Akenzua II

Omo n'Oba n'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Akenzua II (January 7, 1899 – June 11, 1978) was the Oba of Benin (traditional leader of the Edo people, in Nigeria) from 1933 until his death in 1978.

Akenzua II
Oba of Benin
Reign1933 – 1978
Coronation5 April 1933
PredecessorEweka II
SuccessorErediauwa
BornGodfrey Edokparhogbuyunmwun Aguobasimwin Eweka [1]
January 7, 1899
Lagos, Nigeria
DiedJune 11, 1978 (aged 79)
Akenzua II's ancestral altars, 1936

Akenzua II was enthroned as Oba of Benin in April 1933 following the death of his father, Eweka II (r.1914 – 1933) in February that year.[2] Oba Akenzua II was dedicated to the provision of western education for his subjects, the Edo people.[1]

In 1936, he began the movement to return to Nigeria the Benin Bronzes looted from the royal compounds and ancestral altars in the punitive Benin Expedition of 1897. During his reign, only two of the 3,000 royal court bronzes were returned. However, two coral crowns and coral bead garment, thought to have belonged to Ovonramwen, were returned to him in the late 1930s by G.M. Miller a son of a member of the Benin expedition, who had loaned the pieces to the British Museum in 1935.[3]

Oba Akenzua II died on June 11, 1978, when he was succeeded by his son, then Prince Solomon, who took on the title of Oba Erediauwa and duties as the traditional leader of the Edo people in Benin City, Nigeria.[4]

Family
Statue of Akenzua II.

In 1923 his first son, Prince Solomon Aiseokhuoba Igbinoghodua Akenzua,[5] was born. His chosen title was founded on the name Ere, relating to Oba Eresonye who is traditionally considered to be an incredibly wealthy Oba.[1]

Akenzua's descendants include his daughter Princess Elizabeth Olowu, granddaughter Peju Layiwola, and grandson Thompson Iyamu.[6]

See also

References
  1. "The Benin monarchy". National Daily Newspaper. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  2. The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc (July 1933). "AFRICA". The Crisis. 40 (7): 159. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  3. Plankensteiner, Barbara (2016). "The Benin Treasures: difficult legacy and contested heritage". In Hauser-Schäublin, Brigitta; Prott, Lyndel V. (eds.). Cultural Property and Contested Ownership: The Trafficking of Artefacts and the Quest for Restitution. Routledge. ISBN 9781317281832.
  4. "Edo history". edo-nation.net. 20 February 2017.
  5. Uche, Atuma (30 April 2016). "Life and times of Oba Erediauwa – - The Sun News". - The Sun News. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  6. Dr., Kwame Opoku. "Modernity And Tradition: Peju Layiwola". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2017-11-11.



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