Uselu is a densely populated neighborhood of

Benin City Benin City serves as the Capital city, capital and largest Metropolitan area, metropolitan centre of Edo State, situated in Nigeria, southern Nigeria. It ranks as the List of Nigerian cities by population, fourth-most populous city in Niger ...

Edo State Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. It is the headquarters of Egor local government area. Uselu is the site of the traditional grounds of the Edaiken N'Uselu (Duke of Uselu) palace as well as the palace of the Iyoba of Benin.

History

When King Ozolua died in the fifteenth century, he left behind two sons to dispute the royal succession: Esigie controlled

, the kingdom's metropolitan center, while his brother Arhuaran was based in Udo – an important provincial seat 20 miles away. Neither prince was prepared to yield to the other, partisans soon declared for one or the other, and Benin was plunged into a civil war shortly thereafter. Seeing an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, the hitherto vassal

Igala people The Igala people are a ''West African'' ethnolinguistic group native to the region immediately south of the confluence of the Niger River, Niger and Benue River, Benue Rivers in Middle Belt, central Nigeria. The area inhabited primarily by the ...

declared their independence from Benin and seized a swath of territory to its north. In the span of a week, Esigie found himself confronted with what now seemed like the almost certain fragmentation of his father's kingdom. His mother, Idia, is reputed to have stood behind him at this time. By serving as everything from his counsellor to his priestess, she rallied the Binis – including many that had previously supported Arhuaran – to Esigie's standard. After dealing decisively with her stepson, the royal pair turned their attention to the Igala rebels. Following a hard fought campaign, Benin's supremacy was restored, and the victorious army – with Esigie and Idia at its head – returned to the capital in triumph. In gratitude for his mother's efforts on his behalf, King Esigie created a new office – that of Iyoba – for her to occupy. Now ranking equal to the senior chiefs of the royal court, the Iyoba was also built her own palace in the town of Uselu, which was thereafter attached to her title as a perpetual

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

. She was the first woman in the history of Benin to have such power.

Economy

Uselu Market is among the most popular markets in Benin City, and has up to 5,000 shops. It is also a hub for corporate firms such as

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

s and

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

chains.

Crime

Uselu has high rates of gang activities, cult killings, and armed robberies. In many cases, police response times are unfavorably slow, and usually receive public criticism.

Flooding

Uselu-

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

Road is prone to flood and residents have contacted the government regarding their concerns, however the issue has not yet been resolved.

References

{{reflist Benin City Populated places in Edo State