Organisers Call Off Coronation Of Sultan Of Benin, Apologise To Oba, State Govt

Plans by the Shua Arab population in Edo State for a public coronation of a new leader dubbed as Sultan have been called off just as those involved have apologized to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II and the Edo State Government.

The leader of the Shua Arab, Alhaji Idris Adanno who spoke to newsmen in Benin on Friday while apologizing traced the crisis to a misunderstanding of the language used.

He was backed by the Serikin Hausawa of Edo State, Alhaji Adamu Isa who said that no mischief was intended as he also blamed a misunderstanding in communication for the crisis.

 GreenWhiteGreen GWG reports that the Shua Arab population in Benin had sought to coronate Alhaji Idris Adanno as Sultan but upon the uproar changed the designation to Serikin Shua Arab. However, the state government in its reaction on Thursday threatened severe sanctions against the organisers.

Speaking on Friday, Adanno said:

“The whole issue was misunderstood because of the language used. All the tribes from the north who are resident in Edo State are all under the Sarkin Hausawa but we all now have our individual sarkin like those of Kanuri, Nupe and others.

“In our Shua language, sultan is our own sarkin and we only wanted to celebrate my appointment as the head of Shua Arab in Benin because we are the second largest local ethnic group from the north. We are all under Sarkin Hausawa of Benin who gave us an introductory letter which we submitted before the governor of the state, the Oba of Benin and the Secretary to State Government.

“We are all law abiding citizens and under the laws of the state. We are also loyal to our royal father the Oba of Benin who is father to all of us. We are apologise to the state government for the mix-up and as law abiding citizens, we have also cancelled all the activities we wanted to do as directed by the state government.”

Also speaking on the uproar over the aborted coronation of a sultan, the Sarkin Hausawa of Benin, Alhaji Adamu Isa said:

“They are a community resident in Edo and they have a large percentage of their people here too, they are into cattle breeding and other businesses. The thing is misuse of language from them. About five months ago, they came to me that since they are large, they want to have a traditional head so I told them to go and look for someone among them who is going to be their leader and so they came with one Idris and then some issues came up then I asked them to go and resolve it and I gave them a date to come back. And then we did the turban of their leader so that incase we have issues concerning them, we know who to hold responsible. You know our culture up, it is easier for you to regulate the activities of people using the traditional heads, that is why said anytime we have a large set of people from the same place, we look for a traditional head.

  “The whole issue was misunderstood. I was born and bred here in Benin, my father was born and bred here in Benin so I understand the tradition and custom of the land and the laws of the state. It was just a misuse of language. Sultan in their own language means sarkin.”

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