r Divine Oba, and to burn the very heart of our civilization.
Following this theft of our peace, the year 1914 saw our ancient sovereignty shackled. We were forced, without our consent or counsel, into a geopolitical contraption called Nigeria.
Let it be known to every corner of the earth: this amalgamation was not a covenant of equals; it was a map drawn by strangers for the convenience of an empire that did not own our soil. These acts were not legal.
They violated the natural rights of a sovereign people and the established international norms of the era. A forced union is not a marriage; it is a cage.
The Path to Sovereignty: The Legal Restoration
The regaining of our Sovereignty is not a call to chaos, but a call to Order, Law, and Justice.
We do not seek to tear down, but to restore what was illegitimately taken.
The path to the restoration of the Benin Kingdom and Empire lies in the following legal pillars:
The Right to Self-Determination: Under the United Nations Charter and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, all indigenous peoples have the inalienable right to determine their political status and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.
The Nullification of Colonial Treaties: Many of the "treaties" used to justify colonial rule were signed under duress or through fraudulent representation.
We must challenge the legal validity of the 1914 Amalgamation, asserting that a people cannot be permanently bound by an instrument they never ratified.
Decolonization Frameworks: We shall engage the international community to recognize the Benin Kingdom as a distinct historical entity whose sovereignty was interrupted, not extinguished.
A Call to the Future
True-born Edolites, the blood of warriors and craftsmen flows in your veins!
We have been too long content with the crumbs of a system that does not know our name. It is time to look beyond the horizon of "Nigeria" and see the rising sun of the Great Benin Kingdom. I call on you to shake off the lethargy of the bystander.
We must organize at the grassroots, educate our youth on their true identity, and speak with one thunderous voice.
Let us embrace a future where our children grow up as citizens of a restored Empire, governed by our traditions and propelled by modern excellence.
The task is strenuous, but the reward is immortality.
Let us strive to do the work, to be the architects of our own liberation, and to ensure that the Great Benin Kingdom shall once again stand as a beacon of power and dignity among the nations of the earth.
Forward Ever, to the Restoration of our Land!
Oba ghato kpere Ise!
Signed
Prince Joseph Ogiehor
Self Appointed Envoy to Benin Kingdom in Diaspora