His Royal majesty the Oba of Benin joins his ancestors.

The Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa, has joined his ancestors.The Iyase of Benin, Chief Sam Igbe, yesterday, announced the passing on of the great monarch at the palace ground in Benin City, saying, “Osorhue Burun” in Edo, meaning “the chalk has broken.” He added: “Oba Erediuwa of Benin Kingdom, the Prince of Peace, Ebo, Ayamwirhe, Emini Mini Mini, has reunited with his ancestors. May he find perfect peace with God.”

His Royal majesty Oba Erediauwa was born on June 22, 1923, son of Oba Akenzua II. 

He was the 38th Oba of Benin, traditional ruler of the Edo people in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. 

Oba Erediauwa’s full title was His Royal Majesty Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa I.

Oba Erediauwa took on the title and duties as traditional head of state and rightful heir of the extinct Benin Empire when he was crowned, succeeding his father, Oba Akenzua II, in a ceremony held in Benin City, Nigeria, on 23 March 1979.

Before being crowned he was known as Prince Solomon Aiseokhuoba Igbinoghodua Akenzua. He attended Government College, Ibadan (1939–1945), then Yaba College, before going to King’s College, Cambridge 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. In 1975, he was appointed Commissioner for Finance in Bendel State during the Military Administration of Major-General George Agbazika Innih.

The Oba of Benin, or Omo N’Oba, is the traditional ruler of the Edo people and head of the historic Eweka dynasty of the Great Benin Empire – a West African empire centered around Benin City, in modern-day Nigeria. The ancient Benin homeland (not to be confused with the modern-day and unrelated Republic of Benin, which was then known as Dahomey) has been and continues to be mostly populated by the Edo (also known as the Bini or Benin ethnic group).

The title of Oba was created by Oba Eweka I, Benin Empire’s first ‘Oba’, who is said to have ascended to power at some time between 1180 and 1300. The Oba of Benin was the Head of State (Emperor) of the Benin Empire until the Empire’s annexation by the British, in 1897.

In 1897, the British launched a Punitive or Imperialist Expedition, deposed and exiled the then Oba Ovonramwen, taking control of the area in order to establish the British colony of Nigeria. The expedition was mounted to avenge the defeat by the Binis of a British invasion force that had violated Benin territory earlier in 1896. It consisted of both indigenous soldiers and British officers, and is still remembered by the Edos with horror today. Under the pretext of covering for the cost of the expedition, the Benin royal art was stolen and auctioned off by the British. Ovonramwen died in 1914, his throne never having been restored to him. His son, grandson and now his great-grandson, however, all preserved their titles and statuses as traditional rulers in modern-day Nigeria.