Eze Ndi Igbo banned by Oba in Akure

Posted by Felix Okoli on Thursday October 22, 2015 at 15:12:38:

I recently read a report in the papers about an Igbo King banned in Akure by the Deji of Akureland, Oba Aladetoiynbo Aladelusi. Gregory Iloehike had been installed as Eze Ndigbo by the Igbo people leaving there who were mostly traders but was later disapproved by the Deji over an allegation of rude behaviour to the Oba during a meeting with him. It was reported that Eze Ndigbo wore his crown to the Oba's palace to honur an invitation which the Oba made.

The Eze Ndigbo was ordered to apologise publicly for his rude behaviour on at least 3 national dailies as well as broadcast statiosn and also to write a letter of apology to the monarch and the Deji-in-Council before he can be forgiven and for the traders to have their closed shops re-opened. The Igbo King was said to have also invited the Ondo state governor, Olusegun Mimiko to plead on his behalf to the Deji who has only insisted that he must make amends as already stated.

What bugs my mind really is whether traditional kings still have legal power in modern day Nigeria? Can an Oba or Eze Ndigbo really make laws in Modern day Nigeria? Can an Oba prescribe punishment for supposed offenders? i know that this was quite possible during the old time when there were no established Western style governments in place. Then the Obas or traditional kings could kill, maim, collect taxes, sell slaves, collenct land and do all things they wanted becasue they were the law. In modern day Nigeria when we have a Federal, State an Local government, it seems a bit confusing as to what the official roles of Obas are in Nigeria.

Based on what I think, I feel that the role of our traditonal kings nowadays is just to act as custodian of the people's culture and as ceremonial heads of people they represent. Does an Oba represent the interests of non-Yoruba people? Can an Oba defend the rights and wishes of the Igbo people? I guess that's one of the reasons why Igbo people living outside their traditional lands tend to want to establish some form of welfare government for themselves and that's why I think some of them do things like install Eze Ndigbo. They beleive that their Eze will stand fr them and fight for their rights. They see their Eze as truly representing them as he understands their culture, their lifestyle and aspirations and those are thigns which a Yoruba Oba will not do for them. It would be against the rights of Igbo people to be stopped from choosing their own Kings or leaders wherever they find themselves in Nigeria even in Yoruba lands because they also live there. Most Igbos are normally excluded from benefitting from the protection and care non Igbo Kings only give to their own people and that's why they feel the need to have their own form of social government.

An Oba used to be very powerful in the past before teh coming of modern day government but nowadays, a governor is more powerful than an Oba since he alone has power to collect tax and approve laws that are to be carried out in a state. There is an established rule of law that decided how Nigerians can act wherever theyr reside in Nigeria and I've not seen any that prevents them from choosing ceremonial Kings who can stand for their welfare such as an Eze Ndigbo n whatever Nigerian city they find themselves in.

I heard that the Eze Ndigbo was assaulted when he visited the Oba by thugs and was almost beaten by them except for the intervention for the police who knew that it was unlawful to beat a harmless man who was just representing his people.

Perhaps the Oba feels that the Igbo King was a threat to his Kingship but I don't think that he could be since he seems to be a decent man who wouldn't want to go against the tradition of his hosts. He was merely standing up for his people who expected him to dress like the King they anointed him to be wherever he went. His going to visit the Oba with a crown on his head was simply to show the Oba that he was chosen by hi Igbo people but it happened that some people find it to be insulting to the Deji.

I guess that the many Igbo people who may have heard about how the Eze was harassed and the conditions laid out for him to apologize would feel 2 times insulted and would not even encourage their King to apologize. First that the kingship of their Eze was disregarded and secondly that they now want to embarass him into doing a public apology which would make Igbo Kingship seem a bit subservient to Yoruba Kingship, something many Igbos would disagree to.

While I agree that the Yoruba King may have more resources than the Eze and feel justified to demand for an apology, it would be a hard thing for the Eze Ndigbo to do, being a titled man and not one who is expected to put himself to public ridicule. I'm not sure if that apology or appeasement will be coming anytime soon and that's if it would actually come.