Erediauwa (22 June 1923 – April 2016) was the 39th

Oba of Benin The Oba of Benin is the traditional ruler and the custodian of the culture of the Edo people and all Edoid people. The then Kingdom of Benin (not to be confused with the modern-day and unrelated Republic of Benin, which was then known as Dahome ...

, traditional ruler of the Edo people in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Formerly known as Prince Solomon Akenzua, Oba Erediauwa's full title was ''His Royal Majesty Omo n'Oba n'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa I''. He was succeeded by Ewuare II. Oba Erediauwa took on the title and duties as traditional head of state and rightful heir of the Benin Empire when he was crowned, succeeding his father, Oba

Akenzua II Ọmọ n'Ọba n'Ẹdo Uku Akpọlọkpọlọ, Akenzua II (7 January 1899 – 11 June 1978) was the Oba of Benin (traditional leader of the Edo people, in Nigeria) from 1933 until his death in 1978. Akenzua II was enthroned as Oba of Benin in ...

, in a ceremony held in Benin City, Nigeria, on 23 March 1979.

Biography

Erediauwa was born on 22 June 1923, son of Oba

. Before being crowned he was known as Prince Solomon Aiseokhuoba Igbinoghodua Akenzua. He attended

Government College, Ibadan Government College Ibadan (founded 28 February 1929) is a boys' secondary school located on the hills of Apata Ganga in Ibadan, Nigeria. History The founding fathers of Government College Ibadan were Selwyn MacGregor Grier, Director of Education ...

(1939–1945), then

Yaba College Yaba Higher College was founded in 1932 in Yaba, now a suburb of Lagos in Nigeria to provide tertiary education to Africans, mostly in vocational subjects and teaching. The college staff were transferred to start the University of Ibadan in 1948 ...

, before going to

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

to study Law and Administration. He joined the Eastern Nigeria Civil Service in 1957 as a District Officer, later moving to the Federal Civil Service where he retired as Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health in 1973. For a short period he was the regional representative of

Gulf Oil Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger ...

. In 1975, he was appointed Commissioner for Finance in Bendel State during the Military Administration of Major-General

George Agbazika Innih George Agbazika Innih (25 September 1938 – 15 August 2002) was a Nigerian Army general and statesman. He was the military governor of Bendel and Kwara States. Early years George Agbazika Innih was born on September 25, 1938, at Agenebode, ...

. Ascending to the throne on 23 March 1979, Erediauwa celebrated his 30th anniversary in 2009. During this period, he several times acted as a peacemaker between politicians. For example, he intervened in a dispute between Abia State governor

Orji Uzor Kalu Orji Uzor Kalu (born 21 April 1960) is a Nigerian politician and businessperson who is a Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, He also serves as the Chief Whip of the House of Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria. He served as the ...

and

Tony Anenih Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leag ...

, Chairman of the

People's Democratic Party People's Democratic Party or ''variant thereof'', could refer to: * People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan *People's Democratic Party (Belize) *People's Democratic Party (Bhutan) *People's Democratic Party (Chile) * People's Democratic Party (Dom ...

Board of Trustees, and resolved another face-off involving Anenih and former Edo State Governor Lucky Igbinedion. Apart from the ceremonial aspects, his 30th anniversary festival was a week long carnival and a showcase of Benin arts and culture, with numerous performances of traditional music and dance, as well as an art exhibition and food fair. His death was announced on 29 April 2016. The statement did not say when and how he died.

Public image

In Benin, the Oba is considered to be the only representative of the supreme deity and is considered a god in his own right. He is believed to be ordained by cosmic consent. This means the people considered him to have the ability to either venerate or curse a community, so although he ruled with respect and kindness for his people, they also feared him. Erediauwa's media-friendly image increased the royal family's engagement with the Benin Kingdom and Nigeria in general. Previously approached with apprehension by the public and media practitioners, the gates of the palace were opened, which normalised communication with the Oba's subjects through a quarterly press conference.

Awards

In October 2022, a Nigerian national honor of Commander Of The Order Of The Federal Republic (CFR) was conferred on him by President

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 A ...

References

{{authority control 1923 births 2016 deaths Obas of Benin Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Nigerian civil servants Nigerian royalty Government College, Ibadan alumni Edo people 20th-century monarchs in Africa 21st-century monarchs in Africa Akenzua family