THE BEGINNING OF THE OBA DYNASTY IN BINI-MODERN DAY BENIN

Benin is an ancient city in the southern part of Nigeria,Edo state precisely. According to mythology, the history of Benin dates back to the beginning of creation when the land was known as “Igodomigodo” with “Ogisos” meaning “kings of the sky”as the supreme ruler.
The first Ogiso was “Ogiso Igodo” and the last was “Ogiso Owodo”.Ogiso Owodo had a son named “Ekaladerhan”.For certain reasons which historians are yet to unravel, Ekaladerhan was banished from Igodomigodo. After his banishment, his father was also banished for ordering the execution of a pregnant woman. As a result, the kingdom was left without a ruler and a successor .An administrator by the name “Evian” was appointed. This was to serve as a reward for his braveness in killing the man eating monster “osogan” which threatened the people. Evian served as administrator for about 40 years after which he tried to appoint his son “Ogiamen” to succeed him because he was old. The people opposed this because Evian was not from the lineage of the Ogisos. This led to confusion which prompted the elders to organise a search party to find their prince, Ekaladerhan.The search party was led by Chief . After searching many cities, they found him at “Uhe” which is now known as “Ife” in present day Western Nigeria. There, Ekaladerhan had become king with the title “Oduduwa” which the Binis translated as “Izoduwa” meaning “I have chosen the path of wealth”.Ekaladerhan told them he was too old to return with them but promised to send his son if they could pass a test. The test was to nurture house lice for three years. It was only Chief Oliha who completed the task successfully.Ekaladerhan fulfilled his promise and sent his son “Oromiyan” known to the Binis as “Omonoyan” meaning “pet child” to ascend the throne of Bini. On arrival, Oromiyan was faced with opposition from you Ogiamen .As a result, Oromiyan could not rule from the city centre as he should have. He had to rule from the “Usama” palace with the help of Chief Oliha .Oromiyan also had language problem which prompted him to sought his uncle “Ogie Egor”.He lived with his uncle for a while and there he impregnated “Erimwinde”, his uncle's daughter before returning to Uhe or Ife. Erinwinde later gave birth to a baby boy. As the child grew, it was discovered that he had speech impediment and this was reported to his father. His father then sent seven magical seeds for the child to play with. After engaging his friends in playing with the seeds continously, one day, he exclaimed in victory “owomika ” meaning “I have won”.The child grew and later ascended the throne as the first Oba of Bini with the title “Eweka 1”.
Presently, 39 Obas have ruled the great Benin kingdom and the present Oba has the title “Ewuare N'ogidigan”.