Ban Eze Ndigbo title outside Igboland —Igbokwe

Toluwani Eniola

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.