Ewuare II

Career He worked at the United Nations between 1981 and 1982. He also served as Nigeria's Ambassador to Angola and Sweden, with accreditation to Norway, Denmark and the Republic of Finland. He was also Nigeria's Ambassador to Italy.

Reign

Ewuare II chose his name as tribute to the 15th-century Ewuare I. Since his ascension to the throne, Ewuare II worked closely with Godwin Obaseki, a former governor of Edo State. Like many of his predecessors, he started his rule by demanding that the spiritually and historically important Benin Bronzes that were taken during the Benin Expedition of 1897 by the British Empire be returned. One analyst reported that "what the oba has done is likely to be more effective than anything the international anti-trafficking community has managed to do after millions of dollars and many years".

In 2021, the University of Aberdeen approved the repatriation of one of the Benin Bronzes, which was handed to a delegation that included representatives of Ewuare II on 28 October 2021. He received it, and a bronze cockerel returned by Jesus College, Cambridge, at a ceremony in the royal palace in Benin City on 19 February 2022.

Personal life By the time he was crowned Oba, Ewuare was married to Queen Iroghama (Obazuaye N'erie), Princess Iyayiota (Obazuwa N'erie) and Princess Ikpakpa (Ohe N'erie). He later married more women.