Arigho

Arigho (c. 1121 – c. 1125) was the thirtieth ogiso (king) of Igodomigodo, an early kingdom that later became part of the Benin Empire. Born into an urban, commercial household and trained in metalwork and trade, he was familiar with the kingdom's monetary systems before his accession. Arigho took the throne amid the Great Famine and high inflation and responded with fiscal rather than military measures, most notably the controversial Igho Arigho ("double-payment") taxation scheme and the appointment of royal officials to enforce it. The policy enlarged the royal treasury and helped moderate prices and re-engage nobles, but its effects were undercut by the contemporaneous Osogan crisis and disruptions to trade.

Arigho's reign lasted four years until he died in 1125. He left a treasury stored in the Uye Ihiron ("seven deeps"). He was succeeded by his only surviving son, Owodo. The kingdom continued to experience instability during this period. Historians recognise Arigho for his economic policies during the Ogiso period, which are considered a significant point in precolonial West African economic history.