By Chief Etinosa Omuemu (Omuemu N’ Uselu of Benin Kingdom)
We often describe Benin culture through its outward symbols—it’s forests, shrines, royal regalia, and rituals. Yet these visible elements barely touch the deeper spiritual cosmology that truly shapes how the Benin people see their monarch.
To the Benin mind, the Oba is not simply a ruler. He is a divine king—an axis between heaven, earth, and ancestors. It is through this sacred lens that the Don Pedro incident must be understood.
Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki is a proud son of Benin, a scholar and cultural emissary. What happened in London was painful and unfortunate. Yet he more than most understands his people. He knows that the reverence of the Oba is not a negotiable sentiment; it is a spiritual covenant. Outsiders may call it “primitive” or “uncivilized,” but to us it is sacred—just as a Muslim defends the honor of the Prophet, so do the Benin defend the divine dignity of their God-King. Civilization does not erase faith. It deepens it. In Benin cosmology, every male child is Okpi’ Oba and every female child Okhu’ Oba—the masculine and feminine extensions of the Oba himself. For over a thousand unbroken years, each lineage has carried an ancestral oath to uphold the sanctity of the throne. This is why our daily prayers close with: “Oba gha to kpe re.” May the Oba live to fulfill his destiny. This is not merely a blessing. It is a spiritual alignment. In our sacred universe, the Oba is the head; the people, the body. Without the head, the body perishes. Thus, during Igue and other rites, when prayers are made “for the head,” they encompass the life, destiny, and protection of the entire kingdom.
So, when Dr. Don Pedro, at a London gathering, began the sacred invocation “Oba gha to kpe re,” and then abruptly halted—replacing it with “Edo gha to kpe re”—a profound rupture occurred. Whether intentional or careless, he severed the spiritual body from its head. Against the backdrop of earlier statements from his elder brother, the former governor, this act became unbearably symbolic. Because here lies the deeper wound. The former governor had publicly boasted that, as governor, he could have removed the Oba and “nothing would have happened.” His implication was chilling—that the survival of the monarchy rested not on divine covenant, not on ancestral continuity, not on the will of the people, but on the indulgence of one mortal politician. This statement struck the nerve of Benin identity. For a dynasty that has endured invasions, colonial humiliation, exile of kings, and yet remained spiritually unbroken, such a claim was not political bravado. It was sacrilege. It resurrected old suspicions surrounding the actions of Agho Obaseki during the 1897 invasion—suspicions that generations have struggled to heal through goodwill, public service, and cultural loyalty. The former governor’s remark was therefore not heard as a joke. It was heard as a declaration that the throne existed at the pleasure of temporal power. That alone deeply wounded the soul of the people. So when, soon after, Dr. Don Pedro—standing at a London stage surrounded by family loyal to this same political figure—refused to complete the sacred sentence “Oba gha to kpe re”, the symbolism became unbearable. It was as though the body was being asked to live without the head. The reaction of the people was instinctive—not political, but spiritual.
Violence remains wrong and indefensible. The palace has rightly condemned it. Yet to understand the intensity of emotion, one must appreciate the sacred ground from which those emotions rose. To his credit, Dr. Don Pedro later acknowledged this misstep in the palace, describing it as a “bad bird” flying from his mouth. He even admitted attempting to reach palace authorities to apologize. But if that was truly his realization, wisdom demanded immediate atonement—a public statement, an unambiguous apology, or even a private video to calm the storm he had helped stir. Instead, he returned and was soon seen playing football, laughing, as though nothing was amiss. It was like a man soaked in petrol stepping casually toward a flame. Because intention aside, the harm had already entered the bloodstream of the people.
A person’s first education is from their ancestors. All other learning is secondary. There is an old story of a royal ship that commanded a distant light to move aside. The reply returned: “I am not a ship. I am a lighthouse. Alter your course.” Tradition is that lighthouse. And where Islam defends the Prophet, the Benin defend the Oba. Not out of ignorance—but out of covenant. Dr. Don Pedro remains a cultural monument. His error was not ordinary. He left incomplete a ritual sentence whose power no English translation can ever fully convey. Worse, it appeared to echo a destructive narrative—that the monarchy could be mocked, challenged, or diminished to serve political ego. The truth is the opposite: The Oba is not upheld by government. He is upheld by heaven, earth, and the people. And when the body senses danger to the head—it reacts. Let wisdom prevail.
Written by Chief Etinosa Omuemu (Omuemu N’ Uselu of Benin Kingdom)
