South-East monarchs move against Ezeigbos

All Igbo living outside the South East geopolitical zone have been banned by the South East traditional rulers from parading around with the Ezeigbo titles in their places of abode.
The angered royal fathers also warned against the crowning of Ndigbo outside Igboland as traditional rulers. The decision to stop the trend was taken by the South East Traditional Rulers Council.
The monarchs want Section 19 of Anambra Traditional Rulers Law 2007, which states that anyone caught pretending to be a traditional ruler without recognition by the government should be jailed for one year.
The traditional ruler of Nawfia in Njikoka Local Government Area, HRH Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo (Osuofia 2), Eze Nawfia (Igwe Umunri), disclosed the decision of the Council during an interview with The AUTHORITY.
Igwe Nwankwo who is in line to become the Chairman of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers asked monarchs from other parts of Nigeria to henceforth cease from recognising anybody with the prefix of Ezeigbo.
He said they should instead be addressed as “Onyendu Ndi Igbo” as there can’t be two rulers in a kingdom.
He said their counterparts in other parts of the country, especially the Obas and Emirs, have been informed of the decision of Council.
Igwe Nwankwo said: “I don’t support that (crowning of Ezeigbo abroad) at all. We have had meetings upon meetings on this and we stated that nobody can answer that name, and all traditional rulers even the Yoruba and Hausa accepted our stand.
“We gave them another name they can answer. That is ‘Onyendu Ndi Igbo’. They have begun to make caricature of our sacred traditional institution.
“Now they are having trouble at Ibadan. I was invited to go there but I refused and told them to go through the South East channel. We don’t support it at all.
“It is against the Section 19 of Anambra Traditional Rulers Law 2007 states that anyone caught pretending or parading himself as Igwe will go for one year imprisonment without a fine. All states in the federation have similar law.
“There is nothing wrong in the name we gave them. It is not right for them to do that in another person’s land. You must respect others’ culture so that they will respect ours.
“We sent letters to them and it has been enforced. The issue is that people use it for political reason.”
He insisted that Ndigbo has a leader in their traditional ruler at communities in Igboland and could have a leader as Onye Ndu Ndigbo, one taking care of Ndigbo in that state or community and not Ezeigbo.
According to Nwankwo, “I don’t believe in that. The way things will work in this state and Igboland generally is for the whole Igbo to come together and give Pete Edochie a title.
“I have gone to so many places. I don’t give titles anyhow; I have only given five people titles because you have to show me what you have done.
“I will tell you why Pete deserves a title. Without this, his African magic people would not have started respecting Igwes.
“For one reason, they respect Igwes. He has done a good job. It is not left for the government to galvanise them to do that. This is a permanent position.
I have gone to meetings where you hardly see an Emir contribute to a meeting. It is only Abuba¬kar. He is eloquent speaker. Some of the Igwes do not respect themselves?