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The word Esan is a Bini word meaning “they jumped away, or they have fled.” The
name became the accepted name of the group of people who escaped from the
reign of Oba Ewuare of Benin in the middle of the 15th century. During the 15th
century, the Oba Ewuare of Benin had two sons that both tragically died on the
same day. Mourning the death of his sons, Oba Ewuare declared to the whole
kingdom that there shall be no sexual intercourse in the kingdom; no washing,
sweeping of the houses or compound, drumming or dancing; and making of fire in
the land. Oba Ewuare insisted that these laws be strictly adhered to for a period of
three years as a mark of respect for his dead sons.
Unable to abide by these rules, many natives fled the Bini Kingdom to join previous
groups that had already migrated out of the kingdom years before (notably, the
groups that had earlier formed Irrua, Uromi, and Ekpoma). Soon after, the Oba
summoned a meeting of his subjects from various quarters and, to his amazement,
noticed that they had greatly diminished in numbers. When the Oba asked where
his subjects had gone to, he was told, “Ele san-fia” (“They have fled”). This later
turned into E-san-fia and then Esan. When Oba Ewuare saw that his kingdom was
quickly becoming depopulated, he revoked his laws but the migrations continued.
Oba Ewuare tried to wage war against the migrants but this failed.
According to Jacob Egharevba, author of A Short History of Benin, the Oba
conquered 201 towns and villages but he had to use diplomacy for many of the
other scattered towns and villages in the forest in order to bring them under Benin
rule. Thus, Oba Ewuare invited Esan leaders or their representatives to Benin for a
truce. He enticed them with the idea of having an attachment to Benin City and of
their having the honor of being called “Onojie”, which means king. The future of
Esan rested on the Esan who went to Benin and took the title of Onojie. It was not
an easy decision for the Esan leaders to decide whether or not to go. Many feared
Oba Ewuare but also did not want more military attacks against them. To reduce
their fears, Benin promised military support for the Onojie to enforce authority
over insubordinate subjects (Eweka, 1992: pp. 83-84). Only three leaders actually
went to Benin in person.
All three were apparently men who had nothing to fear from the Oba due to
various reasons. The first was Ekpereijie, the son of Oba Ohen’s daughter and a
sister to Oba Ewuare. The sister had been given to the leader of Irrua. Ekperejie
came without fear because relations must have been cordial between Irrua and
Benin.
The second was Alan of Ewohimi, the son of Ikimi who had left Benin prior to the
reign of Oba Ewuare and as such was not considered as one of those who fled the
city by the Oba. The third was Ijiebomen who left Benin for Ekpoma after the Oba
had granted him leave (Eweka, 1992: p.169, 174). In contrast to those mentioned
above, chief Okhirare of Ohordua, had especially offended the Oba and would not
risk his neck, so he sent his heir Odua to Benin (Eweka, 1992: p. 272).
His brother and leader of Emu also sent his son rather than risk his life. Three other
Esan leaders dispatched brothers as their representatives to the meeting in Benin.
Ede felt he was only less than the Oba by degrees and as such refused to honor the
call. He then sent his junior brother to listen to what the Oba had to say. The
leader of Ubgoha also asked his junior brother to go on his behalf. The leader of
Uromi sent his junior brother to find out what the Oba had to say. Ewuare
concealed his anger at the impertinent leaders in Esan since he was a skilled
diplomat.
During the meeting, he told the visitors how they had migrated from Benin. He
enthroned the Benin court traditions in Esan. The Oba bestowed the title of Onojie
on those that were present at the meeting. This historic moment happened in
1463. Instantly, the Oba made them rulers of their communities and subservient
only to the Oba. Above all, this noble title was not transferable to father, brother,
or master, and once an Onojie, always an Onojie until death (Okojie, 1960: p.37).
Where Oba Ewuare had enthroned a proxy as Onojie except in Ewohimi, Irrua and
Ekpoma, strife and hatred followed as the new leaders began to assert authority
and control over the elders. Thus, the Oba wielded the numerous villages into
large political entities that hitherto became known as chiefdoms, loosely knitted
villages, ruled by the Enijie.
Esan, pronounced “aysan” is one of the major ethnic groups in Edo State, Nigeria.
The name ‘Esan’ owes its origin to Bini and was once corrupted to ‘Ishan’ by
colonial Britain. Esanland is bordered to the south by Benin, to the south-east by
Agbor, to the north and east by Etsako, to the west by River Niger. From Ewu to
Benin City, the State capital, is 100kms long. The people populate areas such as
Uromi, Ewatto, Igueben, Irrua, Ubiaja, Ebele, Ehor, Ekpoma, Ewu, etc. in central Edo
State, in southern Nigeria.
It has flat landscape, one lacking in rocks and mountains, and good for agricultural
purpose. Rubber tree (used for the production of plastic products) and palm tree
rank highest among Esan trees. The land’s variety of fruits range from mango,
orange, grape, pineapple, guava, cashew, banana, plantain, black pear, avocado
pear, lime to walnut and even more. Cassava, yam, cocoa yam, sweet potato,
pepper, okra and rice are some of its farm produce. It has numerous streams.
There are now 35 clans in Esanland, each of which is headed by a king called an
Onojie. The clans include: Ekpoma, Uromi, Ekpon, Emu, Ewohimi, Ewatto, Irrua,
Ubiaja, Egoro, Wossa, Ukhun, Ugbegun, Igueben, Idoa, Ohordua, Okhuesan, Oria,
Ogwa, Okalo, Ebelle, Uzea, Onogholo, Orowa, Urohi, Ugun, Udo, Ujiogba, Iyenlen,
Ifeku, Iliushi, Amahor, Opoji, Ugboha, Uroh, and Ewu.
Our Land
Today Esanland is divided into five Local Government Areas namely:
- Esan West LGA
- Esan Central LGA
- Esan North East LGA
- Esan South East LGA
- Igueben LGA