Presiding Apostle of the Macedonia Call Global Assembly, Dr Osaren Emokpae, has appealed to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare 11, to learn from history and deescalate the current crisis in his kingdom.
He drew the eminent Benin monarch’s attention to great kingdoms, which have collapsed because of the insensitivity of their leaders.
In his Easter message to his congregants and other Nigerians, Emokpae focused on earthly and heavenly kingdoms, stressing that the reason for Easter is to celebrate Jesus Christ who came to the world as a saviour, humbled himself to the point of being hung on a tree as an atonement for “our sins and rose up from the dead on the third day so that we could rise out of sin to eternity with Him.”
He spoke on earthly kingdoms and empires such as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Judah, Israel, Rome, British and Oyo, which are no more because of “pride, infighting, wars and irrelevance.”
Turning to the Benin traditional ruler, he said Oyo Empire’s demise was primarily caused by a combination of internal strife, civil wars, hubris on the part of the royals, disputes over power, weakened governance and the onslaught of Usman Dan Fodio, driving to the south at a time the Oyo Empire was experiencing self-inflicted injury of internal implosion.
The cleric said this is the fear of the remnants of the Benin Kingdom that is at present hovering in the precipice with internal turmoil of politicising the traditional institution.
He warned that if not quickly arrested, the Enogie positions which is by inheritance just as that of Oba of Benin could be threatened.
Once the Enogies can be dethroned, according to him, any Oba or king of Benin could also be dethroned. He added that it had happened before; Oba of Benin was suspended and Ovonramwen was dethroned and banished.
The cleric, who is a descendant of Oba Ewuare 1 has been appealing to the revered Oba of Benin to rescind the suspension of Enigies, not to start the process that could consume the entire Benin Royalty; as the current debate all over the world now is the essence of kings in democratic and socialist settings.
“I pray for the Oba of Benin for the wisdom to keep the kingdom of Benin together. And he should start from lifting the suspension of the Enogie and Enigies in Edo South, which is the only remnant of the Benin Kingdom today,” the cleric added.