ORHOGBUA, Esigie’s son was the most formally educated Oba of Benin until AKENZUA II of the Twentieth Century. He was educated outside Benin, perhaps at first in the Bishopric of the off-shore Island of Sao Tome, then later in the metropolitan capital of LISBON. He was trained with an eye on his ultimately becoming a Catholic Priest; He was still overseas when ESIGIE his father died.

When ORHOGBUA arrived in Benin from Europe after his father Esigie’s death he had a choice to make to take up his patrimony as the Oba of Benin, or to practise the profession of the Priesthood of the Church for which he had been trained It was In regard to this choice which Orhogbua had to make that the Edos said:

Al wo Oba, wo ebo:

You cannot be king, and concurrently be a priest to a deity.
Orhogbua became the Oba of Benin and relinquished his priestly duties to the few Portuguese Priests and native clergy whom the Priests had trained in Catechist to help at the altar.

The advantages of Orhogbua’s overseas education began to show immediately he became the monarch of the land. Some considerable period of time had elapsed between the death of his father and his own arrival home. In the interval the numerous women in the royal harem, his father’s wives, had dispersed to their various homes and villages and begun to co-habit with other men. This was a capital offence in the Kingdom.

Against the insistence of the chiefs Orbogbua forbade the execution of the women, their consorts, and the off-spring of their co-habitation. They, women, men and children were all gathered together in URUBI Quarters and allowed to live their ordinary lives. But they were sentenced or perpetual penance for the crime they had committed. Chief ERO was assigned to look after them.
The penance to which the EMEHE were sentenced was that of unremitting labour for them and their offspring, throughout their natural lives. They were not at any time to be seen by the monarch enjoying any respite from labouring

Emehe n’ Urubi
Nei fiabo mien Oba aro:

"Emehe of Urubi, Who must not be seen not labouring. By the Oba of Benin”

In old Benin whenever an Emehe of Urubi had an arranged audience with the monarch he kept the appointment supporting a luggage, of any type, on his head If the meeting was a chance encounter the Emehe personage would quickly pick up anything from the ground be it a twig or a dry leaf and place this “luggage” on his head, in obedience to the stricture of unremitting toil under which he forever laboured. The BINI DICTIONARY compiled by Dr. Hans MELZIAN the Dutch in 1937 describes the EMEHE graphically as never to been seen by the Oba without a load on their heads, therefore when he is near they either put the nearest thing on their heads, or, they lean their heads against a house-wall as if about to lift the house asking help of passers-by

The other advantage of his overseas education and enlightenment which Orogbua conferred on the kingdom was his love for the sea, and how this love influenced his running of the affairs of Benin. He turned the extensive lagoon system running parallel to the Bight of Benin into a Benin Lake, and became the lord of all the lands bordering this Lake. He founded an Enogie-Ship on the island of Lagos

During this long period of Orhogbua’s years of the sword Christianity and education looked after themselves in Benin as best as they could, limping along without the royal presence they needed for support and encouragement.

The reign of Oba Orhogbua is marked with the expansion of the Empire westwards. Thus Eko {Lagos} and Badagry were founded. He established the monarchical rule in those places and placed his own representatives to rule them. He established the first Oba of Lagos. it is said that during the oba's long sojourn in Lagos and Badagry, some parts of the Eastern Empire were in a rebellious state which was quickly surprised by the war general, Ezomo Agban who was dispatched to Agbor in 1577.

The appearance of British explorers like Windham {1553 in this part of the world took place during Orhogbua's period.

He introduced the European type cooking salt to Benin kingdom