Iyaloja Title: Outrage as Edo govt keeps mum over market leader controversy

By Jethro Ibileke

Tension is mounting in Edo State following the government’s continued silence over the controversial inauguration of Pastor Josephine Ivbaguezejele as Iyaloja (market leader) of the state.

The event, conducted six days ago by the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has sparked outrage and ethnic divisions across the state.

A viral video of the ceremony, reportedly held inside the Government House, Benin City, shows Mrs. Tinubu-Ojo and Mrs. Edesiri Okpebholo Anani, Coordinator in the Office of the First Lady, officiating the installation.

The development has drawn protests from market women, who described Josephine as a non-Benin and condemned the act as a direct affront to the authority of the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II.

Earlier, during Tinubu-Ojo’s visit to the Benin Palace to introduce Josephine, the Oba had firmly rejected the idea of an “Iyaloja-General,” declaring it alien to Benin culture and tradition.

“When you mentioned Iyaloja, meaning Iyeki-General as they say, this is a bit alien to us here in Benin,” the monarch stated, adding that “Every Iyeki (market leader) has a special relationship with the palace. Each is autonomous, and there is no general leader.”

The Oba further explained that market women leaders serve both administrative and spiritual functions, including maintaining market shrines and reporting to the spirits on behalf of the palace.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has cautioned against what it termed the “desecration of Benin customs and traditions.”

In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Dan Osa-Ogbegie, Esq., the party described the alleged installation as a grave affront to Benin’s centuries-old institutions.

“The Oba is the living repository of Benin native law, custom, and tradition; his pronouncements on heritage matters are final and must be treated with the reverence they deserve,” the statement read.

“We are particularly alarmed that this affront to our institutions was permitted with the apparent connivance or complacency of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration and officials attached to the Government House. Such flouting of palace protocol cannot be normalised or excused as a mere accident.”

As of press time on Monday, efforts to obtain the state government’s reaction were unsuccessful, as calls to the mobile line of the Commissioner for Information, Paul Ohonbamu, went unanswered.