Why Benin Republic was named after Esan War-General

The republic of Benin, an independent country in West Africa was formerly known as Dahomey. Dahomey was derived from Isidahomen which was the name of the Esan war-general who led thousands of soldiers to fight and conquer the land many centuries ago. After the war ended, the gallant soldiers under the leadership of General Isidahomen chose to settle there. The land grew in leaps and bounds under the rulership of General Isidahomen and many other settlements sprung up all over the place.

Thus, the land was named after General Isidahomen which was later corrupted to Dahomey by the locals due to phonetical flaws. The country was known as Dahomey for a long time. However on attaining full independence, leaders of the small West African nation paid an historic visit to the Oba of Benin to seek his permission to change the name from Dahomey to Benin republic as a mark of respect and honour. Their request was granted and the rest, as they say, is history.

Source: Esan People Blog

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