BENIN CITY — Long before he ascended the revered throne of Benin as Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Ewuare II, he was known as Prince Eheneden Erediauwa — a young royal whose career had already taken him from Nigerian classrooms to universities in Britain and the United States and, later, into international diplomacy.
A photograph attributed to Alex Guosa Igbineweka, believed to have been taken in the 1990s, offers a glimpse of the future monarch before he assumed the traditional institution’s highest throne.
The exact date of the photograph has not been independently established.
Born on October 20, 1953, Eheneden Erediauwa is the son of the late Oba Erediauwa. According to a biographical profile published by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), he attended Edo College in Benin City from 1965 to 1967 before continuing his secondary education at Immaculate Conception College, Benin City, from 1968 to 1970.
He later travelled to Britain, where he obtained his A-Level qualification from South Thames College in London. He went on to study Economics at the University of Wales and subsequently earned a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University Graduate School in New Jersey, United States.
His career subsequently extended beyond his royal background.
Published biographical accounts state that Erediauwa worked with the United Nations between 1981 and 1982 before entering Nigeria’s diplomatic service. He later served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Sweden, with concurrent accreditation to Norway, Denmark and Finland, as well as ambassador to Angola and Italy.
The diplomatic career gave the future monarch extensive international exposure before his return to the traditional institution of Benin.
In 2016, following the death of his father, Eheneden Erediauwa emerged as the successor to the Benin throne. He was crowned Oba Ewuare II on October 20, 2016, his 63rd birthday. The National Open University of Nigeria identifies him as the 40th Oba of Benin.
He adopted the name Ewuare in tribute to Oba Ewuare I, the celebrated 15th-century ruler of Benin.
Since his accession, Oba Ewuare II has also been associated with efforts to promote Benin’s cultural heritage and the return of artefacts taken from the kingdom during the British invasion of Benin in 1897.
The photograph from the 1990s therefore captures a different chapter in the life of the man who would later become one of Nigeria’s most prominent traditional rulers: not yet in royal regalia, but already a highly educated member of the Benin royal family and an emerging international diplomat.
Decades later, the image offers a visual reminder of the journey from Prince Eheneden Erediauwa to Oba Ewuare II — from a young royal building a career abroad to the occupant of the historic Benin throne.
Photo caption: Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, now His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, in a photograph attributed to Alex Guosa Igbineweka. The exact date of the photograph has not been independently established.
Sources: National Open University of Nigeria; The Sun Nigeria; Edo Heritage.
