The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives
Congress in Lagos State, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, has
called for the abolition of the Eze Ndigbo title
outside Igbo land.

He said the craze for title by the Igbo indigenes
outside their states of origin was making a mockery
of the Igbo tradition and culture.
Igbokwe, who said this in an article titled, ‘Eze
Ndigbo title outside Igboland: A needless
distraction’, on Sunday, advised the Ohaneze
Ndigbo to end the embarrassment caused by the
Ndigbo title by issuing a policy paper that compels
the Igbo to abide by it.

He said it was unfortunate that politicians outside
Igbo land exploit the Eze Ndigbo to their own
advantage, especially to win elections.
He said, “A situation where drug kingpins, armed
robbers, kidnappers, failed businessmen hide under
the Eze Ndigbo title to continue to embarrass us
calls for immediate attention and concrete actions.
We cannot continue to pretend that all is well when
these pretenders sow seeds of discord between our
people and the host communities.
“We need to have the courage to do away with this
dangerous trend which tends to cause disaffection
between us and the host communities across
Nigeria. Let us abolish this Eze Ndigbo title outside
Igboland for peace to reign.”

It will be recalled that the Deji of Akure, Oba Kole
Aladetoyinbo, recently banned the Eze Ndigbo title
in Akure after a disagreement with the Eze Ndigbo
of Akure, Gregory Iloehike.
According to Igbokwe, the Deji of Akure and other
Yoruba rulers see the holders of the Eze Ndigbo
title as a threat to their sovereignty due to the way
they “carry themselves about with noise and
arrogance.”

Igbokwe said most of the Eze Ndigbo title holders
were common traders who needed political power
to raise their status both at home and outside Igbo
land.
He also said some of them were failed businessmen
seeking to earn a living and political and economic
patronage.

He said, “I suggest that Igbo leaders, especially the
Ohaneze Ndigbo, move into action now and stop
this nonsense forever. We must produce a paper on
it and compel our people to abide by it.
“We must do the needful before it gets out of hand.
Our people must care about the feelings of other
Nigerians outside Igbo land where they do
businesses and must be told in the strongest terms
to respect the rules of engagement and rules of
business anywhere they are.
“This craze for titles outside Igbo land is making a
mockery of our tradition, culture and cherished
ideals.


http://www.afikpochicupdates.com/12925

Notn to say

His Opinion.



Ain't changing nothing

he could right
dey are making d title look cheap

I agree. This issue was, in fact, vigorously discussed among the Igbo intelligentsia over a decade ago. I remember it was all over the papers.

One side of the debate argued that it trivialised the 'Eze' title, and created the awkward situation where there were effectively two kings in one community. Some of the traditional rulers in Igboland were also concerned about how to relate with a subject who was also a traditional ruler himself in another land. Eg: If a son of Nnewi was an Eze in, say, Ado-Ekiti, what happens when he goes to Nnewi? Does he carry himself as a King before the Igwe Nnewi? Is he a 'subject' as well as the royal equal of the Igwe Nnewi?

It was suggested that the title 'Eze' be substituted with 'Odu' (leader) for the diaspora, and that the kingly paraphernalia be replaced with less regal paraphernalia. I don't know why these suggestions weren't taken. They seemed pretty reasonable to me at the time. They seem even more reasonable now.

Ban em

He couldn't be more right. The concept of Eze di na mba is absolutely nonsensicalll