The Igbo Council of Ndieze in Lagos State seems to have created monsters that are now challenging their authority as Ezendigbo, following their second in command’s formation of Council of Igbo Traditional Prime Ministers, also known as Onowu, in the State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the Council of Onowus was recently formed, which comprised all the second in command of Ndieze across all the Local Councils in Lagos State and Prince Andymoore Ihejioha emerged as their leader with others as executive members of the group.
The activities of the group got more prominent over the weekend during the New Yam festival organized by Ezendigbo of Ejigbo, Eze Sunday Alex Nwoye, at Ronik Comprehensive Secondary School, Ejigbo, where the group stamped their authority and created their own canopy as a separate group against the normal protocol of Ndieze sitting close to their Onowu.
Members of the Council of Ndieze, who were present at the event, wondered why their second in command would demand a separate canopy, stayed on their own and even presented a gift to the host, Eze Nwoye.
This caused altercation between members of the Council of Ndieze and the Onowus at the event and it took the intervention of some elders present to restore peace at the event.
P.M.EXPRESS investigation revealed that the Council of Onowus was formed by the members not only to protect the interest of their members but as well control the activities of Ndieze in Lagos State in order to ensure sanity on the Igbo traditional stool.
According to some members, who did not want their names mentioned, there was need to create such a group to checkmate the activities of Ndieze, as some of them have constituted nuisance in the past and there is need to call them to order.
The group was said to have held secret meetings and resolved to form strong alliance among themselves to protect their interests because of the nasty experiences some of them had in their various palaces in the past, where an Eze will wake up and sack their member for no just cause.
It was also in order to have a strong voice and scrutinize who becomes Ezendigbo in Lagos State and to know if such a person is qualified for the position because some were crowned Ezendigbo while their fathers were still alive against the Igbo tradition and culture.
However, already this is causing ripples among Ndieze, who claimed that the purpose was targeted at them just to challenge their authority as the Igbo traditional rulers in Lagos State.
Some of members of the Council of Ndieze have wondered why their appointees decided to form a group despite the fact that it is the prerogative of Ezendigbo to appoint their Onowu.