There is this adage in Igboland which says that when elders are not
at home Children may wear snakes as necklaces. Another one says only
a foolish elder will be at home when a she goat delivers while in
tether. The holy Book added a great voice when it says;woe betides a
nation whose leaders are Children. Another school of thought rebuked
that evil triumph in any society when good men doing nothing.
The needless encounter between HRH ,Deji of Akure and one Mr Gregory
Iloehike who is claiming to be the Ezeigbo in Akure has once again
put in the front burner the vexed issue of Ezeigbo outside Igboland
in Nigeria. In the South West, Northern Nigeria and even South South
this reoccurring decimal , noise and confusion about Ezeigbo titles
outside Igboland has lingered on for too long for it to be given a
deserved attention. Disturbed by the deluge of crisis being generated
in cities outside Igboland by the so called Ezeigbo titles few years
back, Ohaneze Ndigbo asked that the title should be Onyendu Ndigbo
not Ezeigbo. Few of these jesters and impostors complied for a while
but within a very short time these clowns returned to continue to
embarrass themselves and Igboland. I had thought that Ohaneze will
stand up to carry the big stick and beat these pretenders back on the
track but not Ohaneze. I had thought that Ohaneze will write a strong
letter to all Governors outside Igboland to convey their strong
position of this very important matter but not Ohaneze . I had
thought that Ohaneze will go extra mile in introducing heavy
sanctions for any nonentity that will flout the directive but not
Ohaneze . Rather we have continued to live with this comic drama and
primitive display of inanities outside Igboland.
In Lagos we have these Ezeigbos in all the 54 local governments and
LCDAs and this writer has witnessed all the troubles and confusion
associated with this misnomer . One Chief Nwachukwu who lives in
Okota in Isolo and one Chief Ohazurike who lives in Oko Oba ,Agege
have engaged each other in a supremacy contest of who will be the
Ezeigbo of the whole of Lagos for years now with no respite in sight.
At a time Mr Babalola , the former Chief of Staff Lagos wrote to me
to help him clarify the real Ezeigbo of Lagos among the two. I never
reported back to the Chief of Staff of Lagos because I considered the
drama as a needless distraction that needed no government attention.
While Ohazurike is tilting towards PDP , Nwachukwu pitched his tent
with APC. It is all about politics of the stomach and that of
survival.
But how did we come to this sorry pass that ordinary people who left
Igboland in search of a better life in other parts of Nigeria got
themselves entangled into this power struggle in order to get
something to eat? Who introduced this aberration into our moral and
cultural lexicon? Who are the progenitors of this shenanigan outside
Igboland? What points were they trying to score in the first place?
What is the purpose? Is it another form buy and sell phenomenon Igbo
is known for all over the world? Is Ezeigbo title now goods to be
sold in an open market? What is the benefit or for whose benefit?
When these Ezeigbos get to Igboland what do we call them? Do we call
them Igwes or Obis when when the royals gather? Does anybody know the
background and antecedents of these people who parade themselves as
Ezeigbos?
From my little investigations I have found out that these local
Ezeigbos left Igboland as common traders, carpenters , bricklayers,
motor mechanics, barbers, house boys, drivers, apprentices, etc. Some
of them made some money in business and needed some political power
to raise their status both at home and outside Igboland . Some are
failed business men who are looking for a way to earn a living and be
important again. Some resort to it to attract attention to
themselves and attract political , social and economic patronage. All
they need to do is to buy red caps and piece together some attires
that look royal and kingly. Some of them who are landlords build
meeting halls in their compounds where they call palaces. Soon they
will start inviting people of like minds to start coming to meetings.
Soon they start organizing new yam festivals just to get gifts ,
money inclusive. Paid singers and drummers will also be in attendance
to make the drama to be complete. Elections times are also times for
government recognition and money is involved also. The local Ezeigbos
get money from governments for mobilization and support . At
government functions they are sometimes invited to add Colour to the
event. Politicians use them a lot to try to reach Igbo in their local
governments and development areas. It is pure business and those who
know about the gains have seized the space and they are not in a
hurry to let go. No wonder the craze is now all over Nigeria except
Igboland .
The Ezeigbo title outside Igboland may be an embarrassment to Igbo
culture and dignity but politicians outside Igboland exploit it to
their own advantage. While the governors and other politicians need
them win elections, the Obas and Kabiyesis see them as intruders,
interlopers and impostors who are encroaching into their kingdoms.
They see them as rivals and competitors who are taking some of what
belong to them. They see it as a case of two captains in one boat
given the way the Ezeigbos carry themselves about with deafening
noise and arrogance . This is the reason why HRH The Deji of Akure is
fighting back. The real king does not want a fake king in his
kingdom. The Deji of Akure does not want a divided kingdom or divided
royalty. He wants total control of his people including those who
came from other lands.
I suggest that Igbo leaders especially Ohaneze Ndigbo should move
into action now and stop this nonsense forever working with the
governors outside Igboland. We must produce a position paper on it
and compel our people to abide by it. We must stamp our feet down by
doing the needful before it gets out of hand. Our people must care
about the feelings of other Nigerians outside Igboland 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 Igboland is making a mockery our tradition,
culture and cherished ideals. Now, who are these Ezeigbos? What are
their pedigree? What do they do for a living? Where are they coming
from? Do we know whom they are and what they represent? What is their
status in their home towns? A situation where drug kingpins, 419ers,
armed robbers, kidnappers, failed business men hide under Ezeigbo
titles 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 convince other Nigerians that we care about
peaceful co existence and the need to understand our differences. 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 Ezeigbo title outside Igboland
for peace to reign.
Joe igbokwe
Lagos