Ọmọ n'Ọba n'Ẹdo Uku Akpọlọkpọlọ, Akenzua II (7 January 1899 – 11 June 1978) was the thirty-seventh

Oba of Benin The Oba of Benin is the traditional ruler and the custodian of the culture of the Edo people and all Edoid people. The then Kingdom of Benin (not to be confused with the modern-day and unrelated Republic of Benin, which was then known as Daho ...

reigning from 1933 until his death in 1978.

Biography

Akenzua II was enthroned as Oba of Benin in April 1933 following the death of his father,

Eweka II Aiguobasinwin Ovonramwen, Eweka II (died February 1933) was the thirty-sixth Oba of Benin, reigning from 1914 to 1933. He was the son of Ovonramwen (ruled 1888–1897), who was deposed by the British and exiled to Calabar following the British ...

(r.1914 – 1933) in February that year. Oba Akenzua II was dedicated to the provision of western education for his subjects, the

Edo people The Edo people, also referred to as the Benin City, Benin people, are an Edoid languages, Edoid-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group. They are prominently native to seven Edo South Senatorial District, southern Local government areas of Nigeria, loc ...

. In 1936, he began the movement to return to

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

the

Benin Bronzes The Benin Bronzes are a group of several thousand metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now Edo State, Nigeria. The metal plaques were produced by the Guild of Benin Bronze Casters, now ...

looted from the royal compounds and ancestral altars in the

punitive Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon an individual or group, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a deterrent to a particular action or beha ...

Benin Expedition of 1897 The Benin Expedition of 1897 was a punitive expedition by a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British force of 1,200 men under Harry Rawson, Sir Harry Rawson. It came in response to the ambush and slaughter of a 250-strong party led ...

. During his reign, only two of the 3,000 royal court bronzes were returned. However, two coral crowns and coral bead garment, thought to have belonged to

Ovonramwen Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, also called Overami, was the thirty-fifth Oba of Benin, Ọba of the Kingdom of Benin reigning from , up until the British Benin Expedition of 1897, punitive expedition. Born circa 1857, he was the son of Ọba Adolo, Ad ...

, were returned to him in the late 1930s by G.M. Miller a son of a member of the Benin expedition, who had loaned the pieces to the British Museum in 1935. Oba Akenzua II died on 11 June 1978, when he was succeeded by his son, then Prince Solomon, who took on the title of Oba

Erediauwa Erediauwa (22 June 1923 – April 2016) was the thirty-eighth Oba of Benin, traditional ruler of the Edo people in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Formerly known as Prince Solomon Akenzua, Oba Erediauwa's full title was ''His Royal Majesty Om ...

and duties as the traditional leader of the Edo people in

Benin City Benin City serves as the Capital city, capital and largest Metropolitan area, metropolitan centre of Edo State, situated in Nigeria, southern Nigeria. It ranks as the List of Nigerian cities by population, fourth-most populous city in Niger ...

Family

In 1923 his first son, Prince Solomon Aiseokhuoba Igbinoghodua Akenzua, was born. His chosen title was founded on the name Ere, relating to Oba Eresonye who is traditionally considered to be an incredibly wealthy Oba. Akenzua's descendants include his daughter

Princess Elizabeth Olowu Princess Elizabeth Olowu is a Nigerian sculptor and the daughter of Oba Akenzua II, who was a leader of the Edo people in what is now Benin City, Nigeria. Olowu works in bronze, a traditional material for her people (see Benin Bronzes), and is k ...

, grandson Oba

Ewuare II Ewuare II (born 20 October 1953) was crowned the Oba of Benin on 20 October 2016. He is the 40th Oba, a title created for the Head of State (Emperor) of the Benin Empire at some time between 1180 and 1300. Education Eheneden Erediauwa, as he wa ...

, great-grandson Crown Prince Ezelekhae Ewuare, granddaughter Peju Layiwola, and grandson

Thompson Iyamu Thompson Iyamu (born 22 October 1968), known by his stage name P Tee Money, is a British DJ, Record producer, producer and actor known for his music and film. He is also a singer, remixer and author. Iyamu is a grandson of Akenzua II, Oba of Beni ...

among others.

References

External links

* 1978 deaths 1899 births Place of birth missing Place of death missing 20th-century Nigerian people Akenzua family Obas of Benin People from Benin City {{Nigeria-bio-stub

Biography

Family

See also

References

External links