Most of us know that during the British reign of Igboland many aspects of the Igbo culture had been bastardised, corrupted and even completely eradicated. One major aspect of the destruction of the social, political and even religious fabric of Igboland was the introduction of the Warrant chiefs, masking as 'Igwe' (which just means 'his highness' by the way) or 'Eze'. Before this there was authentic royalty and this is what this thread seeks to highlight.

Who and where are the authentic monarch's of Igboland, and how is their authenticity proven? Hundreds of villages boast of 'eze' or 'igwe' yet none of these heads can trace their lineage (which they probably don't have because the titles are bought) past Fredrick Lugard.

If you know of the living authentic kings (or queens if there were/are any) of Igboland, list them here and give a short biography (if you can).

I would recommend focusing on northern, western and riverine parts of ala Igbo. I'm not all to sure about the northeast, or the eastern parts. I doubt you'd get anywhere focusing on southern groups.

abiriba had enachioken while aro had ezearo.

I don't see their pictures or their names
Where are the pictures?

EZE NRI --oldest in Nigeria. Since 900AD
EZE ARO--since 14th century
OBI ONITSHA since 17th century
OBI OF AGBOR since 15th century.
Eze Ekpeye since 19th century.

1. What about Owerri? (don't laugh) I heard a man who called himself the Eze Owerri on NTA saying that his lineage goes back to the 17th century or something like that. If anyone knows about that please reply.

---

2. Can Opobo be considered an Igbo dynasty since the progenitor was from Nkwerre? Pease no fights, It's a question)

Plus do any of you have photos, heres a photo of the Eze Nri (click to enlarge)
[img]http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:tviP_3JYW1oRBM:http://images.igbonet.com/EzeNriNriEnwelanaIIObidiegwuOnyeso.jpg[/img]

Obi of Onitsha (click to enlarge) I'm surprised at how 'Igbo' his dressing is considering Onicha's Igala/Bini origin.

---

3.

Andre Uweh:

EZE NRI --oldest in Nigeria. Since 900AD

I thought the first Eze Nri (Eze Nri Ifikuanim) ascended in the 1040's?

Eze Owere. . . seriously? As for question two. . have the Opobo rulers been from the same family lineage?

ChinenyeN:

Eze Owere. . . seriously?

Yes, really. I don't know the history of Owerri so I wasn't sure

ChinenyeN:

have the Opobo rulers been from the same family lineage?

I don't know, have they?

ezeagu:

Yes, really. I don't know the history of Owerri so I wasn't sure

Oh ok. Well, I wouldn't know for sure, but I find it rather questionable.

ezeagu:

I don't know, have they?

I was asking because if the rulers of Opobo had all been from that one Nkwere man's lineage, then Opobo could be considered a dynasty.

What you have in Owerri, Orlu, Ogwashi Ukwu, Iselu Ukwu.Ubulu Ukwu, Abor, Ibeku, Asaba are all kindred heads that metamorphosed into Obis and Ezes and are less than 110 ten years old.
At Ezeagu, You may be right on 1040's and Nri, but some accounts say since 900AD. But what matters is that Nri Kingdom is the oldest in Nigeria.

Andre Uweh:

What you have in Owerri, Orlu, Ogwashi Ukwu, Iselu Ukwu.Ubulu Ukwu, Abor, Ibeku, Asaba are all kindred heads that metamorphosed into Obis and Ezes and are less than 110 ten years old.

"We note that there is nothing Royal about the Asagba of Asaba nor is Asaba a kingdom. Asaba is a sophisticated republican community with over 40 units (OGBE), which are autonomous in all respects."
http://www.asaba.com/palace/ezenei/

True.

Andre Uweh:

At Ezeagu, You may be right on 1040's and Nri, but some accounts say since 900AD. But what matters is that Nri Kingdom is the oldest in Nigeria.

True, too bad the British destroyed the influence it had on Anambala and beyond otherwise we wouldn't have a 'king' in every little village, as well as other advantages.

I think it's interesting to note that the Obi of Onitsha and his entourage are dressed exactly the same as the Eze Nri, feathers and all. You will not see any of the 'new' Eze dressed like this.

Some other monarchs west of the Niger dresses in Nri like regalia. Though some of them do not trace their roots from Nri but the truth is starting to manifest.

I would expect the Obi of Onitsha to dress like the Oba of Benin, well thats the misconception I guess.

The Igwe of Nnewi has been in existence for several centuries (I will give the geneology soon). In 1904 when the Whiteman came into Nnewi, the Igwe that was on the throne was Ezeugbonyamba, the grandfather of the present Igwe Kenneth Orizu III.

What marks the Igwe throne from any other throne in Igboland or most other places is that it is hereditary by the oldest son of the Igwe at the time of his death as long as that son does not have any traditional issues against him - like murder, stealing, abomination against the land, etc.

If you pay a trillion dollars into the accounts of Ojukwu, late Dr Nwafor Orizu, late Ekenedilichukwu, Ibeto, Coscharis, Chu Okongwu or Gen Sam Momah and hand over the Igwe of Nnewi throne to any of them, they will curse you for hating them and run away. That throne is a no-go area for any other person no matter your political, financial or military power.

The four quarters of Nnewi ie Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim and Nnewichi each has its own Obi which is always hereditary and non-contestible. All the villages in these quarters and even the big family called 'umunna' have their respective Obi. Each is non-contestible.

The traditional office in Nnewi can be compared to that of the UK. The difference is that in years past the UK throne was usurped and fought over. The UK throne can also be inherited by a daughter. But the Nnewi throne has never be fought over. Nobody knows what will happen to anybody who dares, but nobody has dared to find out.

I will give you the names of all the Igwe of Nnewi since inception and a profile of the current Igwe Orizu soon.

All the Igwes, Ezes and Obis in Igboland came into being between 100-110 years ago. Most are British creations. In most kingdreds in Igboland, there were heads but not with authority. This heads were made warrant chiefs and Ezes later.
Nevertheless, Nri, Agbor and Onitsha had deviant cases. The later two may be as a result of Nri or Bini influence.
It is noteworthy to know that the current Obi of Onitsha --Igwe Achebe sees Bini ancestry of Onitsha as nonsense and ridiculous.

Note: Igwe is not a relevant title, it's synonymous with 'your highness' or 'your majesty. I don't know when or where 'Igwe' was made a title, but it's a good way of identifying British made monarchies.

Andre Uweh:

All the Igwes, Ezes and Obis in Igboland came into being between 100-110 years ago. Most are British creations. In most kingdreds in Igboland, there were heads but not with authority. This heads were made warrant chiefs and Ezes later.
Nevertheless, Nri, Agbor and Onitsha had deviant cases. The later two may be as a result of Nri or Bini influence.
It is noteworthy to know that the current Obi of Onitsha --Igwe Achebe sees Bini ancestry of Onitsha as nonsense and ridiculous.

ezeagu:

Note: Igwe is not a relevant title, it's synonymous with 'your highness' or 'your majesty. I don't know when or where 'Igwe' was made a title, but it's a good way of identifying British made monarchies.

I am careful not to make a sweeping statement on an issue I am not 100% about. It is clear that your sweeping statements were made based on what you have heard. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God have also helped to instil this belief that among the Igbo, there were no monarchs before the advent of the Whiteman.

Maybe due to little or no publicity, most people know little about the Nnewi royalty. Because of that I am doing a book on it.

As I said, Nnewi has four semi-autonomous parts: Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim and Nnewichi. Each of these quarters has an Obi which has been hereditary since inception, but the Obi of Otolo (the most senior quarter) is the Igwe of Nnewi. Whoever is the Obi of Otolo is automatically the Igwe of Nnewi. It is not contestable. The Whiteman met it like that when he came.

When the Whiteman (Major Moorhouse) and his army marched into Nnewi in 1904, the young Igwe, whose father had just died, was spirited away for fear that the Whiteman would kill him. His uncle Nwosu Odumegwu, who was the richest man in Nnewi then, received the visitors. They thought he was the Igwe but he told them no that the Igwe was in mourning and should not see visitors while mourning the late Igwe. Given that Ezeodumegwu was wealthy and influential, the Whiteman sought to make him the Warrant Chief of Nnewi, but he vehemently refused. The Whiteman was said to have expressed his surprise that an African would refuse to be made the Warrant Chief of his people by the Whiteman. When Ezeodumegwu and other elders got a firm assurance that the young king would not be harmed, they arranged for a public meeting between the Igwe and the Whiteman at the Nkwo Nnewi Square. On the appointed day, Igwe accompanied by the other three Obi of the three quarters came out to meet with the Whiteman in the presence of the Nnewi People. Igwe was a young man of 23 years then.

That was why I said in my earlier post that, if you give an Nnewi man a trillion dollars to assume the Igwe throne, he would curse you and run away. If the Igwe or Obi throne of Nnewi was created by the Whiteman, it would be open for contest by the rich and influential, and Nnewi has the greatest cluster of rich men in Eastern Nigeria. Even though Dr Nwafor Orizu was the Senate President in the early 1960s when Orizu II died, he did not even dream of going near the throne as is done in other communities because he knew that he was not the heir.

[img][/img]

Igwe Ezeugbonyamba Orizu I succeeded his father Igwe Iwuchukwu Ezeifekaibeya in 1904, the same year the Whiteman came into Nnewi.

Nwosu Ezeodumegwu, the "regent" who refused vehemently to be made Nnewi Warrant Chief by the Whiteman in 1904 because it is a taboo for any other body to become the Igwe of Nnewi if he is not the heir.

Ezeodumegwu was so rich that a proverb still exists in Nnewi today in his name: Onye akochighi mbubo, o na-aza Ezeodumegwu? (If a man does not have enough yam seedlings to plant on a small portion of land, does he bear the the name Ezeodumegwu?)

Ezeodumegwu was the 'eze' (chieftancy) title he took. One of his descendants Dike Anagbalizu was also popular. Oliver de Coque sang a song for him in the 1980s. Prof ABC Nwosu, a former minister in Obasanjo's first term, is from that family.

Picture shows Igwe KNO Orizu III being presented to Michael Okpara, Eastern Premier, in the First Republic, as the 17th Igwe of Nnewi.

Born in 1925, Igwe Kenneth Orizu is the Obi of Otolo Nnewi and the Igwe of Nnewi. He attended the Hope Waddel Institute Calabar and completed his education at New Bethel College, Onitsha in 1942. He worked under MCK Ajuluchukwu at the Eastern Nigeria Information Service, Enugu and later moved to Asaba as the Commercial Manager for Mid-Western Region.

Upon the death of his father in 1963, he ascended the throne of his ancestors on May 25, 1963 as the 17th Igwe of Nnewi. This year (2010) makes it his 47th on the throne.

Any day he passes on, his first son at the day of his passing on takes over as the 18th Igwe of Nnewi - no contest. That is the way it is with the Nnewi Monarchy.

Note that it is not only Nnewi that had kings before the advert of the whiteman. Many towns around Nnewi did. For example, the mother of the current Igwe's grandfather was married from the royal family of Ihiala. When the news of the Whiteman's entrance into Nnewi was received, it was to the royal family of Ihiala that the  young Igwe was taken to to avoid any harm to him.

The problem why there is this belief that there were no monarchs in almost all Igbo communities is because most of these communities do not have any writer in the mould of Achebe to publicize their people's history. But it must be noted that unlike the Binis, Yorubas, Hausas etc, the Igwes and Obis that existed in these Igbo communities like that in Nnewi were never all-powerful. In line with the Igbo spirit, they were respected but never treated like gods.

Hmm, maybe Nnewi is an exception but most 'Igwe' are British constructed. Do you higher quality of those pictures?

If you send your email address, I could send the pictures to you.

So Azuka what determines who succeds a dead igwe in Nnewi?does it rotate btw families in Otolo or its passed down from a particular lineage?

ifyalways:

So Azuka what determines who succeds a dead igwe in Nnewi?does it rotate btw families in Otolo or its passed down from a particular lineage?

Ify, I said it in one of my posts above: All traditional institutions in Nnewi are hereditary (by the first son). Any day the current Igwe dies, WHOEVER is his first son at the time of his death automatically becomes the next Igwe. If the current Igwe has no male child at the time of his death, his immediate younger brother becomes the Igwe. If none of his brothers is alive, the eldest of his nephews becomes the Igwe. That is the way it is for all the Obi of all the umunna, villages and 4 quarters of Nnewi.

Azuka.O:

Ify, I said it in one of my posts above: All traditional institutions in Nnewi are hereditary (by the first son). Any day the current Igwe dies, WHOEVER is his first son at the time of his death automatically becomes the next Igwe. If the current Igwe has no male child at the time of his death, his immediate younger brother becomes the Igwe. If none of his brothers is alive, the eldest of his nephews becomes the Igwe. That is the way it is for all the Obi of all the umunna, villages and 4 quarters of Nnewi.

Were there no queens?

ezeagu:

Were there no queens?

Was that a joke? Queens in Igboland? If you mean Queen as in Regina (reigning queens), there have never been any in Igboland. (Except in Nollywood fantasies). If you mean queen as Igwe's wife, yes.

thanks azuka o.but what is meant by igbos have no king is that there were no real empires in igboland.igbos have kings of very small enclave like onitsha,aboh,nri etc but no central leader.the alaafin of oyo ruled the entire yorubaland while the oba ruled the entire edoland.these kings of small enclaves could neither wage wars nor conquer their surrounding villages.they were more of just spiritual figure heads and not authoritative emperors.

Abagworo:

thanks azuka o.but what is meant by igbos have no king is that there were no real empires in igboland.igbos have kings of very small enclave like onitsha,aboh,nri etc but no central leader.the alaafin of oyo ruled the entire yorubaland while the oba ruled the entire edoland.these kings of small enclaves could neither wage wars nor conquer their surrounding villages.they were more of just spiritual figure heads and not authoritative emperors.

Yeah I think they were spiritual heads in evry community igboland than kings.
Even if there were kings, there was always a village priest who had the powers 2comminicate with their ancestors for spiritual guidance.
Atleast I can attest to this from ma moms village.

Yes in line with the Igbo way of life, the Igwe of Nnewi has never been all-powerful like the Emir of Kano or Ooni of Ife. But he has never been a spiritual leader. We have Priests for Edo, Ogwugwu, Akpu, Udo etc.

The Igwe of Nnewi reigns among his people with their consent and support. Nnewi people have a saying: "You don't rule Nnewi people; you administer/manage them."

Yes in line with the Igbo way of life, the Igwe of Nnewi has never been all-powerful like the Emir of Kano or Ooni of Ife. But he has never been a spiritual leader. We have Priests for Edo, Ogwugwu, Akpu, Udo etc.

The Igwe of Nnewi reigns among his people with their consent and support. Nnewi people have a saying: "You don't rule Nnewi people; you administer/manage them."

There are Igbo queens known as Ọmụ who are queens in their own right and not through marriage. Ọmụ are usually found among the Aniocha people in places like Ogwahi-Ukwu and Igbuzor.

Obi Martha Dunkwu, Omu of Okpam