In a statement sent to Sundiata Post by his media adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan said: “I received, with profound grief, the news of the passage to eternal glory of the Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa, the Oba of Benin, after a glorious 36 years on the throne.
“The late Oba Erediauwa was an exemplary monarch who was highly revered and respected across the country because of his love for peace
and knack for conflict resolution. He was in deed a peace-loving father figure, a stabilising force and courageous bridge builder who devoted so much energy to not only bringing communities closer, but
also ensuring rancor-free politicking by uniting politicians of divergent principles and proclivities.
“He was in a class of his own as a cultural aficionado; a devotee of his people’s tradition, who gave so much of himself in serving as the custodian and spiritual guide of the iconic Benin culture and
civilisation.
“He also acquitted himself as a highly principled public servant, an accomplished scholar and a nationalist who remained committed to the
cause for Nigeria’s unity, growth and renaissance.
“I can recollect easily from my personal interactions with the late Oba Erediauwa that he was a modest, urbane, and rational monarch whose counsel carried faultless ring.
“He will indeed be missed by his family, the good people of the great Benin Kingdom, Edo State, and the entire nation.”
