His Royal Highness, Ahaji D.Y.E Kanoba, Egiegbai II of Ekperi Clan

 

Preamble:

From the serene greens of Ugbekpe hails His Royal Highness, Alhaji D.E. Yusuf Kanoba, Egiegbai II of Ekperi. The kingly king is a regal royalty whose ambience expresses confidence and all the attitudes that make Afenmai thick.

Calculated, calm and confident _the Egiegbai is an endearing friend on whose shoulders his people find comfort. More so, he is a fierce protector of the people and territories of Ekperi. He speaks truth to power believing that the essence of power is to make life better for the powerless in society.

In this Spotlight ABSTV is beaming the torch at an unassuming monarch.

Born on the 28th of August in 1958, the young prince, son of HRH, M.Y. Kanoba, Egiegbai 1 under whose reign Ekperi land has witnessed geometric progression hails from Ugbekpe the Political cum Traditional Headquarters of Ekphei Igbedie-gbedie (the 14).

As a young prince he was always loyal to the course of his people by serving in whatever capacity he was called upon to serve especially when his late father became ill and needed to see the vast lands through the eyes of his son. HRH, Alhaji D.Y.E. Kanoba, Egiegbai II did not only sacrifice precious moments of his academic and social sojourn outside the shores of his home, he unassumingly struggled to carve his niche as a hardworking farmer who till date tills the soil, fishes and rears lifestock as the only business he has ever known aside handling the affairs of his people.

No wonder on the 14th of February 1992, when the Prince was enthroned as the Paramount Traditional Ruler of Ekperi people and her lands, the reception he enjoyed was overwhelming. The common people who he hitherto served in various capacities rolled the drums, sounded the gongs, marched and danced across the length and breadth of Ekphei Igbedie-gbedie to affirm the dawn of a new beginning in positivity for the green rocky lands of milk and honey.

However, a minute few who felt the urge to truncate this paradigm shift decided to toy with the collective patrimony of a peace loving people. How were they dealt with for challenging the decision of God to bless Ekperi with a visionary leader who will soon transform the communities therein? All who wanted to stand in the way of God’s anointed were met with ignominy and the rest today is history.

As the journey into his reign matured by 4 years, and in view of population growth, the Egiegbai II quickly saw the need to create more communities for the expansion of Ekperi to the tune of 21 from the already existing villages. New settlements were created as a result and traditional institutions were created with Zaikis, Daudus and Yamahs appointed to connect the people to their king and give them a voice for effective communication.

Milestones:

Having traveled the world, gotten exposure through education and social adventures, the King has driven home a lot of development programmes, activities and infrastructure.

Hitherto his coming on board, academic institutions were scarce as some communities couldn’t boast of having a block of classrooms to their name. Those that had at most one school at the time could not boast of having a conducive environment therein for learning. Seeing all these and the danger it portends for the people of Ekperi, His Highness quickly swung into action by calling on government at all levels, drawing attention to the educational need of his people, speaking and writing well meaning sons and daughters home and in the Diaspora as well as generating resources necessary for facilitating the establishment of primary and secondary schools (public and private). Today, aside Abebe and EDC, a multiplicity of government and privately owned schools decorate Ekperi lands.

Ekperi is famous for her abundant resources in the availability of forests, rich streams, and rivers. The former has attracted nomadic cattle handlers a.k.a herdsmen to the region and has resulted to unhealthy confrontations where farmers and herders engage in serious facas in time past. To address  the issue and other security concerns of Ekperi lands, His Highness gave his voice and threw his weight behind the creation of local security networks (called vigilante) during a security meeting held at the Otaru’s Palace in Auchi with the then Governor, H.E. Comr. Adams Aliu Oshiomhole of Edo state. This move together with collaboration with well meaning sons and daughters of Ekperi in Diaspora culminated into the creation of Local Vigilante Squads in not just the communities of Ekperi but in every Village of Afenmai.

What’s more? The foresighted visionary Monarch in a bid to maintain a sane society where humans are discerning and responsible brought in place mechanisms to ensure that certain aspects of the people’s culture that had become inimical to the collective progress of Ekperi were carefully addressed to avert sundry retrogressions. One of such practices is the flamboyant food wastages occasioned by certain festivities like Orka, Akhe’khior and Manhood ceremonies. The King believes strongly that in a world where more than half the population of humans suffer from poverty and hunger, those who are blessed with abundance of food must not take such blessings for granted.

“…these changes were criticized strongly. Some people expressed fear that our culture and traditions would meltdown as a result of the changes I effected. Today, looking at the sanity we’ve brought home, all who once criticized these changes are now the ones benefitting from same.”

_HRH, D.Y.E. Kanoba, Egiegbai II of Ekperi (October 3rd, 2021)

Have you had any reason to visit some of the communities in Ekperi? A cursory look reveals that the buzz of economic activities speaks highly of Ekperi as an emerging market, a hub of economic activities and this is a testimony to the fact that Ekperi is a home of agricultural produce in bounties and has put all modalities in place to create a market for her products in a secured environment where you need not fear to transact or deal in commercial activities with the people therein. This, His Royal Highness has ensured through a calculated effort at ensuring that seamless buying and selling is engendered for the ascension of the people’s socio-economic fortunes.

With the foregoing, it is safe to say that Ekperi is one of the safest places to transact any commercially profitable dealing in Edo North, thanks to HRH Alhaji D.Y.E. Kanoba.

No wonder, the Japanese together with LAPO established therein a Multimillion Dollar venture, the Ekperi Rice Project which was commissioned in March 2020.

Let’s draw the curtain on this episode with some interesting facts about His Highness;

·         His Highness does not believe Royals do not have to struggle through life to carve their own niches: he is a great farmer and a fine fisherman, a manifestation of what it means to struggle through life.

·         At 63 years, HRH, Alhaji D.Y.E. Kanoba spends quality time exercising: no wonder he has a great physique, appears very young, fit and with a stunning stamina to his swag.

·         He is very self-aware and eats healthy homemade dishes devoid of fats and sugar.

·         His Highness is a Martial Artiste _a Black Belter in Judo who featured prominently in National Games Festivals representing Kano state for 13years with a Silver Medal to his name.

·         He is a diehard fan of speaking truth to powers that be. The King is famous for letting erring politicians know their flaws not minding what the implications would be. He is also generous in appreciating working public officers.

·         He is a strong believer in the Nigerian Project who prays seriously for the betterment of the nation with the hope that soon all the problems bedeviling the nation will end.

·         He is a practicing Muslim, an Islamic Scholar and is happily married to 3wives who are greatly loved and cherished.

His Highness, Egiegbai II of Ekperi land is more so, an endearing father and friend whose doors are always open, whose shoulders are never weak to bear the leanings of the weak and he is one speaks positively of and for his people at all times and in all ways.

Being an accommodating and considerate father, he continually practices an open-door policy where everyone in Ekperi land has a say and a stake in matters that concern them. This is manifest in the show of love showered the king at home and in the Diaspora. This Love is the weapon with which His Highness Builds Ekperi and Defends her people.

 LONG LIVE THE KING

ABSTV Spotlight 2021.