Àtá Idakwo Michael Ameh Oboni II
His Royal Majesty[1]
Monarch of Igala Kingdom
In office10 March 2013 – 27 August 2020
PredecessorAttah Aliyu Ocheja Obaje
SuccessorAttah Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa II
Born1948
Idah, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now Idah, Kogi State, Nigeria)
Died27 August 2020
Abuja, Nigeria
Burial
Idah, Nigeria
Names
Ìdákwó Ọm Àámẹ́-Óbòní
HouseÒhíémi Ọ̀bọgọ(Aju Òcholi)
FatherÀtá Àámẹ́ẹ̀ Óbòní I
ReligionChristianity
Occupation• Military officer
• Civil servant
• Àtá Ígáláà

Idakwo Michael Ameh Oboni II (listenⓘ) (1948 – August 27, 2020)[2] was the 27th Àtá Ígálá (paramount ruler) of the Igala Kingdom in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.[3][4]

Life and education

Oboni II was born in 1948. In 1960, he completed his primary school education at Saint Boniface in Idah. He then advanced to Saint Augustine College, Kabba, where he graduated in 1967.[5] He proceeded to Kaduna Polytechnic afterwards and graduated with a certificate in Estate Management in 1980.[5]

Working career

He then joined the Nigerian Air Force in 1968 and voluntarily left service in 1974. He later worked as land inspection officer in the Ministry of Lands in the then old Kwara State and left in 1975 in pursuit of education. In 1981, he joined the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and over the years, rose to the position of Deputy Director, retiring in 2006.[5]

Kingship

After the demise of the 26th Àtá Igala Àtá Àlíì Ọ̀chẹ́ja Òtúlúkpé Ọ̀bàje in 2012,[6] Àámẹ́ was unanimously selected by the four ruling houses in Anẹ Ígálá as successor to the throne. His nomination was forwarded to the Nine (9) Igalamela Kingmakers as part of the traditional process. The Kingmakers endorsed his nomination for onward transmission to the Achadu oko-Ata (Igala Kingdom Prime Minister).[7] His endorsement by the Igala Prime Minister was forwarded to the Kogi State Traditional Council and finally approved by kogi State Governor Capt Idris Ichala Wada.[8] He confessed to be the first Ata to be married to a single wife in the history of Igala land.[5]

With the coming of the Buhari administration in Nigeria, HRM Ameh Oboni II in 2016 in Idah, during the celebration of his third anniversary on the throne, tasked the president "to begin his change mantra in Kogi State".[9]

After the 2019 electoral polls ensued by violence, the Àtá Ígálá placed ancestral curse on those who perpetrated those electoral violent acts in the state.[10]

Legacy

He was described as a man of peace and one who gave wise counsels and with a reputation for honesty. His son, Prince Ocholi Idakwo described him as "a man of action and one who was passionate about upholding the rich culture of Igala".[11]

Demise

He reportedly died on Thursday morning on 27 August 2020 after a brief reign of about eight years, which began after the death of his predecessor who reigned for 52 years.[12] Oboni II died in an Abuja hospital after undergoing an unsuccessful pile operation.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Sule, Itodo Daniel (2 March 2019). "Attah Igala Invokes Curse On Perpetrators, Sponsors Of Political Violence". Lokoja: Daily Trust. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "Attah of Igala,Dr.Aliyu Obaje is dead". Newsdiaryonline. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "Buhari mourns Attah Igala, Michael Oboni II". Premium Times Nigeria. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  4. ↑ Moribirin, Rosemary (27 August 2020). "Breaking: In Kogi, Attah of Igala is dead". Blueprint. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ameh, Attah Igala, dies during operation in Abuja". The Cable. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "Attah Igala, Aliyu Obaje dies at 102 | Premium Times Nigeria". 17 July 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "Intrigues as race for Attah Igala stool heats up". Daily Trust. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  8. ↑ Ottah, Gabriel Alhassan (27 October 2015). "African Culture and Communication Systems in the Coronation of Ata Igala, North- Central Nigeria". AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities. 4 (3): 208–228. doi:10.4314/ijah.v4i3.18. ISSN 2227-5452.
  9. ↑ Sule, Itodo Daniel (30 March 2016). "Nigeria: Attah Igala Tasks Buhari On Change Mantra". All Africa. Daily Trust (Abuja). Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "Dr Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni 11 Attah Igala places ancestral curse on perpetrators of electoral violence". The Guardian. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  11. ↑ Olaniyi, Muideen (29 August 2020). "Buhari: Late Attah Igala, Ameh Oboni II, Was A Man Of Peace". Daily Trust. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "Attah of Igala, Idakwo Ameh Oboni II, passes away". KAFTANPost. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.


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