Plans by officials of the palace
of Olu of Warri in Delta State to present a public statement to journalists on
the state of affairs in Iwere-land, otherwise called Itsekiri Kingdom, was
monday postponed.
Since reports that the revered
Itsekiri monarch, Ogiame Atuwatse II, passed on hit the media in Nigeria and
globally, many people at home and abroad have been anxious to hear from the
horse’s mouth.
The widespread anxiety was
apparently prompted by the fact that no formal statement has yet been issued
either by the palace of the Olu of Warri or the Itsekiri Council of Chiefs
(Warri Council of Chiefs) which forms part of the Itsekiri monarch’s cabinet.
Specifically, there was no
statement from the relevant Itsekiri authorities denying or confirming the
reported passing on of one of Nigeria’s first class traditional rulers.
However, in response to a short
notice on the proposed briefing, about 30 journalists from print and electronic
media were gathered for over an hour monday morning at the relatively quiet
palace of the Olu of Warri before a palace official announced the suspension of
the exercise.
The official, who chose to remain
anonymous, simply said the royal palace regretted the postponement of the press
briefing due to fact that the “chiefs wanted to ensure that they dot the I’s
and cross the T’s” before presenting the prepared statement to the media.
Possibly, a new date from the
briefing would be duly communicated to the different media houses, the palace
official added.
Nonetheless, it was gathered that
eminent Itsekiri sons and daughters, including well-known traditional chiefs,
politicians and clergymen have shown concern but remained remarkably quiet
since reports of the sudden demise of the 70-year-old royal father hit the
airwaves last Saturday.
The Itsekiri king reportedly
transited after being taken to a Lagos hospital following complications from an
alleged recent domestic accident, though he was known to have had some health
challenges since about two years ago.
Born in 1945 and christened
Godwin Toritseju Emiko, the late Olu of Warri was a prince destined for the
royal crown, being the second son of Olu Erejuwa II of Iwere Kingdom (Itsekiri
Kingdom of Warri).
He attended the prestigious
Hussey College, Warri, before proceeding to the University of Lagos where he
obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.
Subsequently, he practised law
briefly at Emiko Chambers at Okere, Warri, a law firm established by his uncle,
before being crowned king.
He was appointed into the Warri
Traditional Council in 1983 and also served in various capacities as a member
of Warri Local Government Council.
Atuwatse II was crowned as the
19th Olu of Warri on May 2, 1987, thus becoming the second university graduate
to ascend the Itsekiri royal stool.
History has it that the first Olu
of Itsekiri (Iwere-land) was Ginuwa, a Prince of Benin Kingdom who ascended the
throne in the 15th century.
Credit: Thisday
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