Hakeem Azeez

HOW ANCIENT IGBOS CO-FOUNDED OBASHIP OF. LAGOS. It is a historical reality that Oba Rilwan Akiolu does not know the history of his lineage and Obaship in Lagos State. It is also a truism that everything about the Obaship of Lagos State is the handiwork of strangers. In other words, his stool originated from strangers; likewise himself, who is number one stranger in Lagos State. As a matter of fact, everything about Lagos State came from strangers including the Igbo natives. It is historically indisputable that the ancestors of Igbo natives living in Lagos State had lived and cohabited in the area many years before the founding of the Obaship of Lagos in 1630. They featured prominently in the governance of the Benin Kingdom and slave trade. Others later featured in commerce and Anglo-Christian missions. As a matter of historical empiricism, the word “Lagos” is a Portuguese name meaning lakes or a group of lagoons. It was given to the area by first Portuguese settlers in now Lagos State. Before the Portuguese settlement, the area was called “Eko” by famous Benin Empire and made a military outpost of the famous Kingdom of Benin. “Eko” means war camp and was used by the Benin Empire’s military expedition tacticians led by Prince Ado for the purpose of slave trade and military expeditions in now Ghana and Benin Republic. The famous Benin Dynasty was divided into Pre-Imperial Obaship 1180-1440 and Benin Empire 1440-1897. While the former started with Oba Eweka Monarchy 1180-1246, the latter started with Oba Ewuare Monarchy 1440-1473. In the case of now Lagos State, the first people in the area were called the Awori People. In seventeenth century, they begged then Oba of Benin to protect and put them under his dynasty with one of his princes as their king. They promised unalloyed loyalty to the Oba. The Oba of Benin heeded their call and appointed his fiery prince; Prince Ado in 1630 as the first Oba of Lagos then called “Eko” or war camp. In 1861, King Dosumu the Great of this same Lagos State thump-printed and ceded now Nigeria to the British colonialists in the infamous Treaty of Cession. From the crowning of Ado as its first Oba (1630-1669), Lagos (then called Eko) served as a major center for slave-trade, from which then Oba of Benin and all of his successors for over four centuries benefitted - until 1841, when Oba Akitoye ascended to the throne of Lagos and tried to ban slave-trading. Local merchants strongly opposed the intended move, and deposed and exiled the king, and installed Akitoye's brother Kosoko as Oba. At exile in Europe, Akitoye met with British authorities, who had banned slave-trading in 1807, and who therefore decided to support the deposed Oba to regain his throne. With the success of the British intervention, in 1851 Akitoye was reinstalled as Oba of Lagos. In practical terms, however, British influence over the kingdom had become absolute, and ten years later, in 1861, Lagos was formally annexed as a British colony. The palace of the Oba of Lagos is also the handiwork of strangers. The palace was constructed by the Portuguese settlers and commissioned in 1705. The palace’s name “Igun Idunganran” is of the Benin descent meaning “palace built on pepper falm”. Interestingly, long before the founding of Obaship of now Lagos by the famous Kingdom of Benin in 1630, Igbo Nation has existed as far back as 9th century with its first Eze Nri crowned around 1043 AD. Its first king was Eze Nri Ifikuanim of Nri Kingdom. As far back as 14th century, the Igbo expedition warriors had fully integrated into the Benin Kingdom as the ruling class. It is very important to state here that the Benin Kingdom’s decision makers that annexed now Lagos and ruled over it included Igbo ruling class of the Benin Kingdom extraction. Also many centuries before the founding of now Lagos, a part of Igbo ruling class in the Kingdom or Empire of Benin opted out and founded “Onicha Mmili” or “AdoN’ Idu” commonly READ MORE

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