Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has reaffirmed that the controversial Eze Ndigbo title will no longer be used by Igbo leaders living outside the South-East and has announced that the new Onyendu Ndigbo title will serve as its replacement.
The decision was made known during the induction of diaspora leaders and the inauguration of the first group of 32 Onyendu Ndigbo leaders in Owerri, Imo State, on Monday.
The newly inducted leaders were selected from Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ghana and other locations. Ohanaeze said the change was introduced to end the long-running disputes surrounding the Eze Ndigbo title both within Nigeria and among Igbo communities abroad.
Chairman of the Committee on the Regularisation of Igbo Diaspora Traditional Title and Leadership, Charles Odunukwe, said anyone leading Igbo people outside their ancestral homeland would now bear the Onyendu title or any other title approved after consultations with the Council of Ndieze and Ime-Obi.
He added that the use of the Eze Igbo or Eze Ndigbo title by diaspora leaders had been officially prohibited.
During the ceremony, the Chairman of the South-East Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Emmanuel Okeke, formally inducted another set of diaspora leaders into the office of Onyendu Ndigbo.
He said the exercise was part of ongoing efforts to create a more organised and trusted leadership structure for Igbo communities living outside the South-East.
Okeke urged the newly inducted leaders to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity. He told them to avoid corruption and poor leadership, reminding them that the position comes with great responsibility.
He also thanked the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, led by Senator John Azuka Mbata, for supporting the initiative.
The traditional ruler warned that any leader who failed to meet the expected standards would lose both the title and the certificate given during the induction.
The latest ceremony came after the first induction held in Owerri in May, when another 32 Igbo leaders from different parts of the diaspora were installed into the new leadership structure.
Secretary of the committee, Ubochi Ubochi, described the programme as an important step towards creating a better organised and more respected leadership system for Igbo communities across the world.
He said the Onyendu Ndigbo title is more than a ceremonial honour, noting that it carries the duty of promoting unity, preserving Igbo culture and providing responsible leadership wherever Igbo people reside.
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