Traditional rulers in the South East have strongly condemned the coronation of individuals as Eze Ndigbo or Obi of Igbo outside Igboland, insisting that such practice is alien to Igbo culture and tradition.
Reacting to the recent action of a self-acclaimed Obi of Lagos, Chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Emmanuel Okeke, described the development as unacceptable.
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He stressed that Igbo tradition does not permit anyone to bear the title of Eze Ndigbo or Obi of Igbo in another man’s land, warning that such titles undermine the sanctity of the traditional institution.
“Eze is our heritage. If anybody wants to be the leader of Ndi Igbo in the diaspora, he can answer Onye Ndu Ndi Igbo. But we have said it several times that we don’t want to hear Eze Ndigbo or Obi of Igbo again. It is not in our tradition,” Okeke stated.
The monarch explained that only those coronated properly by their communities in Igboland can bear the title of Eze. According to him, any other form of coronation outside Igboland has no traditional legitimacy.
In the same vein, the immediate past Chairman of the Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Ndubuisi Nwabeke, described the practice as illegal and absurd, calling for its total abolition.
He argued that an Eze must preside over a community within Igboland, with clearly defined territory and traditional authority, not in states or cities outside the region.
“This thing called Eze Ndigbo in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, or anywhere outside Igboland should not be encouraged. It must be abolished because it portrays disrespect to the Igbo traditional rulership system,” Nwabeke said.
He recalled that the South East Council of Traditional Rulers had long advised Igbo residents outside their homeland to designate their leaders as Onye Ndu Ndigbo (Leader of Igbo People) rather than Eze Ndigbo.
“An Eze should rule over a community that has a map, a constitution, and people of that lineage. No one can be an Eze in another man’s land. Tenants in urban areas cannot claim to have palaces in foreign lands,” he added.
The traditional rulers therefore urged Igbo communities in the diaspora to respect their host states and cities, while preserving the integrity of the Igbo traditional institution by abolishing the controversial titles.