Edo state government declear Thursday public holiday

– Edo State Government has declared Thursday, October 20, as public holiday in celebration of the coronation of the new Oba of Benin

– The public holiday would give Edo people the opportunity to partake in the historic installation of the new Oba of Benin

Crown Prince of Benin, Eheneden Erediauwa
Thursday, October 20, has been declared as public holiday by the Edo state governemnt in celebration of the coronation of the new Oba of Benin, Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa.

In a statement on Tuesday, October 18, in Benin Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, the secretary to the state government, said the public holiday is in honour of Erediauwa, who will be crowned the 39th Oba of Benin.

According to the statement, the public holiday would give Edo people the opportunity to partake in the historic installation of the new Oba of Benin.

Events leading to the coronation ceremony commenced on Saturday, October 8, and the state capital had been agog with preparations and activities for the coronation, NAN reports.

According to history, the title of Oba in Benin Empire was created by Oba Eweka I, the Benin Empire’s first ‘Oba’, who was said to have ascended power between 1180 and 1300.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince on Sunday, October 16, left Evuekoi for Azama N’ Uhe ancestral shrine at Oloton’s Palace in Isekhere Street, Benin, to perform traditional rites.