HRH Otaru Oshiogbele Momoh Idaevho was a renown traditional ruler, a political administrator per excellence, an arbitrator extraordinaire, a dedicated and accommodating religious leader; the progenitor of what was considered as one of the largest and most organized families in the world and the foundation of the development of Auchi Sacred Kingdom as we know it today. 

Otaru Oshiogbele Momoh Idaevho (Momoh the First), was born in c1875 to Iyami and Idaevho Ikelebe who was the 3rd Otaru of Auchi from 1875 – 1905. His grandfather was Ikelebe Osimhe, who was installed as first ruler of Auchi and ruled from c1819 to 1860.

Momoh the First spent his formative years, first as knitter, costumier and later as a businessman. He traded in cocoa seedlings, gunpowder and dane guns (for hunting); palm produce, coffee beans (he owned a plantation) and elephant tusks (as a licensed dealer). He traded with the Royal Niger Company, John Holt and UAC, who set up offices in Auchi through Momoh’s influence and employed many Auchi indigenes. He travelled and traded as far as Calabar (present-day Cross Rivers state), Onitsha (now Anambra State), Warri amd Asaba (Delta State), and picked up many languages; building a strong network of friends and associates. Despite his travels, Momoh the First was  a dedicated Prince of the Kingdom, maintaining strong ties to the community, understanding the challenges and plotting a path for projecting Auchi to a formidable and prosperous position for rapid development.

Momoh’s leadership qualities were not in doubt and were widely recognized by the 5^th Otaru of Auchi who conferred on him the prestigious title of Dania of Auchi which prepared Momoh for the responsibilities of eventually ascending the throne of his grandfather Ikelebe Osimhe. This office mandated him to represent the kingdom in meetings with other neighbouring traditional rulers, and also in trade with the British trading companies as well as Hausa settlers in Auchi.

Prior to the ascension of Momoh the First, there was a preponderance of deities which were worshipped in all the then villages that constituted Auchi. Momoh the First, having observed the ways of life of the settlers who were not seen to worship idols, decided to study Arabic and the Qur’an since the Nupe and Hausa settlers were mostly Muslims. He was quick to recognize that the way of life of worshipping deities was not the right way. Momoh the First adopted Islam as a personal religion. As a result of his charismatic disposition, his close relatives willingly followed suit. Momoh the First prepared the path for Auchi to dedicate worship of God through Islam when he led a team of Islamic scholars to abolish idol worship and the first mosque in Auchi was built in 1912. Towards personal development, Momoh the First employed a private English teacher and was able to communicate in English with the British colonialists.

Momoh the First ascended the throne of Auchi Kingdom following the death of his uncle in 1919. During this reign, he opened Auchi for rapid growth by attracting foreign direct investment to Auchi for jobs creation. Through this, John Holt Trading Company, United Africa Company (UAC) and Royal Niger Company set up offices and warehouses in Auchi. These companies employed many Auchi indigenes. He also set up a security outfit to continue to weed off the shrines in Auchi. Momoh built an Islamic school in his palace where the first generation of indigenous Islamic missionaries was trained and dispatched to neighbouring communities to preach the message of Islam. Despite his choice of Islam, Momoh tolerated the Christian faith at the time especially the Catholic faith. He encouraged freedom of worship of God through Christianity and only frowned at those who embraced idolatry. Momoh the First as King, donated a choice piece of land to the Anglican missionaries when they came to Auchi to preach Christianity (which they occupy till date). and settlers who came to Auchi to live and earn their livelihood. He also sent one of his children (Micahel Aliu “Washington” Momoh) to join the Anglican mission, and the latter was trained by them and was active in the Anglican church most of his life. While it is unarguable that Momoh the First islamized Auchi, it is also true that he provided the pathway for Christianity to thrive in Auchi and Edo North. This also includes commerce, industry and infrastructural development.

Due to his sterling leadership qualities, Momoh the First was selected as the District Head of what was then known as Auchi Division, headquarters of the defunct Kukuruku Division comprising six local government areas in what is today Afemailand. With Auchi as headquarters and an important trade route, Momoh influenced the construction of roads, for example, the Benin-Auchi-Okene road, and sundry infrastructure to link Auchi with neighbouring towns. He also influenced the increased volume of trade and commerce with other parts of Nigeria and the British colonalists. He supervised the administration of neighbouring towns in the areas of taxes, arbitration and development, most times, deploying his army to do the hard tasks that seemed insurmountable. He was a bridge builder and maintained cordial relationships with his fellow traditional rulers and fruitful diplomatic relationships with the British protectorate officials. As a significance of Momoh’s sterling leadership and the friendship he cultivated with one of the British colonial officer (Major Dunn), he was able to extract a promise from Major Dunn to promote something significant for Auchi. Some seventeen years following Momoh’s passing, Major Dunn became a member of the House of Lords and influenced the location of the Midwest Technical College in Auchi in 1963 as a technical aid from the British government. This college metarmophosed into the what is today Auchi Polytechnic, which was handed over to the federal government to run and fund.

Momoh the First opened Auchi to the outside world through his transparency, dedication, devotion to Auchi development, diplomacy, religious tolerance, network of quality connections and administrative style which seemed to have impressed the British protectorate officials who wrote sterling recommendations about him in their reports. Momoh the First was a wealthy man who built the first storey building in Auchi and was said to have used seven cars during his lifetime at such a time when owning a horse was seen as a symbol of wealth. Momoh the First had several horses, large farms growing export commodities like cocoa, rubber and coffee beans. He was able to manage and provide for a large family, staff and other dependents.

Momoh the First was married to 67 wives and had 265 children born between 1903 and 1945, many of whom went on to become prolific in their own rights even at the state and national scenes carrying on the legacy of their father. He influenced the building of a school in Auchi and ensured his children and the children in the community received western education. Momoh’s passion for education was to show again when sent some of his children to the prestigious Government College in Ibadan, Oyo State and Kings College, Lagos State. Even before he departed, he set up plans for one of his children who eventually succeeded him to be educated. The said child earned degrees in accounting and law at the University of London in the United Kingdom and was a successful businessman before ascending the throne. Momoh’s personal life also received attention in the reports compiled in handing over notes by the British protectorate officers. These reports, which are preserved at the National Archives in Ibadan Nigeria, alluded to Momoh’s profound influence in the Kukuruku Division, his personal wealth and stable family life, despite the size.