The Great Ogbidi Okojie is a classic definition of bequeath, whose larger-than-life essence was bequeathed from the bravery ontology of his ancestor, King Agba N'Ojie the Great (1483–1507), who defeated the Benin forces and beheaded the Oba of Benin, Oba Ozolua around 1501 – 1504, and buried him in Esan land, in the 15th century during the Esan and Benin war. HRM King Ogbidi Okojie of Uromi is an immortality colossus, a pre-independent replica of his ancestor, with an aura of standing tall as the 14th ONOJIE of the great Uromi throne to exude the uncommon pride of Esan ingenuity and greatness of the great UROMI throne.
During the 15th century, the Uzea war as it was called, happened. This war was between the Uromi Kingdom and the Benin Kingdom. The war lasted from 1501 to 1504, and resulted from a refusal of friendship from Oba Ozolua of Benin by Onojie Agba of Uromi. The war ended at the town of Uzea, when Oba Ozolua was beheaded during the War in Esanland and while king Agba N'Ojie of Uromi on the other hand, never died immediately, rather vanished into Ahojie bush as assumed by the Esan people and was never seen till date and the people of Esan deified him as a God of WAR and is being worshipped today under a tall Kapok tree that is evergreen throughout the year. Note it was after that war that the original coinage of Esan "Gbe Edo" originated, Meaning Esans has defeated the Benin in War. At that time, it was even used as a name among Esans as well. However, in peaceful times as time evolved with more wars around the corner, for Esans and Benin to take care of, a Treaty of PEACE was signed between Esans and the Benins, which the Esan call ukoven which was done and sealed by planting the Ohimi tree, and pledged on the Ohimi oath, "Esan I Gbedo" what is now know today as "ESan Igbe Edo" meaning Esans will no longer attack Benin. The Esan kingdoms would also loan soldiers to the Benin Kingdom, such as during the Idah War of 1515-1516, and the sacking of Akure in 1823.
During the nineteenth century, many Esan kingdoms from the south helped in the battle to fend off the Nupes. The battles came into the Esan’s’ favour; several Nupe and Etsako warriors were brought into Esan cities where their posterity reside today. The nineteenth century brought increasing influence of Europe on Esanland, as the English demanded palm-products.
The great Uromi throne is more than 200 years older than the Oba of Benin throne which started in the 12th century with Oba Eweka 1. The Benin Kingdom would later became very prominent and powerful at the time, commanding huge influence within and outside Nigeria. At its peak, before the arrival of the colonial masters, Benin Kingdom was highly feared by it's neighbours. It fought wars with neighbours and conquered surrounding communities. While The Uromi throne started in the 10th century, after the end of the Odionwere era in Esan land. The throne started with Onojie Ijiesan as the first king of the new kingdom. Our ancestors were wise, the Elimin of Esan, as though they knew a time like this would come when our history would be encroached with mutilation and fabrication by narcissistic palace centric web of self-entitlement elements called our neighbors, who are today suffering from the pain of primordial narratives of falsehood that is collapsing under the weight of truth. As such, our Ancestors left a landmark of our identity behind with the naming of the first king of Uromi as Onojie Ijiesan, so that the whole world would know that, we have always been Esan as a tribe, existing as Esan ontologically.
Moreso, the Onojie of Umoni kingdom had lasted 400 years before Esan who left home to found Igodomigodo returned back home in the late 14th century on reverse migration to join the autochthonous Esan at home. Esan left Igodomigodo in exodus back home on reverse migration as a result of Oba Ewuare's abominable and sacrilegious acts of human sacrifices, and sleeping with his sisters, and the wives and mothers of his servants. An act that was against the spirituality, culture, tradition and deities of Esan people, an abomination to Esan ancestors, the Elimin of Esan. Back to HRM the great King Ogbidi Okojie of UROMI, he was a master strategist who holistically protected the great Esan autonomy as a confederating unit in the way our ancestors created it. The Monarch was the grandfather of a Nigerian nationalist, Pa Anthony Eromosele Enahoro.
From 1900 to 1944, when the King Ogbidi assumed the throne of his ancestors, he resisted British rule, and by 1906, he was exiled to Calabar, a few years after Oba Ovonramwen was also exiled to Calabar by the British. While Oba Ovonramwen went to Calabar clad in his Yoruba-origin Adire, because at that time, the Benins had not developed a distinct traditional regalia. Ogbidi Okojie went to Calabar clad in Esan ancient and rich great Igbulu and Ijakpa with an uncommon euphoria of the identity of a proudly Esan King, originating from Esan with the pride of ESANAIGBE. Consequently, by 1914, Oba Ovonramwen died in Calabar like a loner, While the Esan Monarch, Ogbidi Okojie, in the greatness of Esan spirituality, vanished back home from Calabar in 1915 and continued to fight and resist British rule.
The British came again and arrested the Esan monarch Ogbidi Okojie, and exiled him to Benin, but fear of reprisal attack from Esan that could combust the already volatile state of Benin, as such, after Ogbidi Okojie had been exiled to Benin, he was immediately taken to Ibadan on exile for the third time. After arriving at Ibadan, he vanished again back home and continued resisting the British, and was rearrested again by the British and taken back to Ibadan. There, a truce was reached between King Ogbidi Okojie and the British for indirect rule; he then came back home as a hero and established a Customary native court at Ubiaja as the Divisional Supreme Judge under the British system of indirect rule, where he tried offenders on criminal matters, both in Esan land, Kukuruku (today's Etsako), and Agbor, all under his juridical jurisdiction as the supreme judge.
That was how he ruled, built roads to Agbor, Uromi, Ehor and as well built schools that largely edified and added to the primacy of place of Esan land, making Esan the most educated tribe in Edo State. Those were among the legacy of King Ogbidi Okojie till he joined his ancestors, the Elimin of Esan in 1944. The Monarch was a Renaissance, unyielding umbrella of the great Esan race. That dogged ancestral impetus was what he bequeathed to his grandson, Pa Anthony Eromosele Enahoro, who also resisted the British and moved the motion for Nigerian independence in 1953.