1 month ago
9
The Benin Traditional Council has said the purpose of the Iyaloja concept’s instauration to Edo State is yet to beryllium determined.
It said if it were a nationalist thing, past Iyaloja of Lagos (or Nigeria) indispensable widen the conception to the different states successful Nigeria earlier it could judge its authenticity and motive.
This was contained successful a connection issued connected behalf of the Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II and signed by six apical palace chiefs.
The connection queried whether an Edo pistillate could beryllium made the Iyaloja of Lagos oregon of Nigeria?
“Can this conception of Iyaloja beryllium extended to Aba, Owerri, Keffi, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and different parts of Nigeria?”
The BTC said it would person advised the Edo State authorities connected salient traditions if it had been consulted earlier connected the Iyeki (market leader) title.
It warned that immoderate deviation from the age-old taste strategy of Iyeki mightiness pb to breach of the peace.
Market women had visited the Benin Monarch’s palace to convey him for insisting that the Iyaloja rubric was alien to Benin culture.
Frowning astatine the usage of commercialized associations to tally an unfastened marketplace and play partisan politics, the connection said the duplicate factors were antithetical and inimical to the essence of marketplace contented successful Benin culture.
It expressed reservations astir marketplace women’s inclination to let themselves to beryllium utilized arsenic governmental pawns successful the governmental tract nether the aegis of Market Associations successful Edo State, adjacent arsenic it appealed to the marketplace women and the politicians down them to eschew dragging the sanctity of the Oba’s sanction into their partisan governmental affairs.
According to the statement, “The Palace feels that if we were duly consulted astir what the contented says astir IYEKI ROLE successful Benin tradition, each the ensuing contention oregon hostility would person been avoided.
“Benin Traditional Council wishes to reiterate that determination is thing similar Iyeki wide successful Benin, which this lyaloja conception seems to imply. In Benin culture, lyeki emerges among women successful the market. After being chosen by the marketplace women, she is brought to the Palace for confirmation.
” Once confirmed, they are told to spell up and instal her arsenic the lyeki of the market. The Palace ne'er chose anybody arsenic lyeki. It is the marketplace women who bash that. Every lyeki is autarkic of the others. Every lyeki is culturally, spiritually and religiously tied to the Palace.
“There is simply a nonstop functional narration betwixt Lyeki and the Palace. Just arsenic determination is nary honorary chieftaincy rubric successful Benin culture, determination is besides nary honorary lyeki rubric successful Benin culture. Every lyeki has a spiritual relation she performs for the Palace and the market’s well-being. We powerfully suggest that Lyeki’s relation should not beryllium politicised.
“We anticipation the marketplace women, headed by their Iyekis, would person learned their acquisition present and cognize their accepted transportation with the Palace and what is expected of them. And retrieve to ticker the temper of the Palace and spell with it.
“The Palace feels that if we were duly consulted astir what the contented says astir Iyeki’s relation successful Benin tradition, each the ensuing contention oregon hostility would person been avoided.
“We bash not cognize the purpose of introducing this Iyaloja conception to Edo State. If it is simply a nationalist thing, past Iyaloja of Lagos (or Nigeria) indispensable widen this conception to the different states successful Nigeria earlier we tin judge its authenticity and motive.
“We besides person a question: Can an Edo pistillate beryllium made the Iyaloja of LAGOS oregon Nigeria? Can this conception of Iyaloja beryllium extended to Aba, Owerri, Keffi, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and different parts of Nigeria?”
English (US) ·