Skip to main content

Olu of Warri is dead


Image result for olu of warri pictures

King, Ogiame Atuwatse II, the Olu of Warri, has joined his ancestors, THISDAY has gathered. He was said to have passed on while on admission at a Lagos Hospital. He was 70 years old.

There was heightened anxiety in Itsekiri Kingdom yesterday, over speculations about the state of health of the king after various reports on online platforms had alleged that the renowned monarch had joined his ancestors.
Although there has not been any official confirmation from the Delta State government, THISDAY was able to confirm from the palace and other sources on the demise of the revered monarch.

The news was being discussed in hushed tones all over the oil-city of Warri and its environs till late last (Saturday) night but nobody seemed to have any concrete facts about the actual cause of the reported transition of the Olu.
The premier Itsekiri monarch had apparently not been in the best of health since he reportedly suffered a minor stroke over two years ago. However, his health seemed to have improved tremendously with the monarch seen at many public functions especially before the last general election in the country.

THISDAY learnt that Atuwatse II was in a Lagos hospital preparatory to being flown abroad for more intense medical care when his condition worsened from a domestic accident he reportedly had recently in Warri, which eventually led to his demise.
It was further learnt that his stroke had worsened recently following the alleged domestic accident during which he allegedly suffered brain injury.

Initial spirited efforts by THISDAY to get some prominent Itsekiri personages last night to confirm or deny the report only met a brick-wall. At least two of those contacted in Warri by THISDAY for their reaction were practically hostile and would not discuss the matter further.
However, THISDAY gathered that it is considered an abominable thing for an Itsekiri son or daughter to speak to any “outsider” in particular about the death of the Itsekiri king.

Aside this year’s celebration of the anniversary of his ascension to the throne as Olu, the last major outing where THISDAY encountered the royal father was during the visits to Delta State by former President Goodluck Jonathan for the groundbreaking ceremony of the multi-billion gas city project at Ogidigben near Escravos in Warri South-west Local Government Area.

Ogiame Atuwatse II ascended the throne of his forefathers on May 2, 1987 during an elaborate ceremony which was recorded as the last official engagement of renowned politician and publisher, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Awolowo died on May 9, 1987, a week after attending the Olu’s coronation in Warri.

The famous Itsekiri monarch last May celebrated what might be termed low-keyed 28th anniversary of his coronation, choosing to mark the occasion mainly with Christian religious services.
Nonetheless, the demise of the Itsekiri King is coming on the second anniversary of the celebrated crisis-of-interest over the alleged “pagan” or fetish etymological background of the royal title of the Itsekiri monarch - Ogiame.
The Olu of Warri had, in September 2013, attempted to jettison the traditional title of ‘Ogiame’ because of his Christian beliefs, thereby drawing the ire of practically all his chiefs and subjects.

However, after several days of peaceful protest by the Itsekiri people demanding that Atuwatse II choose between retaining the title of Ogiame or vacant the royal stool he occupied in trust for the entire Iwere-land (Itsekiri Kingdom), the king eventually capitulated.
The decision to rescind his earlier plan to do away with the title of Ogiame was greeted enthusiastically by his subjects, leading to wide jubilation in Warri in early September, 2013.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DEFECTIONS: Why Saraki, Dogara Others Must Heed Sen. Ibrahim's Call by Comrade Nwokoma Ndubuisi M.

The gale of defections in the National Assembly last week was followed by an advice from no one else than Sen. Abu Ibrahim that the Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara and others in the fold of the All Progressives Congress APC that are still masquerading in the party should resign their membership of the party. This call which also implies that they resign their positions as leaders of the various arms of the National Assembly is yet to be complied with by those concerned as at the time of writing this piece Whatever their reasons for still staying put in the party may be, the fact of the matter is that their continued stay in the party has become a sore which must be extricated from the body.  As I watched through the proceedings of the defections on national television, I wept for the country for producing such leaders that lack morality despite all the party has given them politically which they ordin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rivers Governmnet, PDP Disagree Over $280 million Looan

The Rivers State Government and the Peoples Democratic Party in the state are currently at loggerheads over the request by the state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, for a $280m loan for water and sanitation projects. While the state PDP said that the latest request for loan by the state government was unnecessary due to the resources accruing to the state through the federal allocation and internally generated revenue, the government said it was not true that the funds were to be used for 2015 elections. The state House of Assembly had on Monday endorsed Amaechi’s request for loan for water supply and sanitation projects. But the state PDP, in a statement, signed by the Special Adviser to its Chairman, Mr. Jerry Needam, said the request for loan was aimed at punishing the governor’s successor in 2015. The party called on members of the House of Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the African Development Bank and the World Bank not to honour the loan re...
Post a Comment
Read more

2019: Northern youths kick as Northwest APC lawmakers endorse Buhari

The leadership of the Arewa Youth Forum on Monday said President Muhammadu Buhari does not deserve any endorsement for the 2019 presidency. Reacting to a purported endorsement by some serving All Progressives Congress’s lawmakers from the Northwest in Kaduna, the AYF’s National President, Alhaji Gambo Gujungu, said Buhari was not fit to return as president in 2019. The AYF argued that with the killing spree all over the country, especially in the North, Buhari should serve his mandatory four years term and quit the stage for another Northerner. Gujungu noted that one sour point about President Buhari’s 2019 ambition was his claim that the killings across the country were being carried out by “desperate politicians”, yet he had not arrested even a single suspect. The AYF president, therefore, said Nigerians should blame the president for the attacks on innocent citizens. The AYF boss who spoke to our correspondent on phone on Monday, said the President’s cl...
Post a Comment
Read more