Reflections on the 10th coronation anniversary of the Oba of Benin, By Samson R. Osagie

For centuries, the Kingdom of Benin stood as a beacon of African civilisation, sophisticated governance, and artistic brilliance. At the centre of this magnificent heritage is the Monarch himself: the revered Oba of Benin, not just a traditional ruler but the living soul, spiritual anchor, and historical custodian of the Edo people.

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The Benin Monarchy has survived empires, colonial invasions, the systematic theft of its sacred artefacts, and, more recently, the Obaseki administration’s attempt to denigrate, undermine, and dilute the Monarchy’s significance in contemporary governance. Yet a new and deeply painful threat is emerging. It is not coming from foreign adversaries, but from within our own house, driven by certain Benin and Edo indigenes living in Europe and the West.

A deeply disturbing trend has taken root across digital spaces: a coordinated wave of social media attacks, insults, and systematic denigration aimed directly at the revered stool of the Oba. Shielded by geographical distance and emboldened by the anonymity of the internet, these diaspora elements, backed by disgruntled political interests, have weaponised social media platforms to launch reckless assaults on a throne that our ancestors defended with their blood and sustained with their resilience.

This is not harmless modern commentary, progressive dialogue, or standard political debate. This is a direct assault on our collective identity, culture and heritage. When sons and daughters of the soil, enjoying the comforts of Europe and the West, turn around to insult the Oba of Benin, it is cyberbullying, stalking and a digital desecration of the entire Edo nation and the traditional institution in general.

Thanks to the United Nations General Assembly, which passed Resolution 79/243 against Cybercrimes, intended to strengthen international cooperation in combating certain crimes committed through information and communication technology systems and to share evidence in electronic form of serious crimes. This Convention, which is currently open for signature by States, is expected to remain open until 31st December 2026, hopefully until the fortieth signatory endorses the treaty. It is expected to provide States Parties with a range of measures to combat cybercrimes on the international stage.

For us as Edolites and particularly as Benins, we must not spare any opportunity to bring to justice those who have weaponised social media platforms to launch unreasonable attacks both on the person and institution of the Oba of Benin. No, we will confront this contemporary challenge to the throne the same way our forebears confronted all the historical challenges the Kingdom has faced.

Happily, the absolute absurdity and hollowness of these attacks were laid bare during the historic 10th Coronation Anniversary of His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, Commander of the Federal Republic. While a tiny fraction of disgruntled voices spewed bile online, the rest of the world gathered in Benin City to witness a breathtaking display of royal splendour, an intellectual discourse in honour of Oba Erediauwa hosted by the University of Benin, a spectacular royal Durbar, and global reverence, amongst other cultural activities. While online detractors tried to diminish the Crown, leaders at the highest levels of governance poured out unreserved accolades on the Royal Stool of Benin, exemplified by His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulated the Oba of Benin, warmly describing the monarch as “an enduring symbol of cultural heritage, dignity, and integrity”. State governors, including Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, alongside political leaders and first-class traditional rulers such as the Sultan of Sokoto, unreservedly affirmed the supremacy and sanctity of the Benin Royal Stool. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Learned Professor Edoba Omoregie, SAN, acknowledged “His Royal Majesty’s role in fostering social cohesion, peaceful coexistence and strengthening the identity and cultural heritage of the Benin people.”

Social and cultural groups were not left out of the outpouring of eulogies for what many consider the most revered Monarch in Sub-Saharan Africa. The President of the Benin Club 1933, Professor Evbaziegbere Isibor, said in a goodwill message, “We celebrate your reign of peace, unity and progress, which continues to inspire hope and strengthen our culture and bring pride to the Benin Kingdom.” On its part, the Benin Consultative Forum, through its Acting President, Samson Osagie, noted: “that the reign of His Royal Majesty has ushered into the Kingdom a new lease of life characterised by positive traditional reforms that will further consolidate the global respect for the Kingdom, and that the unprecedented number of artefacts that have been returned from various parts of the world since the enthronement of His Royal Majesty is an attestation to the greatness of the Oba.”

All told, the pomp and pageantry that attended the 10th Coronation Anniversary celebration of His Royal Majesty has unequivocally proved that the Oba’s influence is not a localised affair; it remains a globally recognised institution of monumental importance.

It is profoundly tragic that while the President of Nigeria, state governors, and international delegations bow in respect to our heritage, some Edo people living in Europe and the West are attempting a new form of cultural vandalism. By trying to strip the monarchy of its reverence and reduce a sacred institution to an object of social media ridicule, they are doing the work of dismantling Edo pride from within.

We cannot, and will not, fold our arms and watch this happen.

The freedom of expression and living abroad should never become a license for renegades, fugitives and cultural infidels to continue to denigrate our age-old and God-ordained monarchy.

For as it is often said:

“Aisagbonrioba, Erinmwin Na Ke riore.”

As a community, both at home and in the diaspora, Edo people must rise with fierce urgency to defend the sanctity of the throne.

While appreciating a few who have risen to the occasion to defend the inviolability of our sacred monarch, if we continue to remain silent, we will be inviting further disrespect and assault on our collective identity and cultural heritage.

We must make it unequivocally clear to these foreign-based elements that the Oba of Benin is a red line that cannot be crossed.

Digital platforms must not become tools for cultural self-sabotage, nor should individuals use them to settle personal or political grievances against an ancient civilisation.

The strength of the Edo people has always lain in our unyielding unity and our fierce loyalty to the Royal Court of Benin, much as the British remain unconditionally loyal to the British Monarchy, regardless of the liberal democracy the United Kingdom practises.

The overwhelming success of the 10th Coronation Anniversary showed that the bond between the Oba and his people remains completely unbreakable.

Now more than ever, the global Edo community must channel that ancestral resilience to consolidate the pride of place the Benin Monarchy has always had in the world. The vast majority of Edo people in the diaspora who still hold their culture dear must speak up, isolate these toxic voices and recidivists and protect the custodian of our culture.

The Oba of Benin remains an enduring symbol of African dignity, a bridge to our glorious past, and the compass for our future. The modern world and its digital platforms will change, but the honour of the Benin Kingdom is eternal. Let those who launch arrows of disrespect from afar know this: the Edo soul is fiercely protective of its king, and we will completely reject, expose, and defeat any attempt to diminish the glory of the ancient Kingdom of Benin.

Oba gha t’o kpere, Ise!

Dr Samson R. Osagie is a lawyer, former minority whip of the House of Representatives and the immediate past Attorney General of Edo State.