IMPACT OF MODERNITY ON MARITAL DISPUTE RESOLUTION BY THE ỌKAEGBẸE INSTITUTION IN BENIN KINGDOM, NIGERIA

Abstract

Myriads of changes interfaced marital dispute resolution and the Ọkaegbẹe (patriarch) institution entrusted with the norms and values of filial and conjugal relations in Benin Kingdom. Whereas modern systems remain dominant and problematic, seldom attempts associate the diminution of marital cohesion with modernity. This paper examined the institution of marriage in Benin Kingdom and unmasked the impact of modernity on the traditional systems of marital dispute resolution by the Ọkaegbẹe institution; and also unveiled the changes that have affected the processes of marital dispute resolution. Both primary and secondary methods of data collection were adopted for the study. Nine (9) Key Informants were interviewed while four (4) Focus Group Discussions were conducted. The secondary sources included published textbooks, journals and online materials. Findings revealed the nexus between modernity and diminution of influence of the Ọkaegbẹe institution in the Benin traditional system of marital dispute resolution. The imposition of Native courts systems altered the power dynamics, displacing the actual personages in the administration of justice and replacing them with colonial agents that interpreted native laws through British morality. Marital dispute resolution in Benin Kingdom has been impacted by modernity which occasioned new trends and patterns of conflict management.