The Chairman of the Oba of Benin’s 10th Coronation Anniversary Committee, Lucky Imasuen, has urged residents of Edo State to participate actively in the month-long activities celebrating the reign of Oba Ewuare II, describing the occasion as a historic milestone for the Benin Kingdom.
Imasuen, a former Deputy Governor of Edo State, made the appeal on Thursday, October 8, in Benin during a news conference where he unveiled the programme approved by the Oba. The celebrations, running from October to November, began on October 4 with a documentary on the monarch’s coronation aired by Africa Independent Television, with another episode scheduled for October 8.
The programme features a food festival, photo exhibition, trade fair and skills acquisition activities at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre on October 9. Cultural Day on October 10 will showcase groups from Edo’s 18 local government areas and other communities, including Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa residents, as well as cultural groups from Delta, Ondo and Anambra states. Other events include wrestling at the Palace on October 16, a novelty football match on October 18, a chess tournament and Children’s Day on October 17, a horse display on October 24, and a golf tournament from October 27 to 31.
Additional highlights include a memorial lecture at the University of Benin on October 12 in honour of the late Oba Erediauwa, a special court session, and an exhibition of Benin artefacts looted in 1897, scheduled for October 19 to 21 at the museum grounds on Ring Road. The programme also includes thanksgiving at Holy Aruosa Cathedral, the inauguration of a new festival hall at the Palace, and a free music concert at the UNIBEN Sports Complex on October 20.
The anniversary will climax on November 21 with a grand ceremony at the Palace expected to attract South-South governors, ambassadors, business leaders, traditional rulers and other prominent Nigerians.
Imasuen commended Governor Monday Okpebholo for providing a secure environment for the celebration and urged residents to join in appreciating the monarch’s 10-year reign, which he said had brought relative peace, tranquillity and progress to Benin.
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