The Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, His Royal
Highness (Amb) Eheneden Erediauwa has described the transition of the Oba of
Benin, His Royal Majesty, Oba Erediauwa as emotional for him as he was very
close to his father.
Speaking in his Uselu Palace during a
condolence visit to him by Governor Adams Oshiomhole, HRH Eheneden Erediauwa
said he is probably the “first Crown Prince in the history of Benin Kingdom
that has been so close to his father”.
Oshiomhole expressed sadness at the passing of
the late monarch.
“We are all shattered by this very sad news.
In my formal tribute, I have already made a statement that represents my
evaluation of the life and times of our Royal Majesty. But in all of that, we
know that kings will come, kings will transit, but our joy even in the midst of
this grief is that we are fortunate, indeed very fortunate that in spite of the
vacuum left by the departure of His Royal Majesty, we have in your Royal
Highness a true royal Crown Prince that has already gone through all the
rigours of life, and sufficiently travelled and held sensitive diplomatic
positions in most strategic countries.
“For people like me who have had the very rare
privilege of interacting very closely with your Royal Highness over the years,
I believe that His Royal Majesty has prepared a Crown Prince that, as tradition
prescribes, has what it takes to fill the big royal shoes that His Majesty left
behind. That for us gives us the confidence that the robust tradition, the
national respect and international recognition and the way in which His Royal
Majesty carried the office, that it will be sustained and built upon by your
Royal Highness.
“Like I said, we are all privileged part of
the extended family, and the State Government will stand by your Royal
Highness, stand by the royal family, and will do what the great people of our
great State will expect us to do at this hour.
“So, your Royal Highness, I commiserate with
you, I commiserate with the royal family, and indeed the great people of Benin
Kingdom and the great people of Edo State. Like I said in 2006, during my first
visit, my very limited knowledge of our State is that Edo is not an artificial
word. So, Edo is not an artificial creation. We are not named after a river or
after an event. It’s an ethnic category, and His Royal Majesty is the father,
the paramount ruler of every Edo sons and daughters, and so it shall be forever
and ever. May our ancestors stand by you at this hour and guide us through all
the processes.
In his response, the Crown Prince (Amb)
Erediauwa said, “Our indefatigable Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole, our chiefs, members of the royal family here present, I want to
thank you for the condolence. There is nothing much I can say now. It’s really
an emotional moment for me and everybody virtually knows how close I was to my
father. The elders here know how close I was to my father, and I am probably
known as the first Crown Prince in the history of Benin Kingdom that has been
so close to his father.
“It’s been said far and wide that the Oba’s
eldest son doesn’t see his father, they don’t meet each other, that they are
far apart. So, he knew my ways and I knew his ways. So, I can beat my chest and
say I understand certain inner workings of the mind of my dear father.
“So, your Excellency, I want to thank you even
though I have expressed this gratitude to you before. I want to thank you for
the support you have been giving to Benin people, Edo State in general and
especially the royal family.
“I am also aware of how some people don’t like
you for it, how they have expressed dissatisfaction with you because they feel
that you are so much inclined towards the family, such that we have some people
that are anti-palace, but we leave everything to God.
“So if we have God on our side, we will always
be on top. We always pray to God and our ancestors to be on our side, and we
don’t say to the contrary. So, your Excellency, I want to thank you again, and
I pray that you end your tenure peacefully without tarnish. I also want to
thank you for the support you are giving the investors in the State. I saw the
investment meeting you had with Wells Carlos Farms investment drive. I think
that also speaks volume that Edo State now has more investors. I will do my
best to justify the confidence you reposed in me by your remarks. I think I
have good people to guide me, good people, to advise me.
“We will keep you informed about the next
event. I still want to thank the President through you again.”
SOURCE: Today.ng
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