find below an information on the issue...



Obong opposes Eze Ndigbo in C’ River



By Bassey Inyang

Correspondent, Calabar



The Obong of Calabar and grand patriarch of Efik kingdom, Edidem Nta Elijah Henshaw, has decreed against the plan by a section of Igbo people to create the office of Eze Ndigbo in Calabar or any part of Cross River State.

The monarch said the plan is an attempt to deliberately instigate communal chaos between members of the host community and Igbo resident in the state.

Henshaw said the move is a subtle way of conveying a message of disloyalty or divided loyalty to his person and office as Obong and to other traditional rulers in the state.

He made the declaration on Tuesday while addressing leaders and members of the Igbo community in Calabar that paid him a courtesy call in his palace.

To emphasise his descent to the plan, Henshaw ordered Emmanuel Ezenwenyi, a Calabar based businessman, to stop parading himself as ‘Eze Ndigbo (elect) Cross River State’.

The Efik monarch also ordered Ezenwenyi to stop using the term palace of Ezeigbo (elect) in his correspondence.

Most of the Me-Etubon (kingmakers) that were at the palace also echoed the sentiment of the Obong and declared that the move which was an indication of divided loyalty by Ezenwenyi who is an Ada Idagha ke Efik Eburutu will not be tolerated.

Both the Obong and the kingmakers said they had to react because Ezenwenyi had already written a letter to Governor Donald Duke, seeking government recognition as the Eze Ndigbo the state.

Henshaw said such a practice would never be accepted and advised Duke to disregard the letter.

The monarch said the only office recognised by his palace is the President-General of Igbo Community in Calabar, being held by Fidelis O. Onyebueke.



He warned that the Efik people would not accept the creation of a monarchy in Calabar or any part of the state by the Igbo or any guest community.



He said a similar attempt to create an ‘Oba of Calabar’ by the Yoruba people failed because the Efik fiercely resisted it.

The Obong, however, urged law abiding and peace loving members of the Igbo community to go about their normal businessed, as they would always enjoy the hospitable culture of their hosts.



Onyebueke, who spoke on behalf of the Igbo community Calabar, pledged the continued loyalty of Igbos living in Calabar to the Obong.

The president general noted that the reign of Henshaw has engendered social-re-engineering and psychological rebirth in the people, just as the period has witnessed the creation of an enabling environment for commerce and tourism to thrive in Calabar.

Onyebueke used the forum to appeal to the monarch and Efiks to provide more lands for members of the Igbo community who intend to build houses and reside in Calabar.

Apparently in veiled reference to the Eze Ndigbo controversy, Onyebueke used the forum to dissociate the Igbo community from the move.

His words: “Let us here and now assure the Obong and indeed the people of Calabar that our administration under my leadership has no room for mundane activities that are capable of jeopardizing the security of Ndigbo in this state and breach the peace.

“This administration therefore dissociates itself from any move directly or indirectly by any person or group of persons trying to challenge the sacred traditional institution of Cross River State, because our primary pursuit in Calabar is commerce. We are responsible citizens who respect the diverse cultures of our host communities. We hereby pledge our unalloyed loyalty to the Obong and indeed the people of Calabar”.

What is an Obong and what is Eze Ndigbo?

Eze Ndi Igbo I "Ibo poeple's King".Im not sure of the "Obong"May be it means the same.

This is sad. The ibos in that region have a very imperialisic mentality as is evident in the whole biafra struggle. i have heard about this for some time now as the ibos in that area have tried to move into calabar, the homeland of th efiks and claim it as thers. this could get ugly

So much for the unity of the Igbo peoples and the dream for a "United Biafra"

Barring a few exceptions...the poor knowledge of 'eastern' nigeria (and Nigeria in general) by most Westerners has always been embarrassing.

Who are Ibos? Who are Efiks/Ibibios? Are they the same or what? Can a Nigerian be asking the difference between an Obong and Eze-Ndigbo?

For the purpose of information...
The Eastern part of Nigeria has 9 states... abia, akwa ibom,anambra, bayelsa, cross river, ebonyi, enugu, imo, rivers.

5 of these are Igbo speaking while the rest are not. In fact the rest make up a core of the current south-south region (with delta and edo as the other south -south states).
Unity in the former eastern region was/is not the kind of xenophobic type that was achieved in the west. It was/is based on principles of 'fairness'.
The first Biafra struggle was won and lost due to a 'perceived breach' or 'breach' of this principle.

Efiks/Ibibios occupy most of Akwa Ibom and Cross River. They neither understand nor speak Ibo. Classifying them as Igbos is like telling a Katsina man that he is Yoruba. Same goes for a Kalabari, Ogoni, or Bonny man.
These languages are not dialects of Igbo nor are the cultures tributaries of the Igbo culture.

The Obong is the traditional ruler of the Efiks, while an Eze Ndi-Igbo of Xyz is the head of Igbos in Xyz location.

These moves, as reported, are obviously untrue and at best political as Igbos have been in Calabar since the slave trade era without any 'insurrection'.

The current Biafra case is out to show 'Nigeria' that it is a land without a soul. It does not have any link with this case. 'Westerners' and 'Easterners' have diametrically opposed views of unity... one of them should not be made to look superior.

Obong, Igbos have been residing in Crossriver for over 100yrs without intention of intrusion (though surprised at your statement because both are indifferent).
Please, be careful with statements made in public.

drbigdady, i know ibos have been living in cross river for a long time, but we are talking about calabar here. its the seat of the efiks. imagine if the ibos that have lived in sokoto for a long tme decide to crown an ibo king in sokoto, how do you think theier hosts would take it? it's an afront and an imperialsitic mentality on the part of those ibos. I think generally the ibos and efik/ibibios, etc have lived in peace, but this move is uncalled for on the part of the ibos.

STOP STOP STOP, there is an Eze-Ndigbo in Lagos State, what has been the impact on the authority of His Royal Highness the Oba of Lagos. Eze Nwachukwu was crowned Eze-Ndigbo of Lagos State by Late Oba Adeyinka Oyekan of Lagos after due election. A little research helps. All people have the right to representation in any community they find themselves.

i didn't know that of lagos state. if indeed it's true, i stand corrected. do you have anything to show that is indeed the case

Google the word.....

It is a case of misplaced priority on the part of all the ''Gladiators'' in this controversy.
What is an Obong? what is Eze Ndigbo? what is an Oba ? What is Emir? What is Obol? etcetera
in modern day Nigeria?
Nothing more than the equivalent of  Colonial warrant chiefs without political force.
Dancing to the dictates of a '' politician''
Imagine them seeking for common recognition by Governor Duke.
I see politics in all these tussle now.
Barrister Onyebeuke is married to a ''daughter of the soil'' so the cap fits best under any name.
NA WA FOR NAIJA .
Else i forget, there is need to teach nigerian history in this forum.
It reminds me of the incident of Prince Harry wearing the Nazi's Uniform to a fancy dress party.

My people would call such an attempt by the EzeIgbo as an "Usongeyin" (insult). I highly doubt if a Calabar man would seek to be crowned an "Obong" in Ibo land, without raising the ire of the citizens. Geez, I mean, for what reason is all this for, except to start some controversy? Be a ruler in your region.

Obong,

You are an ignorant fellow. Try and travel out of your abode so that you can learn about other people and culture.

@ planner

there is no need callin someone ignorant, what i wanna know is, by creating an eze ndi-igbo in a state ruled by the obong, who are the ibos answerable to.

Would a calabar man go to an igbo land and ask to be made king of the calabar people in that land

i am an efik. Efiks and ibibios are one of the minorities in nigeria and seeking to create a ruler of the igbo people in a land belonging to the cross riverians is not cool

Chief Ezenwenyi is a member of the Obong of Calabar's Traditional Council of Chiefs who advise him on community/traditional matters and an attempt to create a Chiefdom for himself within Calabar is antithetical to the spirit of intra-community relationship between the Igbo's and the Efiks in Calabar.The Igbo's wouldn't accept an Obong of Aba or Onitsha so why is Chief Ezenwneyi (who has been a major benefactor of various State Govt contracts) trying to strike cords of disloyalty in the Efik-land.

The fact that Lagos State have accepted an Eze Ndigbo is not a parameter for it to be replicated in other states without recourse to the cultural idiosyncrasy's of the host community. We all know that the Eze Ndigbo diatribe is something that was started by the Ikemba himself as a one-off, but is now seen as political tool of group cohesion among the Igbo's.

A similar ploy was attempted in Ikom in Northern Cross River in 1998 by one Chief Miki Miki who self coronated himself as the Eze Ndigbo of Ikom- he was chased out of town and lost all his business assets.

We may be sentimental about the whole thing but when one looks at the political undertones behind the motive of Chief Emmanuel Ezenwenyi then one needs to checkmate his aspirations. From a historical perspective one needs to be reminded about a subtle rise of pro-Biafran nationalism in non-Igbo Southern states. The Igbo dream of a Biafra that includes Cross River,Akwa Ibom, Rivers & Bayelsa States is still  paramount on the minds of the pro-Biafra Igbo's; a dream that does not go down well with these Oil rich states. One of the reasons that the Civil War ended ( caused by the fall of Ikot Ekpene and Calabar ) early was due to the non cooperation  of most of the people of Akwa Ibom/Cross River with the Igbo Rebels-thats why till today they (the Igbo's) call them "Sabo's" (or Saboteurs).

Its not an issue of whether Oba ,Obong or Eze Ndigbo mean the same thing, its an issue of not allowing the cultural values and  identity of the Igbo's and Efiks in Calabar to be divided along the lines of allegiance to an Obong or Eze Ndigbo. That is why in recognition of Chief Ezenwenyi's leadership status amongst the Igbo's in Calabar he was awarded the Ada Idaha ke Efik Eburutu Chieftancy title in the first place by the Obong of Calabar'.For him to create a parallel Chieftancy title for himself by upgrading his Ada Idaha title to that of Eze Ndigbo is tantamount to trying to rule in another persons Kingdom. He's either having a laugh or taking the mickey out of the Efiks-he's got to be stopped.

Ada Idaha ke Efik Eburutu

i am loving my culture, remember when i went to my dad's coronation back when i was in cali, good times,

@ LondonCool
mbok tell them,

Londoncool and muchbabe, are both of you efiks? I grew up in Calabar, though I am an Ibibio man.

I don't know the details of this stupid controversy but trust me, it's not far from an internal squabble between the president of the Igbo association and the self-styling Eze ndi Igbo. The association president has the support of the Obong, so it's understandable that they come out and discredit the Eze ndi Igbo guy. Who cares if the Igbo leader is called Eze or President?
BTW, we the Igbos never differ to any Eze when making decisions that affect our community. They are more or less ceremonial, contract-chasing elites.

@Ndipe

Yea am true eyen Efik, cal is ma home,

@Obong

^{This is sad.  The ibos in that region have a very imperialisic mentality as is evident in the whole biafra struggle. i have heard about this for some time now as the ibos in that area have tried to move into calabar, the homeland of th efiks and claim it as thers. this could get ugly}[color=#990000][/color]

Point of action correction.  Its called IGBOS not IBOS. If you can call Igbinedion not Ibinedion, Igbobi not  Ibobi, why cant you call Igbos?

I would want to know if you can refresh our memories on Biafra struggle as to why Igbos are imperialistic.  Why do some people like you always portray Igbos as the   cause of South- South problems nay Nigerian ills? May be an imperialist is someone who lives, develops and goes about their normal life in your state.  I do not know any history where Igbos started a communal fight in Calabar.  Igbos have not plundered your resources, Igbos have built their businesses and lives in Calabar. Igbos have co-habited peacefully with indigenes of Calabar  and yet they are still regarded as imperialists. If the truth should be told, people like you are afraid of Igbos because they can overwhelm your city with their zeal, handwork and entrepreneurial spirits. If Northerners could allow Eze Igbo in their states, why cant your Obong do the same? Igbos have Eze  Igbo in Ibadan, Benin, Lagos etc. Not a single violence has emanated from this.  Tomorrow, someone will say that Nigeria is not one; you will shout him or her down.

adconline:

If Northerners could allow Eze Igbo in their states, why can't your Obong do the same? Igbos have Eze  Igbo in Ibadan, Benin, Lagos etc.

The answer is because Calabar is different from the North,Ibadan,Benin or Lagos. Could the Yoruba's impose an Oba of Ilorin in Kwara State ? To be frank the Igbo's don't need any Eze umbrella to operate under. They are hardworking folks who just want to earn their money wherever they settle and not trying to usurp local authority. The Igbo's by nature do not subscribe to  the "Kingship/Eze" thingy, the situation is only political and Chief Ezenwenyi is only trying to score a political point.

muchbabe:

Ada Idaha ke Efik Eburutu
i am loving my culture, remember when i went to my dad's coronation back when i was in cali, good times,
@ LondonCool
mbok tell them,

@muchbabe,
Idem fo ?

@muchbabe,
ediye nkaifere mamafi etieti

what is all the hoopla?
what is even the use of the obong     to calabar?
Eze igbo calabar will be equally useless.
Why does the obong  feel so insecure?
Nigerians sef

@londoncool, idem asong o, obio mmakara akak me, nyum iyong obio efik, lol, lol

@toshman, thanks, ame ma mi eh, but udiongoke mi, atie didie, ato mmong,

sorry if i didnt spell something right, i speak good though, just the written escapes me,

muchbabe, afo aba ke canada or california? Uke ke Calabar ke afo ato? Nke si dung ke efak Goldie akereke Asang Eniong.

@Londoncool
_{The answer is because Calabar is different from the North,Ibadan,Benin or Lagos. Could the Yoruba's impose an Oba of Ilorin in Kwara State ? To be frank the Igbo's don't need any Eze umbrella to operate under. They are hardworking folks who just want to earn their money wherever they settle and not trying to usurp local authority. The Igbo's by nature do not subscribe to the "Kingship/Eze" thingy, the situation is only political and Chief Ezenwenyi is only trying to score a political point.}


You live in London and still have issues with people because of their ethnicity? Why is that something that is in place in other parts of the nation is not possible in your culture? Why is Calabar different from Bening and Yorubaland? The difference here is that they more tolerable than your folks. Can you tell the reason why Calabar is different from other states in Naija

When did this turn into politics? Eze Igbo is not a political position and does not have any political connection with C/River State. This is why we can never grow beyond tribalism. An educated folk like you is misinforming the people, I wonder what you would do if you find yourself in a position of authority. You know damn too well that Eze Igbo is not coming to take over Calabar, but just for cultural and ritualistic institutions of Igbos like New Yam festival, public reception of prominent Igbo public officials and end of the year party in C/River State.

Let's live beyond our ethnic enclave and see that Igbos are really not the way they are always being portrayed in Nigeria.

That is the problem of Nigeria. Who be eze ndi igbo of calabar? I don't blame him. When u give people opportunity to misbehave they why wont they? Let the "eze" whatever go back to his village and flex his muscles.

Most of the posts i've seen have been unduly emotional.i think the questions are;what is the idea of having an Eze Igbo in other people's lands?Who appoints such an Eze?What is his (certainly not her?) brief?Who is he responsible to?By the way is'nt there a proverb in igbo that says "igbo enweghi eze" (roughly:igbos don't have kings)?so why the modern culture of creating kingdoms in foreign places?i do hope responses to my posts would be devoid of insults.

@ Ndipe

Mba ke Canada, nto bakassi, nke si dung ke essien, calabar south.

adconline:

@Londoncool
[sub][color=#990000]
You live in London and still have issues with people because of their ethnicity? Why is that something that is in place in other parts of the nation is not possible in your culture? Why is Calabar different from Bening and Yorubaland? The difference here is that they more tolerable than your folks. Can you tell the reason why Calabar is different from other states in Naija

When did this turn into politics? Eze Igbo is not a political position and does not have any political connection with C/River State. This is why we can never grow beyond tribalism. An educated folk like you is misinforming the people, I wonder what you would do if you find yourself in a position of authority. You know damn too well that Eze Igbo is not coming to take over Calabar, but just for cultural and ritualistic institutions of Igbos like New Yam festival, public reception of prominent Igbo public officials and end of the year party in C/River State.

Let's live beyond our ethnic enclave and see that Igbos are really not the way they are always being portrayed in Nigeria.

I'm sure you do not know the prognosis or the genesis of the whole situation neither do you know about the man Chief Emmanuel Ezenwenyi -the Eze elect.You are only commenting on the limited facts available to you. Its easy to pontificate from outside. What is the misinformation that I have dished out ? I said that the situation is a political one-which has nothing to do with cultural/ritualistic  issues mentioned by you. The Igbo's have been  living in C/River since before the state was created, is it now that they need an Eze to conduct end of year parties (as stated by you) ? The issue has nothing to do with tribalism unfortunately but one persons blind ambition.

The Obong of Calabar is a Professor and not a myopic traditional title holder. He is in a better position to assess the situation on ground than anyone else. If he is not comfortable with the trend of events he is entitled to ventilate his grievances and so is Chief Ezenwenyi entitled to project his claim to his Eze-ship, thats what Democracy is all about. The problem is in the way one goes about pursuing those goals. Why Calabar is different from Benin and/or Lagos is beacuse they are different ethnicities with different ways of doing things,  and that is why the Yoruba's could not enthrone an Oba in Ilorin.

I have nothing against the Igbo's, my brother is married to an Igbo wife. I have lots of mixed race Igbo/Calabar friends too. You can not be serious by stating that the Eze Ndigbo is not a political affair. Politics is about decision making,its  about determining who gets what when and where.You do not have to be a political office holder to get entangled in politics. For an Igbo Chief honoured and coronated by the Efik people with the highest Chieftancy title in Calabar and a member of the Obongs Council to make a move to ordain himself as an Eze Ndigbo by going around seeking affirmation from Government functionaries including the Governor himself to the detriment of the recognised Igbo Community which he split from-isnt that a political move rather than a cultural move ?

I reiterate that the Igbo's do not recognise KINGS/EZE over themselves. This Eze Ndigbo  thingy was started by The Ikemba himself as a political platform  to consolidate himself as the foremost spokesman for the Igbo's in the scheme of national affairs. It is recent trend for certain influencial people to enthrone themselves as 'Eze' in their host communities.


@muchbabe
Afu ameyene eti utum ke obio efik? Afu aka nwed mme anam utum ke Canada ? Mme ndiongo Ete fu ke efak essien.

@muchbabe and londoncool,

i may need interpretation I'm not efik, after schooling in unical all I could learn in efik was ediye nkaifere ma ma fi eti eti. di bo oku di ufok mi

anyhow, i greet u guys