before another Odionwere would emerge, things would be good. Unfortunately, the banned CDA and the newly formed organisation seized power, drove away the elders.

“They have threatened us and selling all the available lands in the community to the extent that my own palm plantation which I inherited from my father, they went there, cut down all the palm trees and sold the land without authority from me. Nobody sent them.

“When I went there they threatened my life with my brothers. We ran away until I have no other option than to petition the Erase’s Committee.

“If there were to be the rightful Odionwere, they would not be grabbing people’s lands and selling them anyhow. It has never happened before. It was when these people came in that it started.‎”

The Enogie debunked the claims of the elders: “Specifically, Mr Sunny Omon-Egharevbha wrote a petition, claiming that some traditional grounds in Uhie have been encroached upon. We set up a committee the members went, inspected the grounds and found out that none of the traditional grounds was encroached upon in anyway.

”After almost about one or two months, he came up with the same petition again. We sent another group of people to inspect the area but they still came up with same report, none of the traditional grounds was encroached upon.‎

”The land they gave me there is not in any of the traditional grounds. It is about the only land I have there right now, just 100 feet by 200 feet. None, of the traditional grounds has been trespassed on.

”And the issue of Odionwereship, the palace, if he has any misgiving about the way we have arranged it. We are taking the person we believe is the rightful person to be the next Odionwere, we are taking him to the palace. Anybody who has objection can come to the palace and say this is not the man. It is just as easy as that. “The second to the then Odionwere that they said we are projecting, they were alive when that man was the second in command in the community. When the Odionwere died, it was this man who is the second in command that went to lie the ancestral staff in the ‘Oguedion.’ It is the one who laid the ancestral staff that is also going to lift it up.

”He did so in their presence to their knowledge, they did not complain then. That is what happened then.”