KINGSLEY EBERE
The Igbo Speaking Community in Lagos State has nullified the decision of Southeast traditional rulers led Eze E.C Okeke to stop the use of the Ezendigbo title in diaspora and declared it of no effect on members of the community in diaspora.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that this was disclosed by the President General of the Igbo Speaking Community, Chief Sunday Udeh, popularly known as Onwa Ndigbo, at the weekend.
Chief Udeh stated this during the three years coronation anniversary of Chairman of Council of Ezendigbo in Lagos State, Eze Chika Nwokedi, in his palace.
Chief Udeh said that there are serious issues that need the attention of the traditional rulers in Igbo land such as kidnapping, violence and other vices that have turned the Southeast into no-go areas, which they left and dabbled into irrelevant things like title names in diaspora.
Udeh noted that even some members of the traditional rulers have been associated with kidnapping allegations, which indicate that they are not serious about addressing the lingering problems in Igbo land.
He stated that those who should be worried over the decision of Southeast traditional rulers of changing the Ezendigbo title name to Onyendu are those not crowned Ezendigbo by the Igbo Speaking community and those Ezendigbo should ask themselves who crowned them and how they became Ezendigbo in diaspora.
Chief Udeh explained that the Igbo Speaking Community is a registered organization under Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) created by the Act of Parliament by the National Assembly.
Therefore, if the traditional rulers of the Southeast want to enforce their decision on Igbo Speaking Community Ezendigbo, they will first go to National Assembly and move motion, which will pass first, second and third readings before it will be passed into law.
Chief Sunday Udeh commended Eze Nwokedi for raising the bar of Ezendigbo in diaspora since be became Ezendigbo and Chairman of Council of Ezendigbo in Lagos State.
He stated that Eze Nwokedi has demonstrated that he has capacity and has contributed immensely to upholding the tradition and culture of Ndigbo in diaspora. He remarked that it is not the likes of Eze Nwokedi that the traditional rulers of the Southeast will ask not to use Ezendigbo tile name in diaspora.
Eze Nwokedi thanked the Igbo Speaking Community for coming to honour him on his three years coronation anniversary. He assured that he will continue to use his position as Ezendigbo to impact the live of the people in the society.
Chief Sunday Udeh’s declaration has confirmed P.M.EXPRESS report that the Igbo Speaking Community was duly registered at Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with BOT members led by Dr Jonathan Nnaji and enacted by the Act of Parliament in the National Assembly.
The Igbo Speaking Community therefore, will not be affected because they derived their existence from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the act of Parliament.
This may have made the decision of the ban unenforceable by the South East Council of traditional rulers on the Igbo Speaking Community Ezendigbo in diaspora.
However, those who may be affected by the ban included Ezendigbo crowned by Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Igbo Community and Eze Udo crowned by Eze Christian Nwachukwu and Eze Hyacinth Uwazuruike respectively.
If the ban is enforced by the Council of Traditional rulers, it means the number of Ezendigbo especially in Lagos may be reduced to the barest minimum, which might signal the restoration of sanity on prestigious stool of Ezendigbo title.