The Edo Society
By Dr Opeyemi Ola
The State Societies
One is uncertain about the process of change from stateless to state societies in traditional Nigeria. One is equally uncertain about why tribes and nations within the same Sudanic agrarian civilization are at different levels of political development. The co-existence of several political cultures in traditional Nigeria is, nevertheless, a testimony to the variety of political imagination which exists therein. While the Ibo and Tiv typify indigenous democracies, Oyo, Edo, and Zazzau exemplify Indigenous states.
The Edo Society
For a number of reasons the Edo were distinguished group in indigenous Nigeria. Numbering about one million, they are one of the major nationalities in Black Africa. Their complex political culture apart, the Edo possesses a remarkable culture whose beauty and creativity continue to marvel and inspire the modern artists the world over. The Edo are divided into a number of tribes. They include the primary Edo who inhabit the Benin province and speak Edo Proper, the Ishan, Isoko, the Ivibiosakon,and the Akoko-Edo.These later Edo-related tribes have their own separate languages, but they are culturally related to the Edo.
The Edo society is a differentiated one. The first type of differentiation is status and rank-ordering by age. Dominating the Edo rural scene in particular, the age groups are three in number, namely: the youth (iroghae), the middle-aged (ighele) and the elders (odion). Membership in each group, particularly the iroghae is by initiation and it lasts for many years. One moves up after having mastered the functions and culture of his current group. The social functions of the age-group reflect the Edo philosophy of per sonality development. To the youth are assigned a physical role, the execution of public works. The middle aged, combining strength and courage, are given the military assignment of defending the realm. The elders, whose wisdom is symbolized by hoary heads and calm faces, are given the distinguished responsibility of decision-making. It is right to observe here that the age-groups are integrative forces among he Edo; their integrative power stemming from their inter-lineal form and their village-wide character.
The second type of social differentiation among the Edo is along class lines. In this regard Edo society is divided into three main classes- the royal class, the chiefs and the commoners. While the first and third groups appears to possess internal homogeneity, the aristocracy of chiefs consists of three segmentary units, the Uzama (hereditary chiefs), the Eghaevo Ogbe ( the town chiefs) and the Eghaevo Ore (the palace chiefs), the latter two being non-hereditary. The royal class has a variety of roles to perform, and they include governmental, religious and social class roles. The functions of the aristocracy of chiefs in their turn are governmetal, political, military and religious. The commoners, the main prop of the Edo society having no specialized functions on the political scene, bear the mundane responsibilies for economic production.
The connection between rural sociology and rural politics is a close on in Edo community. In villages military power is in the hands of the Ighele who supply the manpower. This, as far as is known, is rarely used to challenge the village elders and chiefs. The Igele, in consequence, exercise little or no power in the decision-making for the village. Since the village leadership rotates in cycles of generations, the Ighele patiently await their customary turn to become the village elders. The elders are the repository of power and authority in so far as they the traditional lawmakers of the village. Discussion and consensus are fundamental principles which animate decision-making in the Edo village. And the leaders of the elders, the Odionwere, are ultimately entrusted with the task of decision-making.Where a village has got a strong hereditary aristocracy, the decision-making function would be in the hands of it’s chiefs. In those villages were elders and chiefs co-exist, the distribution of power and it’s bearing on decision-making would depend on the personalities of the leading elders and chiefs.
On the national level, the distribution of power relative to the decision-making is not a simple affair in the Edo land. In a culture where the traditional masses are truly the silent majority, power is for all practical purposes elite-centered. It is shared among the King, the hereditary chiefs and the non-hereditary chiefs which consists of the Eghaevo Ogbe and Eghaevo Ore. Among the hereditary chiefs, the Uzama, the Ezomo, a military chief, is one of the most influential men in the Edo political system. Known traditionally to be a loyalist, he is one of those constant favorites of the Edo King, and in consequence a person who carries considerable weight in the council of state.
The town chiefs, the Eghaevo Ore, are an institutional representation of the people’s power and the people’s interest. Nineteen in number, they are led by four pre-eminent chiefs who are known as the four pillars of Edo. Among these are four, the Iyase, the prime minister, is the recognized leader of the town chiefs. Because the group is populist in intention and vision, it is independent of the king. Indeed, it is designed as an institutional check upon the monarchical authority.
The palace chiefs, the Eghaevo Ogbe, consist of three titled associations In the main, others being minor in status and functions. As palace officials who are close to the King, and as members of the council of state, this category of chiefs has got ample opportunities for wielding power. The royal class and the aristocracy constitute the power elite in Edo land for a number of reasons. In the first place, it is they who share in the main whatever commonwealth there is to share. In the second place, they are recognized and respected as influential leaders by the traditional masses. In the third place, it is they who make decisions for Edo land. And the council of state is the arena where they meet.
The council of state is composed of the Uzama, the town and palace chiefs and the King who also is it’s chairman. Although the Edo monarch si the supreme in constitutional theory, in practice he makes law and decisions with the aid of his council. The Edo monarch initiates the decision-making process through his power of convocation of the state council. In the council, he tables the various problems and issues facing his realm. Each of the council groups then withdraws to a separate chamber to deliberate on the issues and problems presented by the King. In the chambers of deliberation, each group takes position and makes its decision on the various problems. After the exclusive sessions, all the groups re-assemble with the King to reconcile divergent perspectives.
One thing is patently clear in the decision-making of the Edo land. The town chiefs, with the amazing determination and vigilance, struggle to protect the interest of the commoners. And the Iyase is the symbol of such determined vigilance. It is the for this reason that he is seen as the traditional opposition to the king. In any even, the art of reconciling the council view points, when they are divergent, is one in which indigenous Kings are masters. The Edo monarch shares in this ancient wisdom of reconciliation.