FROM THE MODERATOR OFFICE

I wish to congratulate Chief (Dr) Onlytruth the incoming Eze Ndi Igbo Nairaland 1 for his electoral victory.

I look forward to a good working relationship between him and we the moderators of this section and I wish to assure him of our unreserved support through out his reign.

As soon as he makes his victory speech, I will forward to him an hotline access to the moderator, so that matters affecting the Ndigbos on Nairaland can quickly be addressed before they degenerate into something else.

I also wish to congratulate  all the members of Ndigbo Nairaland and the Electoral commission headed by Prof. Point B for the free and fair election. To the best of our knowledge this election is credible and it reflects the true wishes of majority of Ndigbos Nairaland. I also congratulate other contestants for their display of maturity and sportsmanship.

Long live Eze Ndi Igbo Nairaland 1

Long live Ndi Igbo Nairaland

Long live Ndi Igbo Worldwide

Long live Nairaland


Ndi Igbo Kwezue nu!

I wish to congratulate His Royal Highest, Igwe OnlyTruth, EzeIgbo 1 of Nairaland for his victory. We look forward to your leadership and I assure you of my total support and cooperation as you lead NdiIgbo.

I will also like to congratulate the other great Igbos that contested, Andre Uweh, Odumchi, and High_Chief for making this contest a great one.

Thanks to PointB for conducting a very transparent election.

Igbo kwenu!

Umu Igbo ibem

Fellow Eastern Nigerians

Fellow Southern Nigerians

Fellow Nigerians

Friends of Nigeria worldwide 

I, Onlytruth, Ikenga Dike 1 of Anaedo, Ndu di n’eziokwu 1 of Igboland, hereby extend my warmest greetings and regards to you all on this epoch making event here on Nairaland, Nigeria’s leading online forum.

I am humbled beyond words by your decision to appoint me your e-leader –Eze Ndi Igbo Nke Mbu Na Nairaland (Eze Igbo 1 of Nairaland). This event (election of Eze Ndi Igbo online) is unprecedented in the annals of online forums; this would be the very first time one of the most dynamic nations of Africa (Ndigbo) would appoint an online leader, and since Nairaland is the topmost online Nigerian forum, Eze Igbo Nairaland becomes the de facto Eze Igbo online worldwide. 

Dalu nu, deme nu, ka nu, maazi nu, unu emeela, deje nu, mma mma nu! Thank you! 

Igbo kwenu!
Muo nu! 
Zuo nu!
Rie nu!
Kwezuo nu o! 

Though the contest for this e-office started almost jokingly, it quickly gathered the necessary seriousness and momentum as would any other Igbo business and program, Ndigbo being a very serious nation. Ndigbo si na ebe ana ama njakiri, ka ana ekwu ezi okwu (serious businesses are often initiated through banters); so this is a serious as it gets!
To my fellow contestants who played by the rules, I thank you all for putting yourselves forward for the service of Ndigbo. I hereby assure you all that my victory is collective; we are all winners! Thank you for honoring Ndigbo with your offer of service! To my fellow contestants who tried every trick in the book to violate the process, I say shame on you; please repent! 

As my office begins to take shape, I ask for your assistance and support by making yourselves available for any assignment which I may extend to you as ezigbo umu afo Igbo! Thank you in advance! My office is very ceremonial and whatever authority that derives from it is purely advisory, voluntary, and without any compulsion to anyone whatsoever.

I need to state early enough that the goal of my one year statutory tenure as Eze Ndigbo Nairaland is to enjoin you my entire fellow Umu Igbo, to rise to the challenge of an Igbo renaissance to drive our survival and advancement in Nigeria. The renaissance drive assumes firstly that we as Ndigbo have strayed far away from our cultural, spiritual, religious and moral base, and the situation requires an urgent retrace of our steps. We must remember the point of our deviation, and emphasize a determination to mend our ways. I hereby advise that we be guided by these two Igbo proverbs as we design our rebirth:

Ndigbo si na onye  amaghi ebe mmiri bidoro maba ya agaghi ama ebe okwusiri. (a person who does not know where the rain started to fall on him/her would never know where the rain stopped falling on him/her)
Ndigbo si na onye ekwughi ka oha eburu ya gafee ama nna ya! ( a man who gives the wrong impression of his true status, would inevitably be carried past his own fathers gate)

Umu nne m, agwo no na akirika! (brothers there is trouble in the land!) because we just lost our foremost leader, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.  However, I have a feeling that you all know that already! My job as Eze Ndigbo Nairaland is to ingeniously design a path to our renaissance, and this I will do, so help me God! I begin that process by going back to the ways of our ancestors, which is the “Igwe bu ike”, and “Umunna bu ike” strategy. It never failed us before the advent of “modernity”; it will not fail us this time. As a Christian also, I draw inspiration from God’s command to Joshua after the death of Moses in Joshua 1: 7-10.

I began this process by registering an email address for the office of Eze Ndigbo Nairaland, an office email ezendigbo_nl@hushmail.com, which shall be handed down from one Eze to another in the coming successive years here on Nairaland. Everyone (both friend and foe) is welcome to contact me directly using this email address.

To my fellow Eastern Nigerians, I wish to re-emphasize our brotherhood and good neighborliness. Since the beginning of history till date, there has never been any inter-tribal war amongst different peoples, tribes and nations of Eastern Nigeria. The event of the civil war did not even lead to one. There was both support, and opposition to the Biafran secession effort from ALL tribes in Eastern Nigeria. Ours is a region of exemplary inter-tribal harmony and peace. It is a remarkable feat which must be commended and bolstered, and for which every Eastern Nigerian must be very proud. We have intermarried; conducted slave trade together without discrimination along tribal lines; co-survived the injustices of power, and continue to live in peace with each other despite some invidious divisive strategies unleashed on us to create division in Eastern Nigeria, thereby making the region easier to exploit. It is time for us to recommit ourselves to a common goal of regional political integration and economic empowerment. SE and SS should always move together in the internal politics of Nigeria. 

It is political foolhardy for any one tribe, or group to feel superior to another, or to feel more Nigerian than another, or to scheme or collude with outside interests to subjugate one tribe or group in order to gain the upper hand, because at the end, all Easterners would be the losers! So, enough of treachery! We are brothers and good neighbors, and so shall it remain, so help us God! 

To my fellow Southern Nigerians, I hereby extend my hand of love and fellowship to you all as partners in search of peace and justice in Nigeria. It is self evident that Ndigbo find more peace and safety in Southern Nigeria than in Northern Nigeria. That alone, demonstrates true potential for peace, and can be a model for peaceful co-habitation of all Nigerians within the Nigerian space. We, Ndigbo, appreciate the peace we share with one another in Southern Nigeria, and wish to continue that peaceful co-habitation. However, I must state that whatever misunderstanding we may have with some Eastern and non-Eastern Southerners have centered largely on the civil war and this address to you would be incomplete without addressing some aspects of that. The civil war has been fought and won/lost, so we must move on. However, we Ndigbo feel that the main cause of the civil war –which is unbridled greed for power and political hegemony-, remains unaddressed in Nigeria. Whether you accept it or not, some of the goals of Biafra remain attractive to different groups in Nigeria, and by different names – Arewa, Middlebelt, Odua, etc, and this can only mean that the idea of Biafra was not based on greed as some of you often accuse us of, but rather a genuine attempt to find peace and progress within a politically and culturally stable space. I have always stated here that Biafra is not and cannot be my first choice for Ndigbo if all the ideals of equality encapsulated in the Ahiara Declaration, are implemented in the Nigerian constitution. We Ndigbo are not die hard secessionists; we are simply lovers of peace and progress.

So, if Nigeria cannot grant us our genuine rational and fair hopes, I would always echo the words of the great lion of Igboland/Biafra, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, “Biafra is always an option!”  Whenever you mock our attempted secession, you shut the door to logic and fair hopes of all decent humans both within and outside of Nigeria. What is fair is fair, period, even if you may not want it for yourself. It is wicked and evil to try to play spoiler to your neighbors’ fair self help plans, because you are free to design similar plans for yourselves. Treachery is not exclusive to any individual or group. Evil is always easy, and all humans have equal capacity for evil. Therefore, let us learn to respect one another. 

To my fellow Nigerians from the North, by both human and divine design, you have enjoyed the longest period of access to power at the center in Nigeria’s history as a nation. In that period, nations which were behind Nigeria in development in early 1960s (when you were not in total control) have frog leaped ahead of Nigeria, while we struggle with such simple things as electricity supply. We appreciate your contribution to nation building, but we appeal to your conscience to see a need for a change in direction of power within Nigeria. Nigeria must enthrone merit as the basis for political leadership. The years of “dark horses” must come to an end. Enough of born to rule mentality, especially when those imposed on Nigeria are hardly literate enough to understand the stakes for Nigeria. 

In the year 2011, when other nations of the same independence age as Nigeria are moving into first world status, Northern Nigeria is still grappling with diseases which have been successfully eradicated in some of the poorest countries in Africa. To add to the problem, Nigeria is now the only black sub-Saharan African country with cases of suicide bombing and Islamic extremism. Northern Nigeria is gradually falling into a civil war, and there is no way that war would not metastasize throughout Nigeria unless we collectively pull the plug on power greed. I say this, because I want to believe that there is still hope for Nigeria; nevertheless, I do not believe in “indivisibility” of Nigeria because only a mad person would cleave to a failed methodology. Nigeria’s indivisibility should announce itself when things are done right. It can never be imposed whether by force of arms, or “by a multitude of people” to borrow from Lord Denin.   

To friends of Nigeria, I enjoin you to continue to contribute to our discourse here on Nairaland, and offer your opinions and advice on the way forward. We always appreciate you. Please keep coming!

To the Mods, I Onlytruth, Ikenga Dike 1 of Anaedo, Ndu di n’eziokwu 1 of Igboland, Eze Ndigbo 1 (elect) of Nairaland, wish to thank you for your support during this process. You proved yourselves classy, diligent and decent Nigerians. We, Ndigbo, say a huge thank you! 

To the greatest online Chairman of the Highly Independent Electoral Commission of Nairaland –PointB- I say a huge thank you. May your days and your tribe(family) increase, Amen! 

Long live Ndigbo, Long Live Eastern Nigerians, Long Live Southern Nigerians, Long Live Nigerians, Long Live friends of Nigeria.

Igbo kwenu!
Eastern Nigerians kwenu!
Southern Nigerians kwenu!
Nigerians kwezuo nu!


My proposed Eze –In-Council (subject to amendments)

Prime Minister – PointB, or[b] Odumchi[/b]
Ohanaeze Chief liason officer –Andre Uweh
Umu ada Leader –Ifyalways
Traditional Priest (eze mmuo) – Nri Priest
Chief Political Strategist – Obiagu1

Open offices:

Please suggest using the email provided.

I High Chief wish to congratulate our new elected Eze Ndi Igbo 1 of Nairaland and also wish to commend the efforts of all involved in organizing this free and fair election, especially the commissioner himself PointB. I am also not leaving out the following

The Moderators
Our Yoruba Brothers
Hausa Brothers
Ijaw Brothers
Anang Brothers
Itsekiri Brothers and every other person who participated in one way or the other towards making this a success.

Most importantly, I would like to thank those who voted for me, I appreciate your votes. I hereby pledge to support our new Eze Ndi Igbo to the best of my capacity to make sure he achieves a desirable result during his reign. I also implore every one of us to give him our unwavering support.

Biko si were ofor nye Eze anyi(Onlytruth) ka ochibazia anyi

Igbo mma mma nu oooooh

Cha cha Igbo Kewnu!!!!!!

Your Highness, Eze Ndi Igbo 1, of Nairaland

I greet you. May your reign bring advancement to Igbo, and may it bring peace and harmony to Nairaland.

I thank you for the generosity of praise, and lavish of prayers. I also thank you for the confidence bestowed on my ability by your invitation to serve in your cabinet as Prime Minister. I am indeed humbled.

I wish to however humbly decline the offer. This is not only unconnected to the obvious fact of my recent function as electoral commissioner, and I am wary about sending unsavory signal to detractors who may jump into false conclusion. Furthermore Odumchi, and many other capable hands are more deserving of the position. I personally trust Odumchi will bring necessary insight and experience which is needed at this point in time. My service, and support to your reign is nevertheless guaranteed even in normal capacity.

Thank you once again.


PointB

EXCERPTS FROM TIMES MAGAZINES INTERVIEW WITH OKIJA PROGRESSIVE CONGRESS CANDIDATE Okija_Juju

Times: Sir, whats your view on the recently concluded Eze Ndi Igbo elections, same one from which you were disqualified under questionable circumstances;

OKIJA_Juju:

I said it!!

That was their ultimate plan and agenda from the very start.

Ikuku efe go, ike okuko emepe go!!

Yes!! I said it!

Umu Igbo bia fu kwa o!!

It was a conspiracy all along.

All the entire election was a farce the moment I was disqualified based on a baseless allegation and a dubious alteration of the rules to suit their wicked and selfish desires.

In what world does the Electoral comissioner of an election, get appointed the prime minister by the winner of the said election. Tufiakwa!! Ifele! This is what has turned the Great Igbo Nation into the favorite topic of jest amongst comedians. O Yes!! This is a sample of the type of leadership that is to be expected from your new imposed Eze Ndi Igbo. Look at his cabinet is composed of all the participants of the said elections. Little wonder they all rolled over and let Onlytruth win without even putting up any fight.

The just concluded Eze ndi Igbo election was nothing short of a coalition of bandits, a conglomeration of wolves, an amalgamation of criminal elements, a league of extra-ordinary conmen, an association of machinators, an alliance of racketeers.

When I presented overwhelming evidence of fraud against the Electoral comissioner, people said I was crying wolf, now biko nu bia welu anya unu fu ife'm na ekwu ke ngbe.

Let it be on record, for future Igbo generations to see and read that I,Ichie Okija, The Eze mmuo of ALusi Okija, Agu ji Ebge 1 of Nri, The Okija Progressive Congress (OPC) and the PROGRESS 2012 Campaign team adissociated ourselves from this charade and also spoke out against this election.


You wanted to know what the problem with Igboland was, well here is an e-example. 

TIMES; But Sir, the Electoral commisioner has issued a statement declining the offer of Prime Minister.

PointB:

Your Highness, Eze Ndi Igbo 1, of Nairaland

I greet you. May your reign bring advancement to Igbo, and may it bring peace and harmony to Nairaland.

I thank you for the generosity of praise, and lavish of prayers. I also thank you for the confidence bestowed on my ability by your invitation to serve in your cabinet as Prime Minister. I am indeed humbled.

I wish to however humbly decline the offer. This is not only unconnected to the obvious fact of my recent function as electoral commissioner, and I am wary about sending unsavory signal to detractors who may jump into false conclusion. Furthermore Odumchi, and many other capable hands are more deserving of the position. I personally trust Odumchi will bring necessary insight and experience which is needed at this point in time. My service, and support to your reign is nevertheless guaranteed even in normal capacity.

Thank you once again.


PointB

OKija_JUJU; Dont let this statement fool you, He accepted a cash reward instead. He is smarter than you think. I dare him to make public his financial statements and explain where the 10 ghana-must-go bags filled with money that was sent to his house disappeared to?!

We cant be fooled. I have eyes and ears everywhere. How else did I know about the Indian pro'stitutes?! How did I get hold of the invoices of transactions made between himself and the candidates?! I was disqualified because I refused to play ball, PERIOD.

TIMES; Congratulatory messages have been coming in from various personalities and companies, although most of them are linked to the radical left wing party that Onlytruth and most of the other candidates belongd to, but notable of all is the one from OAM4J who said in his message that the elections were free and fair.

OKIJA juju; I have never been this disappointed in OAM4J as I am right now. So, an election where a candidate that fulfilled all the requirements for participation, who got 5 votes in 24, hours to become the second contender for qualifications, and whose name then mysteriously disappeared from the list the very next day, was a free and fair election?! I am in shock!

I got the message this morning on my way back from China after a manufacturers summit in Beijing and I could have sworn he made that statement under duress. The most disappointing aspect was that he (OAM4J), Ignored several calls from I and other wrongfully disqualified candidates to intervene and set-up an election tribunal to investigate the mass fraud and rigging that trailed the Primaries preceeding this elections and he turned a deaf ear. Now that the rigging has been finalized, he comes out and makes a statement. Interesting. I may have to investigate his involvement in this sham of an election to see how he stands to benefit from all these. 

TIMES: So whats your advice to the New Eze Ndi Igbo (selected)! I beg your pardon elected;

OKIJA juju: They should all enjoy themselves. When the judgement shall start, aka'm adiro!!

Okija_juju,

The election was very transparent and enjoyed the highest level of integrity. You lost the fight even before the main poll, because you are not ezigbo nwa afo Igbo. Your tribe remains dubious and at best "exotic". Ndigbo will never be led by those suffering from acute identity crisis, or those at war with themselves, because such men can never give us sane direction.

Thank you for spicing up the contest a little, but with all due respect, you lost! Let it be! Not only was the election highly transparent, and supervised by the moderators of this forum, I won with more than 50% of the total vote cast.
That is no mean feat in a forum such as this.

If you continue in this line of bitter loser mentality, I will be compelled to invoke my powers (through my Ohanaeze connections) to demote you from your current highly disputed title of Agu ji egbe 1 of a still highly contested "Nri", to Atulu ji egbe 1 of Neverland.

What a good thread, I so much enjoyed it. good ndi igbo Nairaland. I salute

Mazi Eze Onlytruth, I salute you once again.

alj_harem:

What a good thread, I so much enjoyed it. good ndi igbo Nairaland. I salute  

Mazi Eze Onlytruth, I salute you once again.

You're welcome Alhaji. I still maintain that you need to repent though. Subterfuge is not a mark of a decent human.
Nobody is perfect, but please try to stand up clearly for what you believe in no matter the consequences. 
Deploying deceit may even work against your objectives. 
Nuff said.

BTW I extend my hand of fellowship to you, and would take yours, provided it is not leprous. 

what can one get from a bewildered  human being, that don't know what is black and white, a weak man,lacking exposure.

somebody that don't see anything wrong from a gay pastor in Nigeria,what a conspirator probably gay as well

Onlytruth:

You're welcome Alhaji. I still maintain that you need to repent though. Subterfuge is not a mark of a decent human.
Nobody is perfect, but please try to stand up clearly for what you believe in no matter the consequences. 
Deploying deceit may even work against your objectives. 
Nuff said.

BTW I extend my hand of fellowship to you, and would take yours, provided it is not leprous. 

I accept your hand of fellowship and also the new authority you have on this forum.

I hope you would stand by the truth and try to make tribalism stop. Do this and I would act mature as well and stand by the truth as I have shown in previous months.

ezigbo oyi'm gi Onlytruth.

My first statement of intent to my fellow Igbo men and women (and Nigerians as a whole), is that not everything is for sale! In my part of Igboland, certain parcels of land known as the "Ani ime Obi", or "Ala ime Obi", or "Ana ime Obi", was never for sale, no matter the amount of money being offered by a prospective buyer. It was "aru" or "alu" -anathema and sacrilegious, for anyone to sell such land.  Also, certain titled men known as the "Ndi Ichie" COULD NEVER BE BOUGHT WITH MONEY, OR LUCRE. Period.

That was how it used to be in Igboland, but today, all those golden cultures have given way to a culture of unbridled greed for money and lucre.

As I put forward this agenda for an Igbo rebirth, I begin by challenging all of us young Igbo men, to revert to the ways of our ancestors. We must declare, testify and assert our determination to dethrone money as the reservoir of self worth, and repudiate any attempt to enthrone that value system in Igboland. It must stop! O ga akwusiriri!  

I shall endeavor to lead by example; therefore, I Onlytruth do  hereby swear by the God of heaven, and by the spirits of our ancestors, that I will NEVER be bought with money or any other earthly material in order to subvert truth.

So help me God!  

Our journey begins here!

alj_harem:

I accept your hand of fellowship and also the new authority you have on this forum.

I hope you would stand by the truth and try to make tribalism stop. Do this and I would act mature as well and stand by the truth as I have shown in previous months.

ezigbo oyi'm gi Onlytruth.  

What are you trying to say?  

Onlytruth, I like your proposal but before I decide, I want to ask: what will be the role of the Prime Minister?

odumchi:

What are you trying to say?  

Onlytruth, I like your proposal but before I decide, I want to ask: what will be the role of the Prime Minister?

The Prime Minister is in charge of the implementation of policies, or objectives of the goal of the Eze Igbo Nairaland.
He is the chief adviser to the Eze Igbo. His counsel to the Eze Igbo rises above those of other chiefs. The Eze Igbo defers to him as the person with the "how to" skills to get messages streamlined towards the defined goal of the Eze Igbo Nairaland. In the absence of the Eze Igbo, the Prime Minister represents him.

Since this is purely an online affair, all duties are also online.

Onlytruth:

The Prime Minister is in charge of the implementation of policies, or objectives of the goal of the Eze Igbo Nairaland.
He is the chief adviser to the Eze Igbo. His counsel to the Eze Igbo rises above those of other chiefs. The Eze Igbo defers to him as the person with the "how to" skills to get messages streamlined towards the defined goal of the Eze Igbo Nairaland. In the absence of the Eze Igbo, the Prime Minister represents him.

Since this is purely an online affair, all duties are also online.

Oh ok. I accept your offer. Eze nke mbu, chiri gawa.

odumchi:

What are you trying to say?  

Onlytruth, I like your proposal but before I decide, I want to ask: what will be the role of the Prime Minister?

LOL, I wanted to say Onlytruth is my very good friend

ezigbo = good

oyi'm = my friend/ friend of mine

gi = is

Trying to join words together

still learning, I hope I get the Igbo language

odumchi:

Oh ok. I accept your offer. Eze nke mbu, chiri gawa.

By the powers vested in me as the Eze Ndigbo Nairaland (elect), I hereby appoint Odumchi as the new Prime Minister (Onowu) of Ndigbo Nairaland. I look forward to a great working relationship with you beginning on January 1, 2012.
Please make use of the email address included in my acceptance speech to contact me at your convenience. We need to always stand on the same position and project the unity of Ndigbo Nairaland.
Thank you for making yourself available for the service of Ndigbo.

Long live the Onowu Ndigbo Nairaland, Odumchi!

alj_harem:

LOL, I wanted to say Onlytruth is my very good friend

ezigbo = good

oyi'm = my friend/ friend of mine

gi = is

Trying to join words together

still learning, I hope I get the Igbo language

You're trying. It's "Onlytruth bu ezigbo enyi'm".

"Bu" is 'is'.
"Enyi'm" is 'my friend'.

odumchi:

You're trying. It's "Onlytruth bu ezigbo enyi'm".

"Bu" is 'is'.
"Enyi'm" is 'my friend'.

ok noted

Onlytruth:

By the powers vested in me as the Eze Ndigbo Nairaland (elect), I hereby appoint Odumchi as the new Prime Minister (Onowu) of Ndigbo Nairaland. I look forward to a great working relationship with you beginning on January 1, 2012.
Please make use of the email address included in my acceptance speech to contact me at your convenience. We need to always stand on the same position and project the unity of Ndigbo Nairaland.
Thank you for making yourself available for the service of Ndigbo.

Long live the Onowu Ndigbo Nairaland, Odumchi!

Eze, let it be as you have said. I'll contact you in due time.

Onlytruth:

Umu Igbo ibem,

fellow Eastern Nigerians,

fellow Southern Nigerians,

fellow Nigerians,

friends of Nigeria worldwide,

I, Onlytruth, Ikenga Dike 1 of Anaedo, Ndu di n’eziokwu 1 of Igboland, hereby extend my warmest greetings and regards to you all on this epoch making event here on Nairaland, Nigeria’s leading online forum.

I am humbled beyond words by your decision to appoint me your e-leader –Eze Ndi Igbo Nke Mbu Na Nairaland (Eze Igbo 1 of Nairaland). This event (election of Eze Ndi Igbo online) is unprecedented in the annals of online forums; this would be the very first time one of the most dynamic nations of Africa (Ndigbo) would appoint an online leader, and since Nairaland is the topmost online Nigerian forum, Eze Igbo Nairaland becomes the de facto Eze Igbo online worldwide.

Dalu nu, deme nu, ka nu, maazi nu, unu emeela, deje nu, mma mma nu! Thank you!

Igbo kwenu!
Muo nu!
Zuo nu!
Rie nu!
Kwezuo nu o!

Though the contest for this e-office started almost jokingly, it quickly gathered the necessary seriousness and momentum as would any other Igbo business and program, Ndigbo being a very serious nation. Ndigbo si na ebe ana ama njakiri, ka ana ekwu ezi okwu (serious businesses are often initiated through banters); so this is a serious as it gets!
To my fellow contestants who played by the rules, I thank you all for putting yourselves forward for the service of Ndigbo. I hereby assure you all that my victory is collective; we are all winners! Thank you for honoring Ndigbo with your offer of service! To my fellow contestants who tried every trick in the book to violate the process, I say shame on you; please repent!

As my office begins to take shape, I ask for your assistance and support by making yourselves available for any assignment which I may extend to you as ezigbo umu afo Igbo! Thank you in advance! My office is very ceremonial and whatever authority that derives from it is purely advisory, voluntary, and without any compulsion to anyone whatsoever.

I need to state early enough that the goal of my one year statutory tenure as Eze Ndigbo Nairaland is to enjoin you my entire fellow Umu Igbo, to rise to the challenge of an Igbo renaissance to drive our survival and advancement in Nigeria. The renaissance drive assumes firstly that we as Ndigbo have strayed far away from our cultural, spiritual, religious and moral base, and the situation requires an urgent retrace of our steps. We must remember the point of our deviation, and emphasize a determination to mend our ways. I hereby advise that we be guided by these two Igbo proverbs as we design our rebirth:

Ndigbo si na onye amaghi ebe mmiri bidoro maba ya agaghi ama ebe okwusiri. (a person who does not know where the rain started to fall on him/her would never know where the rain stopped falling on him/her)
Ndigbo si na onye ekwughi ka oha eburu ya gafee ama nna ya! ( a man who gives the wrong impression of his true status, would inevitably be carried past his own fathers gate)

Umu nne m, agwo no na akirika! (brothers there is trouble in the land!) because we just lost our foremost leader, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. However, I have a feeling that you all know that already! My job as Eze Ndigbo Nairaland is to ingeniously design a path to our renaissance, and this I will do, so help me God! I begin that process by going back to the ways of our ancestors, which is the “Igwe bu ike”, and “Umunna bu ike” strategy. It never failed us before the advent of “modernity”; it will not fail us this time. As a Christian also, I draw inspiration from God’s command to Joshua after the death of Moses in Joshua 1: 7-10.

I began this process by registering an email address for the office of Eze Ndigbo Nairaland, an office email ezendigbo_nl@hushmail.com, which shall be handed down from one Eze to another in the coming successive years here on Nairaland. Everyone (both friend and foe) is welcome to contact me directly using this email address.

To my fellow Eastern Nigerians, I wish to re-emphasize our brotherhood and good neighborliness. Since the beginning of history till date, there has never been any inter-tribal war amongst different peoples, tribes and nations of Eastern Nigeria. The event of the civil war did not even lead to one. There was both support, and opposition to the Biafran secession effort from ALL tribes in Eastern Nigeria. Ours is a region of exemplary inter-tribal harmony and peace. It is a remarkable feat which must be commended and bolstered, and for which every Eastern Nigerian must be very proud. We have intermarried; conducted slave trade together without discrimination along tribal lines; co-survived the injustices of power, and continue to live in peace with each other despite some invidious divisive strategies unleashed on us to create division in Eastern Nigeria, thereby making the region easier to exploit. It is time for us to recommit ourselves to a common goal of regional political integration and economic empowerment. SE and SS should always move together in the internal politics of Nigeria.

It is political foolhardy for any one tribe, or group to feel superior to another, or to feel more Nigerian than another, or to scheme or collude with outside interests to subjugate one tribe or group in order to gain the upper hand, because at the end, all Easterners would be the losers! So, enough of treachery! We are brothers and good neighbors, and so shall it remain, so help us God!

To my fellow Southern Nigerians, I hereby extend my hand of love and fellowship to you all as partners in search of peace and justice in Nigeria. It is self evident that Ndigbo find more peace and safety in Southern Nigeria than in Northern Nigeria. That alone, demonstrates true potential for peace, and can be a model for peaceful co-habitation of all Nigerians within the Nigerian space. We, Ndigbo, appreciate the peace we share with one another in Southern Nigeria, and wish to continue that peaceful co-habitation. However, I must state that whatever misunderstanding we may have with some Eastern and non-Eastern Southerners have centered largely on the civil war and this address to you would be incomplete without addressing some aspects of that. The civil war has been fought and won/lost, so we must move on. However, we Ndigbo feel that the main cause of the civil war –which is unbridled greed for power and political hegemony-, remains unaddressed in Nigeria. Whether you accept it or not, some of the goals of Biafra remain attractive to different groups in Nigeria, and by different names – Arewa, Middlebelt, Odua, etc, and this can only mean that the idea of Biafra was not based on greed as some of you often accuse us of, but rather a genuine attempt to find peace and progress within a politically and culturally stable space. I have always stated here that Biafra is not and cannot be my first choice for Ndigbo if all the ideals of equality encapsulated in the Ahiara Declaration, are implemented in the Nigerian constitution. We Ndigbo are not die hard secessionists; we are simply lovers of peace and progress.

So, if Nigeria cannot grant us our genuine rational and fair hopes, I would always echo the words of the great lion of Igboland/Biafra, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, “Biafra is always an option!” Whenever you mock our attempted secession, you shut the door to logic and fair hopes of all decent humans both within and outside of Nigeria. What is fair is fair, period, even if you may not want it for yourself. It is wicked and evil to try to play spoiler to your neighbors’ fair self help plans, because you are free to design similar plans for yourselves. Treachery is not exclusive to any individual or group. Evil is always easy, and all humans have equal capacity for evil. Therefore, let us learn to respect one another.

To my fellow Nigerians from the North, by both human and divine design, you have enjoyed the longest period of access to power at the center in Nigeria’s history as a nation. In that period, nations which were behind Nigeria in development in early 1960s (when you were not in total control) have frog leaped ahead of Nigeria, while we struggle with such simple things as electricity supply. We appreciate your contribution to nation building, but we appeal to your conscience to see a need for a change in direction of power within Nigeria. Nigeria must enthrone merit as the basis for political leadership. The years of “dark horses” must come to an end. Enough of born to rule mentality, especially when those imposed on Nigeria are hardly literate enough to understand the stakes for Nigeria.

In the year 2011, when other nations of the same independence age as Nigeria are moving into first world status, Northern Nigeria is still grappling with diseases which have been successfully eradicated in some of the poorest countries in Africa. To add to the problem, Nigeria is now the only black sub-Saharan African country with cases of suicide bombing and Islamic extremism. Northern Nigeria is gradually falling into a civil war, and there is no way that war would not metastasize throughout Nigeria unless we collectively pull the plug on power greed. I say this, because I want to believe that there is still hope for Nigeria; nevertheless, I do not believe in “indivisibility” of Nigeria because only a mad person would cleave to a failed methodology. Nigeria’s indivisibility should announce itself when things are done right. It can never be imposed whether by force of arms, or “by a multitude of people” to borrow from Lord Denin.

To friends of Nigeria, I enjoin you to continue to contribute to our discourse here on Nairaland, and offer your opinions and advice on the way forward. We always appreciate you. Please keep coming!

To the Mods, I Onlytruth, Ikenga Dike 1 of Anaedo, Ndu di n’eziokwu 1 of Igboland, Eze Ndigbo 1 (elect) of Nairaland, wish to thank you for your support during this process. You proved yourselves classy, diligent and decent Nigerians. We, Ndigbo, say a huge thank you!

To the greatest online Chairman of the Highly Independent Electoral Commission of Nairaland –PointB- I say a huge thank you. May your days and your tribe(family) increase, Amen!

Long live Ndigbo, Long Live Eastern Nigerians, Long Live Southern Nigerians, Long Live Nigerians, Long Live friends of Nigeria.

Igbo kwenu!
Eastern Nigerians kwenu!
Southern Nigerians kwenu!
Nigerians kwezuo nu!


My proposed Eze –In-Council (subject to amendments)

Prime Minister – PointB, or[b] Odumchi[/b]
Ohanaeze Chief liason officer –[b]Andre Uweh[/b]
Umu ada Leader –Ifyalways
Traditional Priest (eze mmuo) – Nri Priest
Chief Political Strategist – Obiagu1

Open offices:

Please suggest using the email provided.

position accepted.

Bende Kwenu
Abia Nmamma
Ohaneze Indi Igbo Kwezuonu

I was not consulted before this election but I support the election of the first online Eze Ndi Igbo world wide , we are like the Jews by being first to introduce almost everything in Nigeria, we are going to prove to the world that we can make quality decision online that will impact the life of Indi Igbo Worldwide in a positive way.

Next time you want to do this kind of election first contact me
Chief Ogugu Kenyi 1 of Alayi

Andre Uweh:

position accepted.

You are welcome on board, Andre Uweh, the Ohanaeze Liaison Chief in the cabinet of Eze Ndigbo Nairaland.
Thanks for your offer of service. We, Ndigbo appreciate you, ezigbo nwa afo Igbo.

Eze Onlytruth, Where item 7 na?

^LOL.Just ask for your usual stuff;chairman,women affairs na nkwobi.

@Topic,Eze Only Truth birikwa.I ga-adi ndu rue mgbe ebighebi.May the gods protect you maka na agha di n'iru.
I humbly report to duty.

@Okija juju,noro ji.If you wanna see Aba you must bend down nwunne.No shaking aburo maka onye akwukwu na-eme.Stand well or . . .M ga-achotara gi otu nwa ada ga-ebutu gi.You need 'micha micha from ara nwanyi asaba' to clear ur head of all ya daydreams and illusions.hahaha

ifyalways:

^LOL.Just ask for your usual stuff;chairman,women affairs na nkwobi.

@Topic,Eze Only Truth birikwa.I ga-adi ndu rue mgbe ebighebi.May the gods protect you maka na agha di n'iru.
I humbly report to duty.

@Okija juju,noro ji.If you wanna see Aba you must bend down nwunne.No shaking aburo maka onye akwukwu na-eme.Stand well or . . .M ga-achotara gi otu nwa ada ga-ebutu gi.You need 'micha micha from ara nwanyi asaba' to clear your head of all ya daydreams and illusions.hahaha

Ify no women for here na. how I go take do my work effectively for EZE Onlytruth.
Abi make I go bring women from Romance section?

And so it has concluded. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

ifyalways:

@Okija juju,noro ji.If you wanna see Aba you must bend down nwunne.No shaking aburo maka onye akwukwu na-eme.Stand well or . . .M ga-achotara gi otu nwa ada ga-ebutu gi.You need 'micha micha from ara nwanyi asaba' to clear your head of all ya daydreams and illusions.hahaha

Ochi ato gbue la'm o!!

Nne biko zita lu'm the Nwa Ada o! I indeed need that kind of healing!! lol

@ Onlytruth

In the interest of peace, I will stop all petitions against you. However, I shall be watching your every move.

You may have won today, by hook, line or sinker, but the battle is not lost!

May your reign bring the much needed growth that the Igbo Nation. Like I always pointed out, we both share the same goals, just via different means.

P.S The Agu ji Egbe 1 of Nri cannot be demoted. An Eze may be high than a priest, but the priest is chosen by the gods not man.

Igbo Kwezu enu!

Thank you Okija for withdrawing your petitions;

All's well that ends well. Whatever our differences in ideology, philosophies, and methodologies, our common goal is paramount - Igbo renaissance!

Cha cha cha IGBO kwenu! Makaa nu! Rie nu! Muo nu! Zuo nu! Kwezuo nu o!  To the EZE elect EZE OnlyTruth, the IKENGA DIKE 1 of anaedo, ndu di n'eziokw 1 of alaigbo, ana'm asi gi IGWEEE!!!  Dike ana agbalu izu, gaa na ilu, umu igbo kwu gi na azu, iga adi ndu kaa nka o, iseee!!! EZE iga adigide ebi ebi iseee!!!  IGWEEE!!! I wish congratulate our EZE, his fellow contestant, his cabinet, the electoral commissioner in the person of pointB, ohaneze ndigbo, enyi ndigbo, ohanaeze nigeria, and ohaneze ndiuwa(the world at large) for witnessing and making this event a success, i say dalu nu o, indeed IGBO bu oke mba. Dalukwa'nu o.

Okija_juju:

Ochi ato gbue la'm o!!

Nne biko zita lu'm the Nwa Ada o! I indeed need that kind of healing!! lol

@ Onlytruth

In the interest of peace, I will stop all petitions against you. However, I shall be watching your every move.

You may have won today, by hook, line or sinker, but the battle is not lost!

May your reign bring the much needed growth that the Igbo Nation. Like I always pointed out, we both share the same goals, just via different means.

P.S The Agu ji Egbe 1 of Nri cannot be demoted. An Eze may be high than a priest, but the priest is chosen by the gods not man.

Igbo Kwezu enu!

May your days be long.

It is with deep joy and fufilment that I the Nri High Priest welcomes the new crowned EZEIGBO in our midst. I have been reading all the comments that followed his emergence and I must say that my heart was engulfed with pride in regards to the choice we made.
I have been busy with work lately and thats why I havent been able to write an acceptance speech to the post of "HIGH PRIEST" bestow on me by the EZEIGBO himself, IKENGA ANAEDO.