I led the Edo State Government delegation to a meeting between the Federal Government, the Benin Royal Family, and the German Government in Germany, to finalize modalities for the return of stolen artifacts to Edo State.
The Benin Royal Palace was represented by Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, Prince Ezelekhae Ewuare…………. Godwin Obaseki(Edo State Governor)”.
The words illustrated above were from the Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, and we members of the Benin Solidarity Movement BSM Worldwide laughed when we read the above article because it was quite obvious to us that Governor Godwin Obaseki ( the latest Benin Cultural Ambassador) do not really understand the Benin Tradition and Culture of the Benin People.
Our questions to Governor Godwin Obaseki is as follows;
1. Do you know that there is a Traditional process of the making of a Crown Prince in the Benin KINGDOM?
2. Are you the one that made Prince Ezelekhae Ewuare the Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom?
3. Was our Royal Father, His Majesty the Oba of Benin informed or aware of your traveling with his Eldest Son to Germany?
4. Did our Royal Father, His Majesty the Oba of Benin approve his Eldest Son to journey or accompany you to Germany and represent the Benin Royal Palace cum Benin KINGDOM as you claimed in your statement above?
5. Are you Mr. Governor Godwin Obaseki, the person to decide who HRM, OBA OF BENIN, should nominate to represent the Oba of Benin and the good people of Benin Kingdom?
6. Did you communicate to the Oba of Benin, request to nominate somebody to represent the Royal Family on the so-called “Federal Delegation to Germany?
7. Was it His Royal Majesty who asked his Eldest son to represent him in Germany with you? Are you trying to blackmail our beloved Royal Crown Prince to be, committing a sacrilegious offense against his Father, our Oba of Benin?
8. Governor Godwin Obaseki, do you know that there are detailed Traditional procedures to having a certified Crown Prince in Benin kingdom?
As a true Benin man, I expected you to have known that until any chosen son of our Oba has successfully passed through the ordained processes of becoming the EDIAKEN of USELU, he CANNOT be called the CROWN PRINCE.
Governor Godwin Obaseki, most of your recent actions and words obviously show that you do not have an insight into the Benin Traditions and Culture hence your disrespectful and unguided utterances against our Great Oba of Benin KINGDOM.
Finally, Mr. Governor Godwin Obaseki should note that whatever MOU that was signed with our Royal Father’s Eldest son and the German Government is NULL and VOID!!!
And to you~ our Royal son to our great King, we the members of Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM) worldwide and the general true Benin cum Edo sons and daughters wishes to use this medium to advise you as a matter of urgency, to swiftly retrace your steps, and go to our Royal Father_His Royal Majesty, the Oba of Benin to remorsefully beg for forgiveness because we the descendants of Benin kingdom are only loyal to our Oba and nobody else
My Royal brother, you should understand also that in Benin Tradition and culture, the gods and ancestors of our Land that made you the Eldest son of our Great King will never accept any act of disobedience from you that will either directly or indirectly lead to any form or act of betrayal against our great King or the Kingdom for we only have one Oba in the Benin Kingdom
We are Benin’s and we are all brought up as children, that listen and respect their Parents; Nothing more and Nothing less.
My dear Royal Brother and Governor Godwin Obaseki, Remember… AIGUOBATAIKPEN!!!
A word is enough for the wise!!!
OBA GHA TOR KPEEE…………… ISEEEEEE!!!
By: Comrade Curtis Eghosa Ugbo.
