CHIEF IYASẸ N’ỌHẸNMWẸN

IYASẸ N’ỌHẸNMWẸN REIGNED DURING ỌBANOSA & ỌSẸMWẸNDẸ REIGN. HE WAS THE HEAD AND COMMANDER OF THE BENIN KINGDOM MILITARY AND A WAR LORD. HE FOUGHT & CONQUERED SOME TOWNS AND VILLAGES AMONG WAS ẸKUẸ TOWN (AKURE), WHERE HE SETTLED AND LIVED PART OF HIS LIFE. THERE IN ẸKUẸ, HE BROUGHT UP A NEW FAMILY OUTSIDE THE ONE HE LEFT IN BENIN DURING HIS EXPEDITION TO OTHER TOWNS AND VILLAGES. THIS FAMILY AT ẸKUẸ ARE KNOWN TO THE ẸDO PEOPLE AS “IVBIẸDO N’ẸKUẸ” THE ẸDO PEOPLE OF ẸKUẸ. WHICH ARE STILL GROWING IN NUMBERS TILL DATE. YOU CAN STILL FOUND THE IVBIẸDO N’ẸKUẸ AT THE HEART OF BENIN IN OWINNA, UHUNMWUN ORE, IDU ỌZA AND OGBỌKA QUOTAR BENIN CITY. WITHIN THE FAMILY SCOPE THE IVBIẸDO N’ẸKUẸ ARE CALLED “IVBIỌBA M’IYASẸ KO MI” THE CHILDREN OF ỌBA IYASẸ OF ẸKUẸ. DURING HIS SOJOURNER IN ẸKUẸ HIS POSITION AS THE IYASẸ OF BENIN KINGDOM (THE PRIME MINISTER) WAS VACANT. AFTER SERIES OF MESSAGES FROM THE ỌBA TO HIM TO RETURN TO BENIN FAILED A NEW IYASẸ WAS CALLED TO FILLED THE VACANCY, HEARING THAT, HE DECIDED TO RETURN TO BENIN KINGDOM. WHEN THE NEW IYASẸ HEARD THAT CHIEF ỌHẸNMWẸN WAS COMING HE BECAME VERY CONFUSED AND A BIT SCARED, KNOWING HOW GREAT ỌHẸNMWẸN WAS AS AN IYASẸ. THIS AFFECTED HIM MENTALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND PHYSICALLY, THIS CHANGED HIS ATTITUDE FROM BEEN VERY ACTIVE TO CAT WAYS OF BEHAVIOUR WHICH MAKES HIS CO-CHIEFS TO CALLED OLOGBOSẸRẸ BECAUSE OF HIS CAT (OLOGBO) WAYS OF ACTING. BUT IT WAS TOO LATE FOR CHIEF ỌHẸNMWẸN BECAUSE THE KINGDOM CAN’T HAVE TWO IYASẸ (PRIME MINISTER) AT THE SAME TIME, IN ONE KINGDOM, CHIEF IYASẸ N’ỌHẸNMWẸN DECIDED TO REMAINED IN HIS HOME WHERE HE DECLARED HIMSELF AS THE ỌBA OF UGBAGUẸ AND DECIDED TO BE CELEBRATING HIS ANNUAL FESTIVAL WITH A LIVE ELEPHANT WHICH HE WILL PLACED AT IKPOBA HILL IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE HEART OF BENIN KINGDOM BECAUSE IT WAS FORBIDDEN TO ALLOWED LIVE ELEPHANT TO ENTER INTO THE HEART OF THE KINGDOM. THERE AT IKPOBA HILL; A LONG ROPE WILL BE TIED TO THE ELEPHANT, STRECHTED TO CHIEF IYASẸ N’ỌHẸNMWẸN RESIDENCE AT UGBAGUẸ, WHERE HE WILL USE THE ROPE TIED TO THE ELEPHANT, TO TOUCHED HIS HEAD AND PRAY TO GOD, THE ANCESTORS OF THE KINGDOM AND HIS OWN ANCESTORS. FOR THE ACT, HE BECAME MORE POPULAR WITH THE NAME; ỌSIỌPAGHARA N’UGBAGUẸ, WHICH IS TODAY USE AMONG THE ELDERLY ẸDO PEOPLE AS AN ADAGE “A GHI MIẸN ỌBA EVA VB’ẸDO SOKPEN ỌSIỌPAGHARA N’UGBAGUẸ” YOU CAN’T HAVE TWO ỌBA IN ẸDOLAND EXCEPT THE EXAGGERATOR OF UGBAGUẸ QUOTAR.

THE IYASẸ N’ỌHENMWEN WAS BORN TO ELDER ỌDIA FROM “IGUE” ODODO VILLAGE IN BENIN KINGDOM, IN THE PRESENT DAY ORHIỌNMWỌN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ẸDO STATE, NIGERIA. ELDER ỌDIA FATHER WAS A CLOTHES MANCHANTS FROM AN IJAW (IZỌN) NEIGHBOURING CAMP AWAY FROM (IGUE) ODODO VILLAGE. ỌDIA FATHER MOVED AROUND FROM CAMPS TO VILLAGES AND TO TOWNS TO SELL CLOTHES. HE MARRIED HIS LOVER IN (IGUE) ODODO VILLAGE, WHO HE IMPREGNATED AND GIVE BIRTH TO ỌDIA, WHO GAVE BIRTH TO ỌHẸNMWẸN WHO BECAME THE IYASẸ OF BENIN KINGDOM.

ỌDIA WAS HELD BY THE PALACE OF BENIN DURING HIS ERAND TO DELIVERED A MESSAGE SENT BY THE PEOPLE OF (IGUE) ODODO VILLAGE TO THE PALACE AS REQUESTED BY THE ỌBA OF BENIN. HE BECAME ONE OF STAF BEARER (ADA) OF THE ỌBA OF BENIN. HE ROSED TO THE HIGHEST POSITION AS THE OWERE AMONG THE PALACE STAF (ADA) BEARER WHEN HE BECAME OF AGE HE WAS ALLOWED TO GETS MARRIED, AND HE WAS GIVEN PERMISSION TO BUILT HOUSE AND ESTABLISHED HIS FAMILY ANYWHERE OF HIS CHOICE IN THE HEART OF BENIN KINGDOM.CHIEF IYASẸ IS RANKED AS NUMBER 3RD, AFTER THE ỌBA AND THE QUEEN FAMILY IN BENIN KINGDOM. THE IYASẸ N’ỌHENMWEN FAMILY GREETS LA VBIEZE AS THE FAMILY AND MORNING GREETINGS AS INSTITUTED BY ELDER ỌDIA WHO THOUGHT HIS SON ỌHẸNMWẸN HIS ORIGINS. ALL FAMILIES WHO GREETS LA VBIEZE IN BENIN KINGDOM ARE DESCENDANTS OF CHIEF IYASẸ N’ỌHẸNMWẸN.

THE IYASẸ N’ỌHẸNMWẸN FAMILY ARE SCATTERED ACROSS BENIN KINGDOM, NIGERIA, AFRICA AND THE REST PARTS OF THE WORLD. THE ANCESTRAL HOME OF THE IYASẸ N’ỌHENMWEN FAMILY IS STILL VERY MUCH AT UGBAGUẸ QUOTAR IN THE HEART OF THE PRESENT DAY BENIN CITY, ẸDO STATE, OF NIGERIA. YOU CAN ALSO FOUND THE ANCESTRAL HOME OF THE DESCENDANTS OF CHIEF IYASẸ N’ỌHENMWẸN IN IDU ỌZA, OGBỌKA, UHUNMWUN ORE, ẸRIẸ, OWINA AND AKURẸ (ẸKUẸ,). CHIEF IYASẸ N’ỌHẸNMWẸN STRAIN IS OF SIGNIFICANT DURING SETTING ACTIVITIES. EVERY PERSON THE ỌBA AWARD AN HONOUR AND CROWN AS A CHIEF VISIT THE STRAIN OF CHIEF IYASẸ N’ỌHẸNMWẸN DURING THE CELEBRATION OF SUCH HONOUR.

SOME OF THE DESCENDANTS OF CHIEF IYASẸ N’ỌHẸNMWẸN WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH TO THE BENIN KINGDOM AND NIGERIA ARE:

1). Prof. J. Eghareva

2). Prof. Ọmọ ọmọruyi

3). DR. Erhabor

4). Engineer Dickson Imasogie

5). Chief Izẹ Iyamu

To be continue…