Benin City

Benin City is one of the oldest cities in Nigeria, dating back to pre-colonial times. It was the capital of one of the most advanced and organised kingdoms in Africa before the arrival of the British. The city used to be the capital of the old Bendel state until this was divided into Edo and Delta states. Benin City is the capital of Edo State, and had a population of about 1.5 million people in 2015.

This article also covers Ovia North-East which houses Igbinedion University.

Understand


The original people and founders of the Benin Empire, the Edo people, were ruled by the Ogiso (Kings of the Sky) dynasty from 40 BCE to 1100 CE, who called their land Igodomigodo. The rulers or kings were commonly known as Ogiso. Benin grew rich during the 16th and 17th centuries due to trade within southern Nigeria, as well as through trade with Europeans, mostly in pepper and ivory. In the early 16th century the Oba sent an ambassador to Lisbon, and the King of Portugal sent Christian missionaries to Benin. Many Portuguese loan words can still be found today in the languages of the area.

On 17 February 1897, Benin City fell to the British in the "Punitive Expedition", in which a 1,200-strong British force conquered and razed the city after all but two men from a previous British expeditionary force were killed. Until then, Benin City had been known for its impressive architecture, including its city walls that were said to be four times as long as the Great Wall of China, but these were all destroyed by the British in the 1897 expedition. The Benin Bronzes, portrait figures, busts and groups created in iron, carved ivory, and especially in brass, were taken from the city by the British and are displayed in various British museums. Some of the bronzes were auctioned off to compensate for the expenses incurred during the invasion of the city. Various appeals have been made to the British government to return such artifacts. The capture of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the merging of later regional British conquests into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.

In Benin City, there is a notable house/building known as Palm House which according to records was built by the Military Government of Late Retired General Samuel Ogbemudia, to accommodate ministries and agencies in the 1970s. The name came about as a result of the two or three Palm Trees in front of the buildings. The palm house was then an ultra-modern 12-storey building complex, furnished with elevators, central air-conditioning system and other social amenities that distinctly defined comfort, to give the place an attractive honor to those who were privileged to have it as their work place.

Since Nigeria's independence from British rule in 1960, Benin City has been a regional capital.

Oredo is a local government area in Benin City. Oredo is home to Oba of Benin, Esama of Benin Kingdom and many notable people. Oredo has an area of 249km2 and during the 2006 population census, Oredo recorded a population of over 375,000. It is populated with different Benin indigenes and a few Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo indigenes.

Districts

 * — a densely populated northern district of Benin City

Get in
is a small airport with a few daily flights from Lagos and Abuja, with Arik Air offering the most flights.

Benin is known for its road transport, so a visitor can get to the city from almost any city in the country. From Lagos, it takes about 4 hours to get to Benin, but it's best to travel during the day because the bad roads make the journey a lot longer and more stressful. From Port Harcourt, it's about 4 hours 30 minutes to Benin. The journey from Port Harcourt is a lot easier because there are better roads on that stretch. The roads in Benin City are not very good and traffic regulations are rarely enforced in this busy city, so hold-ups and traffic jams are common in some parts of the city.

By bus
You can easily get into Benin by bus, there are several bus transport services that offer services from different states to Benin, some are: and many more
 * Iyare Motors
 * GUO Motors
 * Agofure Motors
 * Efex Motors
 * Muyi Line Motors
 * Muyi Line Motors

Get around
Getting around in Benin isn't too difficult. The roads are fairly well constructed, and the city is well linked and networked. If you come in by air, there are taxis at the airport to take you probably anywhere you wish to go for an affordable price. And if you come in by road and are taken to the terminal of the transport service, you will also find taxis ready to take you anywhere. Taxis and buses are supposed to be painted red or rather wine on their body and yellow on the roof. But there are some buses and taxis that don't obey that code.

Most roads lead to the ring road, so to get to some places, you actually have to get to the ring road and then take another bus or cab to your destination. Moving from one part of town to another is usually done by bus but on some routes, you can also take a taxi. There are no standard bus stops in the city so generally when you are in a commercial vehicle that has reached your destination, you would alert the driver by saying "stop" or "drop", and then he would come to a halt. Don't hesitate to say this as the driver will certainly take you past your destination if you don't.

The city has a very active nightlife, and getting around at night time is pretty much the same as getting around during the daytime, except that some routes become more dangerous at night time, so take precautions.

Apart from buses and taxis, you can also get around the city with motorbikes. But the state has a law that bans the movement of commercial motorbikes between 7 PM and 6 AM.

And of course, the popular car-hailing services (Bolt, Uber, and others) are readily available in Benin City, to get you around, all you need to do is to just place an order from the comfort of your home and a car, a driver would be assigned to your home to take you to your desired location.

Buy
Benin City has numerous markets where different items are sold and purchased. Many of the markets are found north of the city. See the Uselu article.


 * Suya (Nigerian equivalent of a barbecue) is generally much affordable in Benin City markets.
 * sore mail. the sawmill is located at egwadolo side on going to Benin south known for wood cutting and selling.
 * oliya market. the only a market is located at siloko road on going to ring road from the ogida market it is known for selling of livestock's vegetables fruits and most food items.
 * sore mail. the sawmill is located at egwadolo side on going to Benin south known for wood cutting and selling.
 * oliya market. the only a market is located at siloko road on going to ring road from the ogida market it is known for selling of livestock's vegetables fruits and most food items.
 * sore mail. the sawmill is located at egwadolo side on going to Benin south known for wood cutting and selling.
 * oliya market. the only a market is located at siloko road on going to ring road from the ogida market it is known for selling of livestock's vegetables fruits and most food items.
 * oliya market. the only a market is located at siloko road on going to ring road from the ogida market it is known for selling of livestock's vegetables fruits and most food items.

Eat
Edo people love pounded yam and orhe (ogbono) soup (draw soup).

Drink
Palm wine from local palm wine tappers. Bottled palm wine does not taste as good.

There are a lot of beer parlors in the Oredo area, as most occupants of the region step out to drink at any point they feel like doing so.

Sleep

 * Jerixs hotel and suits. 8 iyamu Street off textile Mill Rd, it is known for standards and quality reception.
 * B17 Hotel., 6 evbereke spare parts road of textile Mill Rd.
 * Pleasant hills. located at second junction on going to sloop from ring road roundabout.
 * Jerixs hotel and suits. 8 iyamu Street off textile Mill Rd, it is known for standards and quality reception.
 * B17 Hotel., 6 evbereke spare parts road of textile Mill Rd.
 * Pleasant hills. located at second junction on going to sloop from ring road roundabout.
 * Jerixs hotel and suits. 8 iyamu Street off textile Mill Rd, it is known for standards and quality reception.
 * B17 Hotel., 6 evbereke spare parts road of textile Mill Rd.
 * Pleasant hills. located at second junction on going to sloop from ring road roundabout.
 * Jerixs hotel and suits. 8 iyamu Street off textile Mill Rd, it is known for standards and quality reception.
 * B17 Hotel., 6 evbereke spare parts road of textile Mill Rd.
 * Pleasant hills. located at second junction on going to sloop from ring road roundabout.
 * Jerixs hotel and suits. 8 iyamu Street off textile Mill Rd, it is known for standards and quality reception.
 * B17 Hotel., 6 evbereke spare parts road of textile Mill Rd.
 * Pleasant hills. located at second junction on going to sloop from ring road roundabout.
 * Jerixs hotel and suits. 8 iyamu Street off textile Mill Rd, it is known for standards and quality reception.
 * B17 Hotel., 6 evbereke spare parts road of textile Mill Rd.
 * Pleasant hills. located at second junction on going to sloop from ring road roundabout.
 * Jerixs hotel and suits. 8 iyamu Street off textile Mill Rd, it is known for standards and quality reception.
 * B17 Hotel., 6 evbereke spare parts road of textile Mill Rd.
 * Pleasant hills. located at second junction on going to sloop from ring road roundabout.

Go next

 * Ibadan
 * Lagos
 * Nnewi
 * Warri
 * Anambra State
 * Yaba