Ewuare II

Ewuare II (born October 20, 1953) was crowned the Oba of Benin on 20 October 2016.[2] He is the 40th Oba,[2] a title created for the Head of State (Emperor) of the Benin Empire at some time between 1180 and 1300.

Ewuare II
Oba of Benin
Reign2016–present
PredecessorErediauwa
Born (1953-10-20) 20 October 1953
Spouses5[1]
IssueAt least 4[1]
DynastyBenin royal family
FatherErediauwa

Education

Eheneden Erediauwa,[3] as he was known before becoming Oba of Benin, attended Edo College in Benin from 1965 to 1967 and Immaculate Conception College from 1968 to 1970. He got his A-Level Certificate from South Thames College, London. He graduated with an Economics degree from the University of Wales, UK and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Rutgers University Graduate School, New Jersey, USA.[3]

Career

He worked at the United Nations between 1981 and 1982. He also served as Nigeria's Ambassador to Angola and Sweden, with accreditation to Norway, Denmark and the Republic of Finland. He was also Nigeria's Ambassador to Italy.[3][4]

Reign
The Oba'a wives, at his coronation in 2016

Ewuare II chose his name as tribute to the 15th-century Ewuare I.[5] Since his ascension to the throne, Ewuare II has worked closely with Godwin Obaseki, the current governor of Edo State.[6] Like many of his predecessors, he has unsuccessfully demanded that the spiritually and historically important Benin Bronzes that were stolen in 1897 by the British Empire be returned to his people.[1]

In October 2017, he celebrated his first anniversary on the throne, with great participation by the local populace as well as several officials, politicians, and visitors from other parts of Nigeria such as Lagos, Calabar, and Jos. The Sokoto Sultanate Council and Ile-Ife's royal family also sent representatives to take part in the celebrations.[1]

In 2018, Ewuare II issued a curse against any juju priest involved in carrying out human trafficking within his domain, and he publicly revoked all curses used by priests to manipulate trafficking victims.[7] One analyst reported that "what the oba has done is likely to be more effective than anything the international anti-trafficking community has managed to do after millions of dollars and many years".[7]

During the governorship campaign in the Edo State 2020 election, the Oba encouraged all political players to conduct themselves peacefully, an act that accorded him praises by groups such as the Edo Equity Forum(EEF) as well as the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).[8]

Personal life

By the time he was crowned Oba, Ewuare was married to Queen Iroghama (Obazuaye N'erie), Princess Iyayiota (Obazuwa N'erie) and Princess Ikpakpa (Ohe N'erie).[9] He later wed more women.[1]

References
  1. Lutz Mükke; Maria Wiesner (15 January 2018). "Benin: Die Beute Bronzen. Kapitel 3 - Trauma in Nigeria" [Benin: The looted bronzes. Chapter 3 - Trauma in Nigeria]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. Olaitan, Oluwatoba. "New Benin king crowned as Ewuare II". Tribune Online. Tribune Online. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  3. "The coronation of Oba Ewuare II: A cardinal event". Newsplus. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  4. "Ewuare N'Ogidigan II: 40th Oba of Benin". The Sun. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  5. Taub, Ben (April 10, 2017). "The Desperate Journey of a Trafficked Girl". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on April 3, 2017. The Oba chose the name Ewuare II, in tribute to a predecessor who assumed the throne around 1440.
  6. Lutz Mükke; Maria Wiesner (21 October 2017). "Coronation Anniversary: Obaseki Salutes Oba Ewuare II, lauds inspiring partnership with Govt". This Day. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  7. Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani (24 March 2018). "A Voodoo Curse on Human Traffickers". The New York Times.
  8. "Group, party laud Oba of Benin over peace deal". Vanguard News. 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  9. Juliet Ebirim (4 October 2016). "Oba of Benin's pretty wives and Rolls Royce". Vanguard. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
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