Ogbidi Okojie, Onojie (king) of
Uromi
Uromi,the real word is Urọnmhun meaning "this is my abode ",or my enclave is a city located in north-eastern Esan people, Esan, a subEthnic group, -ethnic group of the Benin in Edo state, Nigeria. At various points in Uromi's history, the cit ...
(1857 – 3 February 1944), was a ruler of the
Esan people
The Esan people ( Esan: ''Ẹ̀bhò Ẹ̀sán'') are an ethnic group of southern Nigeria who speak the Esan language. The Esan are traditionally known to be agriculturalists, trado-medical practitioners, mercenary warriors and hunters. They cul ...
in what is now
Edo State in Nigeria, still remembered for his opposition to British rule.
Biography
According to Uromi lore, he was born in the seventh month of gestation, coming 14th in the line of succession to the Uromi throne. As an African monarch, he believed in his divine right to wield absolute power. Those beliefs motivated his opposition to British Rule, which led to his first exile to
Calabar
Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and c ...
in 1900. In
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, at the end of the nineteenth century, the old order was crumbling, yielding to the new British colonial system. After the
Royal Niger Company
The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century. It was formed in 1879 as the ''United African Company '' and renamed to ''National African Company'' in 1881 and to ''Royal Niger C ...
transferred its territories to the British government, the latter expanded and strengthened its control, unseating the traditional rulers. In 1900, Uromi was invaded by the British troops. Unlike Chief
Nana Olomu Nana Olomu (also spelled ''Olumu'') (1852–1916) was an Itsekiri chief and merchant from the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria. He was the fourth Itsekiri chief to hold the position of Governor of Benin River. B
Background to conflict with ...
of Brohimie-Warri, who opposed a strong resistance to the British troops when his domain was invaded, with 100 cannon, several shot-guns and more than 5,000 slaves at his disposal, Okojie I, who had no modern weapons, but only
Dane guns, bows and arrows, held out for six months, until he was betrayed by Iyahanebi, his "younger brother", and had to surrender to the British. As a consequence of his stiff resistance, in 1900 he was exiled to
Calabar
Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and c ...
, where he met
Oba Ovonramwen
Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (ruled 1888–1897), also called Overami, was the Ọba (king) of the Kingdom of Benin up until the British punitive expedition of 1897.
Born circa 1857, he was the son of Ọba Adọlọ. He took the name Ovọnramwẹn ...
, late Oba of Benin, who had been exiled there by the British.
He survived the ordeal in detention and returned home to be crowned the 14th Onojie of Uromi in 1900. Back home in Uromi, he adapted to the British system of government through "
indirect rule
Indirect rule was a system of governance used by the British and others to control parts of their colonial empires, particularly in Africa and Asia, which was done through pre-existing indigenous power structures. Indirect rule was used by vario ...
", establishing his court at
Ubiaja as the Divisional Supreme Judge. Still, he did not fully accept the new system of government, countering it with passive disobedience and maintaining his opposition to British rule. He kept governing his subjects as his forebears had always done, until he was deported again, this time to
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
, in 1918. His presence in Benin unsettled Oba
Eweka II, the then ruling Oba, who objected to the British Resident at Benin against Okojie's presence there. In 1924, he was transferred to
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
. In 1926, he made a dramatic escape to Uromi,
[C.O. Aluede and A.A. Braima]
op.cit.
p.127 was arrested and taken back to
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
, until he was finally released in 1931. From 1931 until his death in 1944 he consolidated his power in Uromi. His first son Prince Uwagbale Okojie was crowned Onojie of Uromi in 1944.
While alive, he was highly influential in
Esan,
Agbor
Agbor is the most populous city among the Ika people. It is located in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, in South-south geo-political zone of Nigeria, West Africa. Agbor is the headquarters of Ika South Local Government Area, in ...
and
Benin City. In Esan he was the supreme judge of the criminal court that sat and tried murder cases at Agbede, Esan, Kukuruku (now known as
Auchi) and Ologhodo (now
Agbor
Agbor is the most populous city among the Ika people. It is located in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, in South-south geo-political zone of Nigeria, West Africa. Agbor is the headquarters of Ika South Local Government Area, in ...
). He built schools and supported higher learning. He built the roads from Uromi to Ilushi, Agbor and Ehor. When he died, he left behind an undisputed heir to the throne, glorious memories of life in exile and the fulfillment of his aspiration for renewed independence for black Africa and
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
These prompted the Nigerian
founding father
The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
Chief
Anthony Enahoro, one of his many grandchildren, in to initiate the
self-government
__NOTOC__
Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...
motion in the Western House of Assembly in 1953, which eventually led to Nigerian Independence on 1 October 1960. A younger grandson is
Peter Enahoro
Peter Enahoro (born 21 January 1935) is a Nigerian journalist, author, businessman and publisher. Also known by the pen name of "Peter Pan" because of his popular column in ''New African'' magazine under that name. He has been described as "per ...
, revered
pan-African
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement ext ...
journalist and author of ''How to be a Nigerian'' (1966). Other grandsons include
Cardinal Anthony Okogie, the first
Esan Cardinal, and Dr. Robert Okojie, a NASA scientist based in the U.S.
Okojie I, the Onojie of Uromi, was survived by over sixty wives, over forty concubines, and innumerable children and grandchildren. He is still remembered by his people as ''Ogbidi the Uromi umbrella, the white son of
Olokun
Olokun (Yoruba: Olókun) is an orisha spirit in Yoruba religion. Olokun is believed to be the parent of Aje, the orisha of great wealth and of the bottom of the ocean. Olokun is revered as the ruler of all bodies of water and for the authority ov ...
, Okun the greatest native doctor that ever lived and ruled the native people of Uromi, who can turn into a
girl
A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...
, a
lion or a
leopard at will, the great doctor who can command the rain to fall and the air to stand still''.
Although he died many years ago, his legacy continues in many different parts of the world, from North America to Europe to Australia, where his grandchildren and great grandchildren currently reside.
See also
*
Uromi
Uromi,the real word is Urọnmhun meaning "this is my abode ",or my enclave is a city located in north-eastern Esan people, Esan, a subEthnic group, -ethnic group of the Benin in Edo state, Nigeria. At various points in Uromi's history, the cit ...
*
Esan
*
Edo State
References
*
J.U. Egharevba, "A Short History of Benin", Ibadan University Press, 1968.
*Okojie, A.T.A. "HRH OKOJIE I: The Man, the Myth and the Symbol" Lagos, Kope Publishers, 1997.
"Tenancity of Gerontocracy in Nigeria – An Example of the Esan People in Edo State"by Anthony I. Okoduwa, Stud. Tribes Tribals, 3(2): 123–128 (2005).
"Edo Folk Songs as Sources of Historical Reconstruction"by Charles O. Aluede and Abu A. Braimah, Stud. Tribes Tribals, 3(2): 123–128 (2005).
*Uromi Community New York – http://www.uromicommunity-ny.com/aboutus.html
* The Travails of King Okojie -http://oer.sau.edu.ng/Uploads/Journals/the-travails-of-king-okojie-and-politics-of-centrifugal-and-centripetal-forces-in-colonial-uromi-ishan-division-of-benin-province-nigeria-1919-1931.pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okojie, Ogbidi
1857 births
1944 deaths
Esan people
African resistance to colonialism
Nigerian traditional rulers