The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, has disclosed that the late Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri, specified how his burial rites would be conducted before he passed on at 93 on July 20 this year.
The Eghaevbo N’Ore category of Benin palace chiefs, led by the Iyase (traditional Prime Minister of Benin Kingdom), Chief Sam Igbe, who were joined by other Benin chiefs, formally announced Edebiri’s demise, in a sombre moment, at the palace in Benin, the Edo State capital.
The first-class monarch, in a press statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Osaigbovo Iguobaro, also granted the request by Edebiri’s family to proceed with the burial rites of their patriarch.
The eldest son of the deceased, Pastor Collins Edebiri, equally revealed that his father died on the first time of being taken to the hospital for treatment.
He stated that the foremost journalist, who passed on, after a brief illness, would be buried within three months.
Collins, who was accompanied by an elder of the family, John Okundaye, 87, and other members of the family, made the disclosure in Benin, while also formally announcing the passing of his father.
He said: “My father was a great and popular man, who was well brought up in the customs and traditions of the Benin Kingdom.
“The Esogban of Benin Kingdom lived a good life, and lived well. His legacies will speak for him. The impact he made was beyond comprehension. Many people have been calling us to state that without our father, they would not have been what they are today. We are overwhelmed by calls from the low and mighty in Edo, other states of Nigeria, and other parts of the world.
“The burial is beyond us, because it is a big project. Members of the public should stand by us. Stakeholders’ analysis will be carried out ahead of the burial, for all segments of the society to make inputs and indicate the roles they will play. So that nobody will be left out. Online memorial board will also be opened, for tributes across the world.”
The eldest son also revealed that his father wrote eleven books, while three of them were presented in September last year, while describing him as a man of peace and unity, who was always very calm, and would be given a befitting/deserving burial.
Collins disclosed that his grandfather, the Esama of Benin, died at 93, while his father also died at 93, thereby praying that he and his siblings would live longer, while stressing that one of his father’s legacies was his being proud of the traditions and customs of Benin Kingdom, with his expansive compound off Airport Road, Benin to be turned to tourist and research centre.
The late Edebiri, a renowned writer, would have been 94 on September 2.
The Esogban is next to the Iyase (Prime Minister) in Benin kingdom.
Edebiri, on September 2, 2022, unveiled two books: Tripod of Life: Essence of Benin Tradition and Culture, and The Life and Times of Iyase N’Ohenmwen, to mark his 93rd birthday.
The deceased’s last outing was his participation in the March 18, 2023 House of Assembly election in Edo, where he described the February 25 this year’s presidential election as the best, since he started voting in 1951.