SUMMARY
It has been show from the above analysis that Esan people which is one of the major groups in Edo State, South-South geo-political zone of Nigeria had viable indigenous political institution. Prior to colonial administration, Esan political system gave it citizens equal opportunity in decision making and its own institutions through which law and order were maintained. Every male adult participated in the meetings and decision making process. The people had their means of maintaining law and order and their traditional ways of settling disputes. These were done through the activities of age grades and the verdicts of the village council.
It was highlighted that Esan land had thirty one kingdoms with thirty one monarchs (Onojie). Thus, when Esan territories were finally subdued in 1906 after a fierce and heroic resistance, the colonial authorities were confronted with the problem of how to administer the area. In the course of this endeavour, they formulated and implemented policies such as paramount native authority, native court and native administration system.
The colonial authorities first experimented with the rule of supremacy that witnessed Benin chiefs ruling over Esan villages. The unwholesome activities of the paramount chiefs in Esan brought their reign to an abrupt end leading to an administrative reconsideration by the British. However, through the native courts and native administration, the British took charge of the machinery of government in Esan land with the introduction of the British system of administration; the authorities of Enijie were recognized and were subsequently appointed Districts Heads of their respective clans. Thus, Enijie became the native administration of their clan while Ediowele were made the native authority of their respective villages. Various courts were established with varying degree of jurisdiction. Grades B, C, D and E courts were established in this regard and were charged with the functions of justice dispensation. Marriage procedures and tax accretion were among the functions executed under the new order. As stated, the participation of the indigenous institutions was anchored on the pre-existing socio-political order.
At the end of colonial dispensation in 1960, the monarchical institutions in Esan land as in other parts of the country were stripped of their executive legislative and judicial powers which had hitherto enjoyed. The British juridical administration became very critical because British administrator established and entrenched a western type judicial system of dispensing justice to replace the traditional system of providing justice in Esan land. The people began to seek redress through this judicial system of administration in the native courts than hearing their cases and grievances in the indigenous central judicial court at the palace. As a result of this, the traditional method of dispensing justice was replaced with the western type of judicial administration. More to this, the appointment of Enijie as heads of the native courts on rotational basis did not prove much as the courts to still depended heavily on British official system. In summary, the traditional rulers thus graduated from their hitherto independent to subjective status in the colonial period. In this situation, they could no longer take independent decisions without consultation and approval from the colonial overlords especially the district officer. In the course of this situation, the people began to view their traditional rulers as part and parcel of the colonial administration. The awe and reverence with which they hitherto held them began to wane. The involvement of the British authorities in the deposition and appointments of selected Enijie readily comes to mind.
Having assessed the colonial administration and political institution in Esan land, there were still noticeable changes and continuity in the administrative system of governance in Esan territories. With the coming of the British in 1900 new form of politics and other human activities were introduced as evidence by the creation of the paramount chiefs and the limitation of their powers which was placed under the suspension of the district officer from the 1920 onwards. The Native Authority and native courts and the native treasury were introduced in 1921. There is no gain saying that indigenous political institutions in Nigeria have undergone several changes from the pre-colonial through colonial to post-colonial periods. Through these periods, the institutions have transformed from being independent to their present day dependent status.
The erosion of the powers of traditional political institutions in Esan land as in the whole of Nigeria which began during the period of colonial rule continued even after independence when they became an integral part of the post-colonial government. There is a plethora of studies have documented the parliamentary system which the post-colonial government operated during the reign in Nigeria. The parliamentary system made provision for Houses of Chiefs at the regional levels to accommodate the traditional rulers and in the course of their participation in government, some of them began to identify with the ruling political parties at the regional levels. This led to situations where some traditional rulers were not only relegated to the back but deposed when former opposition parties came to power. When the military took over the rein of government in Nigeria from 1966, the traditional rulers again became the channels by which they could reach the people. In this endeavours, the military government courted their friendship by offering them incentives such as enhanced remuneration and exotic cars. The local government reforms which were introduced by the military government in 1976 did not help the status of traditional rulers but were instead placed under the local government councils.
The traditional rulers in Nigeria today are now ‘’employees’’ of the local government councils in which their kingdoms belong, having thus become an integral part of the government since colonial time, the traditional rulers gradually isolated themselves from their people, who had been at the receiving end of the repressive policies formulated and implemented by successive government in Nigeria. These situations have forced a majority of the people to distance themselves from their traditional rulers except politicians who require the support of traditional rulers to enhance their position ambition.
In order to sustain the extravagant lifestyles which their romance with the government has placed them, some traditional rulers began to award traditional titles to all sorts of person without taking into consideration the character of such. Some traditional rulers in Esan land award titles not only to persons of questionable character but purely for a pecuniary consideration. The ridiculous aspect of this craze for wealth is the situation where some Enije award titles which transcend their kingdoms spanning the entire Esan land. For examples, “Iyase of Esan”, Ezomo of Esan”, Oniha of Esan” “Esogban of Esan’’ among others, such titles are not the only aberration but have no precedent in Esan history and culture.
It is worthy to reiterate there has never been any forum where all Esan traditional rulers met to take a common decision including award of titles in the pre-colonial period. So, there were no common titles in Esan. Traditional titles were the reform localized in every Esan kingdom. As a result, traditional titles such as Iyase, Ezomo, Esogban, Ero Edohen and others are replicated in all the thirty –one kingdoms in Esan. Thus according ‘’Esan wide’’ titles such as ‘’Iyase of Esan, ‘’Ezomo of Esan’’ and “Oduma of Esan’’ by any Onojie is not only aberration and ridiculous but with no precedent in Esan history. The idea of such titles is also one of the legacies of colonial rule in Esan land.
This writer aligns with the submission of J.I. Osagie that in the interest of peace and harmony among Esan people, the entire traditional ruler should restrict themselves to awarding titles that are tenable in their territories. Although traditional ruler can no longer detach themselves from the government of the day, it is in their own interest to insulate themselves from contemporary politics by maintaining the role “father of all” and the repository of the culture and traditions of their people. It is only in this context that they will continue to be relevant to their people and the nation at large.
In spite of colonial rule, however, some traditional institutions such as family, extended family, age grade among others have survived the test of time and still retain their pre-colonial characteristics in Esan land. The most important of these institutions is the Odionwele which has survived and still retained its pre-colonial characteristics. This may be due to the fact that among the political institutions in Esan land, the odionwele is the closet to the people. Till date, when issues about tradition and culture such as marriage, inheritance, birth, and death among others emerge, most Esan people still resort to their odionwele and the village council instead of the modern judicial system for settlement. As the custodians of the tradition and culture of the people, the people believe that the Edionwele would not pervert justice under any circumstance. So, it is suggested that the institution of Odionwele should be assigned some roles in the present dispensation especially in the area of alternative dispute resolution which some states in Nigeria are already experimenting.
