Ruling by hereditary right, is practiced in many parts of the world. However, not all monarchs are accorded reverence as seen in west Africa.
Kings are held in high esteem and sometimes seen as demigods. Some areas of west Africa are known to worship their kings and have grown to believe their monarch has supernatural abilities instilled by the gods.
Two of the most highly decorated kings in the west African region is the traditional ruler of Benin Kingdom; Oba Ewuare N’ Ogidigan 11 and the Ooni of Ife; Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusu of Ife land, both of Nigeria.
Kingship is usually passed down from generation to generation. Nonetheless, some kings are appointed by the political head of state.
It is also said, in some areas of Nigeria, kingship have been acquired by lobbying, power and inducement.
In the case of kingship by inheritance, the first child, usually a male of the preceding monarch takes the throne upon the demise of his father. It is uncommon in Nigeria that kingship is passed down to female offspring irrespective of their age, education or birthright.
Looking at the life of the highly reverenced Oba Ewuare 11 of Benin kingdom. Prince Eheneden Erediauwa; being his birth name, before ascending the throne was born on the 20th of October 1953. He started his early life in the ancient city of Benin, where he attended High School, before proceeding to Thames college and thereafter the University of Wales, where he acquired a degree in Economics.
Eheneden is said to have lived as an elite student while studying in Wales, UK and thereafter moved to the United States, where he bagged a masters degree from the prestigious Rutgers University , New Jersey .
Prince Eheneden has served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Angola and Sweden, with accreditation to Norway, Denmark and Finland.
Before ascending the throne, like many young men, he has been linked to several women. He married his first and oldest wife, Queen Iroghama as a youth. Thereafter Queen Iyayota and Queen Ikpakpa. He is also said to have married 2 siblings, who became his 4th and 5th wife.
Some have questioned the moral standards of a man marrying blood sisters. But in the customs and traditions of Benin Kingdom, the king (Oba) forbids nothing.
Looking at the life of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi CFR.
Born October 17, 1974 is a vibrant young king, respected by the Yoruba people of Nigeria. He is the 51st and current Ooni of Ife. He ascended the throne of his forebearers in 2015, succeeding Oba Okunade Sijuwade.
Unlike the Oba of Benin Kingdom, Oba Enitan did not ascend the throne by inheritance from his father.
Oba Enitan had his primary, secondary and tertiary education in Ibadan. He is an accounting graduate from the polytechnic, Ibadan.
Before he became a traditional ruler, Oba Enitan ran a real estate business. His company Gran Imperio Group has been linked to several scandals, with investors calling for a refund of their investments on the company’s Essential Home scheme; which saw Nigerians invest hundreds of millions of Naira for homes that were never built or delivered to them.
Oba Enitan has three failed marriages under this belt and the highly talked about divorce with Queen Wuraola; his first Olori, who hails from Edo State. They were married for 2 years.
Prophetess Naomi Silekunola, an ex wife and mother of the Prince of Ile Ife is a one time wife of Oba Enitan, in a marriage that lasted a little over 2 years.
Oba Adeyeye Enita has gone ahead to marry 5 other women, within a span of 5 months in ceremonies that rocked the Nigerian media space.
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