CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
Igbo Apex organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State, led by their President, Chief Solomon Aguene, may have started the awaited restructuring of the Council of traditional Leaders a.k.a Ezendigbo and the elders in the State following the sacking of the their Chairmen, Eze (Dr) Chris Offia and Chief Oliver Akubueze respectively.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that Eze Offia, who is the Ezendigbo in Ibeju Lekki, has been sacked and replaced by the Chairman of Council of traditional rulers in Alimosho Local Government area, Eze Lawrence Eze, as the new Chairman while Dr Femi Ferguson replaced Chief Akubueze with the fresh mandate to reconstitute a fresh Elders Council in Lagos State.
The sacking of Eze Sir Offia and dissolution of the Council of Elders in Lagos State was said to have to do with constituting of nuisance by some of the traditional rulers, thereby bringing the revered Igbo traditional stool into disrepute coupled with alleged unruly behaviours of the so called elders, who were said to have embarrassed Ndigbo in the State.
It was gathered that the Ohanaeze members were not happy with the leadership of Eze Offia, describing him as a weak leader, who was unable to control the activities of the Ezendigbo of which had seen some of them dabble into politics against the norms and traditions of Igbo culture.
One of the allegations leveled against Offia was his inability to control Eze Uche Dimgba, who claimed to be Ezendigbo in Ikeja and some of the Ezendigbo, who equally dabbled into politics and claiming to be Coordinators of Igbo in APC, which has since been collapsed into Ohanaeze Political Forum led by Chief Chris Ekwilo.
The Elders Council was also described as being toothless bulldogs, who had compromised their integrity and were no longer useful to Ohanaeze members and the Igbo at large in the State.
This was confirmed by the President of Ohanaeze, Chief Aguene, who said that Eze Offia has been removed and replaced with Eze Lawrence Eze while Dr Ferguson has taken over from Chief Akubueze.
He stated that Eze Lawrence and Dr Ferguson were popular choices by both Ohanaeze members and Council of traditional rulers and they have since resumed as the Chairmen.
Chief Aguene explained that the Council of traditional rulers and Elders were created by Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State under his leadership and it was his sole responsibility to appoint and replace by the popular demand of Ohanaeze members because their leadership was no longer useful and effective.
Chief Aguene urged the members of the public to be informed that both Offia and Akubueze can no longer act in their various capacities as Chairmen on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State.
Eze Lawrence Eze, who is the new Chairman of Council of traditional rulers in Lagos State, hails from Awka in Anambra State and holds the chieftaincy title of Agunabo in Awka before he was crowned Ezendigbo in Alimosho Local Government area some years ago.
He was a successful businessman and happily married with children.