30/06/2025
*Restoration of Benin Monarch's Rights, Financial Entitlement: A Joke Taken Too Far*
Permeating the social media space recently, are news reports of how the current Governor of Edo State, Sen. Monday Okpehbolo, restored the statutory rights and financial entitlements of the Benin Monarch, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II; rights and entitlements which were never revoked in the first place.
It should be our collective resolve, that the need to gain acceptance or sympathy, or compel undue legitimacy, should never degenerate into a situation where the current government in the State would resort to concocting unfounded stories, and sacrificing obvious truths on the altar of blatant falsehood, while exploiting the integrity of our revered traditional institutions to perpetuate false narratives.
Stating that the incumbent Governor of Edo State has restored the statutory rights and financial entitlements of the Benin Monarch and the BeninTraditional Council (BTC) in a recent press release by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Fred Itua, is nothing but a huge joke in itself, as these rights and entitlements have always been upheld and satisfied in accordance with extant laws.
For the avoidance of doubt, the incumbent Governor or Government in Edo State is not granting any favours to the Benin Monarch or doing anything new outside the foundational premises of the Obaseki-led administration.
The Obaseki-led government never fell short of the 5% statutory allocation to traditional rulers in the State. For instance, the total statutory allocation to the 18 Local Government Areas of the State, for the month of October, which was shared in November, is two hundred and ten million, seven hundred and seventy three thousand, one hundred and forty five naira, thirty nine kobo (N210,773,145.39).
It is from this appropriation that each local government council is expected to pay the traditional rulers their 5% statutory entitlement, relative to the allocation to each LGA. This was supposed to be the practice throughout the 8-year tenure of the former Governor.
However, in his wisdom, the former Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, met with the 18 Council Chairmen and enjoined them to appropriate 5% of all allocations, be it VAT, earnings from excess crude, etcetera, to traditional councils in the State, which in the current month amounts to over 8 billion Naira, the highest so far; so that, instead of receiving 5% of the original 210 million Naira, traditional rulers in the State would now get 5% of over 8 billion Naira, accordingly.
This became the practice throughout Obaseki's tenure which resulted from his intervention with Council Chairmen to aid increased appropriation to traditional rulers.
The accrued funding that goes to traditional rulers across the 18 local government councils, including the Benin Traditional Council, increased significantly through the instrumentality of the Obaseki-led government.
The narrative being driven by the current administration therefore is baseless, as there is no time the funding to the Benin Traditional Council was denied or reduced. If anything, the former Governor succeeded in annexing his working accord with Council Chairmen and his financial expertise to increase remuneration for the BTC and other traditional councils in the State.
The incumbent government should desist from misinformimg and misleading the public, as only time will tell who the true friends of the Benin Royal Palace really are.
Signed
Hon. Monday Osaigbovo JP
Fmr Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs
Edo State
