Olu Ginuwa II

Olu Ginuwa II was a Nigerian traditional title holder and paramount leader of the Itsekiri who was Olu of Warri from 1936 to 1949. He was the 17th Olu of Warri Kingdom with the title Ogiame Ginuwa II. He was born Emiko Ikengbuwa. He succeeded his grandfather Olu Akengbuwa as Olu of Warri after an interregnum that lasted 88 years when Warri's political leadership was dominated by merchant princes. Atsibutsere Skinn, son of Princess Agbeje Ikengbuwa, presided over the selection and installation of Ogiame Ginuwa II in 1936 as head of the royal family. Background and the interregnum

Ginuwa II was a great-grandson of Olu Akengbuwa, the last Olu of Warri before the interregnum, who died in 1848. Following Akengbuwa's death, a dynastic crisis arose after the death of all potential successors, resulting in an 88-year period during which no Olu was crowned and Warri's political leadership was dominated by powerful merchant governors. The influence of these merchant governors was significantly weakened by the British Royal Navy's defeat of the merchant prince Nana Olomu in the War of 1894, which paved the way for the restoration of the monarchy.

Reign

Ginuwa II was crowned in 1936 with the title Ogiame Ginuwa II. At the time of his coronation, the colonial administration designated his title as "Olu of Itsekiri" rather than the historical "Olu of Warri", following pressure from the Urhobo Progressive Union under Chief Mukoro Mowoe, who argued that the Warri title implied authority over non-Itsekiri groups within Warri Province. The Itsekiri people protested this change throughout his reign.

His reign was described as a period of peace, progress and harmony in Itsekiri land, and he was known for his tolerance and was widely loved by his people. He died in 1949 and was succeeded by his son, Erejuwa II, who was crowned as the 18th Olu of Warri in 1951. The title was restored to Olu of Warri in 1952 under Erejuwa II following sustained Itsekiri protests.