Holy Aruosa Cathedral Hosts Royal Thanksgiving For Igue Festival
By TOSAN OYAKHILOME-AKAHOMEN
THE Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, on Sunday presided over a royal thanksgiving service at the historic Holy Aruosa Cathedral in Benin City to mark the 2025 Igue Festival. The event brought together Palace Chiefs, members of the royal household, dukes, village heads, guild representatives and other eminent personalities, underscoring the festival’s cultural and spiritual significance in the Benin Kingdom.
During the service, Chief Priest and Ohen-Osa (Ohen-Osa), Igbinoghodua Igbinoghodua Edebiri, delivered a strongly worded sermon, lamenting the erosion of family values and the growing wave of social vices within households. He emphasised that the Benin throne was established by God under divine ordinance and cautioned against actions or rhetoric capable of destabilising peace in Edo State and Nigeria.
Edebiri urged worshippers to avoid unlawful and abominable acts that could bring shame, disgrace, or divine wrath upon families and the society, warning that consequences awaited those who undermine moral order. The cathedral atmosphere shifted from solemnity to celebration as the Aruosa choir delivered soul-stirring musical renditions and choreographed dance sequences, thrilling worshippers and guests who responded with applause and excitement.
