Londoncool, Ekpoanwan and I were friends, growing up together in the same compound in Calabar. Her younger sister was my childhood friend also. Wao. Where in Calabar did you all grow up? I attended Unical Staff school.

www.nigerianmemories..com

@Ndipe

Ikpe, we need to continue this conversation somewhere else. Give me your Yahoo Messenger Id at <insight2004@yahoo.co.uk>

@londoncool
ndongke ke obio efik idahami. nka nwed mi ke canada, mme si nnam utom ini nwed aswanade. mmong fiak nyene utom ini summer ami, anam didie adiongo ete mi, aye di eniowo? yak nkud mme ame diongo aye ke akpaniko

@toshman
where are u from, you actually spelt the efik words well, better than me

really? i'm from imo state. i schooled in unical and used to live in barracks rd. calabar

@ Londoncool
Another way of avoiding Nigerian issues. Igbos were married non to Igbos before civil war and it did not save any situation. Some Germans were married to Jews but did not save any situation. Some Urhobos were married to Ijaws. Likewise Ife and Modakeke.

The point is that Eze Igbo can only function in Igbo cultural functions, period. Not to usurp the traditional role of Obong. Keep spewing hatred. Can Obong perform kola nut rituals or New Yam festival for Igbos in Calabar?

If you dont think that Igbos can allow to have Oba or Obong in their states, why dont you go and live in Igboland? Igbos are not your problem for not knowing other cultures in Nigeria.

Why should the Igbo endeavour to create a monarch in the Obong territoty? When you leave as an immigrant worker, resident, etc, in someone else's sovereign, you bow and accept that person sovereignty over you and yours. The Igbo intentions, is egotistical, usurping and arrogant.
I wholeheartedly support the Obong the supreme King of the Calaba from allowing this subvertion of his ancestral land.
I don't think the Igbo would allow a king for Yoruba in Umuahia!

@Bankole.
Why dont you move your family to Umuahia. You preach one Nigeria and you have never checked hands across River Niger. You are spewing phobia. You have the right to leave anywhere in Nigeria, why would Igbos be bashed for your inability to live beyond your ethnic enclave if we really believe in one Nigeria

@ adconline

I am afraid your reasoning is flawed on this occassion. The Igbos in Calabar by virtue of their being resident there should fall under the authority of whatever monarch is recognized there. I do not think they need to segregate themselves and appoint a monarch to themselves in another man's land. It is simple reasoning but you are bringing emotions into it. Will it make sense if I declare myself Oba of London when I know the is a Queen here who is the recognized monarch here. If I should go to Buckingham Palace and announce that I'm the monarch to all Yorubas living in the United Kingdom, how do you think that would sound?

I think you are being unnecesarily on the defensive. Your retort about who will perform traditional functions is unfounded. He doesn't need to be Eze Ndigbo to perform new yam festival rites. If that's the case we should have Eze Ndigbo in all 774 local governments of Nigeria who will be performing new yam festival rites then?

Please note that I have given an objective analysis, I will appreciate it if there's no name-calling or stereotyping.

The One:

Will it make sense if I declare myself Oba of London when I know the is a Queen here who is the recognized monarch here.

This is bewildering! If I was to declare myself the Oba of London ,Emir of England,Sultan of Britain,e.t.c.no one will pay me any heed.They may call me crazy  but the Queen will not take actions to insist that I can't call myself what I want.

@ 4play

Why did you choose just a part of the post. Please read below

It is simple reasoning but you are bringing emotions into it. Will it make sense if I declare myself Oba of London when I know the is a Queen here who is the recognized monarch here. If I should go to Buckingham Palace and announce that I'm the monarch to all Yorubas living in the United Kingdom, how do you think that would sound?

This is not just a nomenclature matter, we all know what monarchs represent in Nigeria. It is the equivalent of collecting the part of UK tax going to the royal family. If I say I am Oba of the Yorubas in London and that part of their tax should be paid to me, will it make sense? You were just too much in a hurry to poke fun to think things through. Anyways, I leave you to your views o as I no get power to argue.

title and positional crazy Nigerians will do anything to make themselves feel more self-important, that I feel is the crux of the matter here, everybody wants to be head/chairman/CEO or Eze/Oba of something, even if its of a dingy hut in the middle of nowhere.

let them go and find better things to do with their time. Eze Ndigbo (elect) my foot.

adconline:

@Bankole.
Why don't you move your family to Umuahia. You preach one Nigeria and you have never checked hands across River Niger. You are spewing phobia. You have the right to leave anywhere in Nigeria, why would Igbos be bashed for your inability to live beyond your ethnic enclave if we really believe in one Nigeria

Thank you adconline, but my family are ok where we are. Where does my family come into this argument anyway?
Can we discuss without becoming personal? Also, I am a true Nigerian who believes in one nation and one people.
My argument is not anti-Igbo but anti sectionalism which is what the Igbo in the Obang territory are clamouring for.

It is very irregular for any one or group of people to migrate to anothers land and then decide we need our own king in a land which already has a supreme leader recognised not only by traditional rites, but the constitution as well.

This is treason and could destabilise that area. The Igbo in Calabar have to respect the sovereignty of the OBONG clear and simple.

debosky:

title and positional crazy Nigerians will do anything to make themselves feel more self-important, that I feel is the crux of the matter here, everybody wants to be head/chairman/CEO or Eze/Oba of something, even if its of a dingy hut in the middle of nowhere.

let them go and find better things to do with their time. Eze Ndigbo (elect) my foot.

You know sabi say Seun don declare me the THE GRAND EMPEROR OF NAIRALAND ?

Folks, Eze Ndi Igbo in Calabar simply means the leader of Igbo people in Calabar. Personally, I do not see the reason why there should be both the President of Igbo peoples association and Eze ndi Igbo at the same time.

Eze ndi Igbo can not in any way usurp the authority of Obong of Calabar. The Igbo leaders function is simply advisory/ceremonial to Igbo people and Igbo functions in a foreign land.

There are Muslim/Jewish leaders in Europe and USA and the people in those places are not taking offence that there are Muslim/Jewish leaders in “Christian” countries.

We have Eze ndi Igbo in most part of the country with large Igbo inhabitants. Like wise, there are Sarikin Hausawa in major Igbo cities and probably other large cities in Nigeria. Sarikin Hausawa and Eze ndi Igbo are supposed to command respect in their respective communities and are thus consulted in times of ethnic tension. They are certainly not monarchies within monarchies.

I don’t know if Yorubas and other groups have similar setting, if they don’t, it may be because you are more likely to find the Igbos and Hausas in large numbers outside their ethnic States that any other group in Nigeria.

The question that we should be asking is whether there is a quarrel between the President of Igbo peoples association and Eze ndi Igbo in Calabar, which is likely to spiral out of control and cause disturbance to the peace and harmony of Calabar residents.

FACE:

Folks, Eze Ndi Igbo in Calabar simply means the leader of Igbo people in Calabar. Personally, I do not see the reason why there should be both the President of Igbo peoples association and Eze ndi Igbo at the same time.

The question that we should be asking is whether there is a quarrel between the President of Igbo peoples association and Eze ndi Igbo in Calabar, which is likely to spiral out of control and cause disturbance to the peace and harmony of Calabar residents.

@FACE,

What I had been trying to postulate was that the face-off is simply a political one. Its not about cultural aspirations to break kola-nuts on behalf of Igbo's or preside over Yam festivals in Calabar as Adconline was emotionally stating, its simply a clash of egos's. Its about who is the foremost prominent Igbo figure in Calabar-Is it Chief Ezenwenyi who is a member of the Obongs Council and the highest ranking Igbo coronated Chief in Calabar or Mr Fidelis O. Onyebueke the president of the Igbo Community who has been the spokesperson on behalf of the Igbo's in Calabar ? Who has the ear of the Obong of Calabar? Its Chief Ezenwenyi (the Eze Ndi Igbo elect). Chief Ezenwenyi is in a more influential position by virtue of his membership of the Obongs Council of Chief's a privilege the President  General of the Igbo Community does not have, but he is not satisfied with that. He wants to create a parallel traditional dichotomy where he extracts the loyalty and allegiance of the Igbo's.

The Igbo Community is the officially  Government recognised organisation representing the interest of the Igbo's in Cross River State and it is quite clear that the Eze Ndi Igbo elect has fallen out of favour with this association and out of grace with his Royal Highness The Obong of Calabar-Prof Henshaw because of his ambition.

It's funny we all live in Nigeria but some people do not have a clue how other Nigerian lives. There is Eze NdiIgbo in basically every town in Nigeria where Igbos live. It is not meant in anyway to usurp anyone's authority!

FACE:

Folks, Eze Ndi Igbo in Calabar simply means the leader of Igbo people in Calabar. Personally, I do not see the reason why there should be both the President of Igbo peoples association and Eze ndi Igbo at the same time.

Eze ndi Igbo can not in any way usurp the authority of Obong of Calabar. The Igbo leaders function is simply advisory/ceremonial to Igbo people and Igbo functions in a foreign land.

There are Muslim/Jewish leaders in Europe and USA and the people in those places are not taking offence that there are Muslim/Jewish leaders in “Christian” countries.

We have Eze ndi Igbo in most part of the country with large Igbo inhabitants. Like wise, there are Sarikin Hausawa in major Igbo cities and probably other large cities in Nigeria. Sarikin Hausawa and Eze ndi Igbo are supposed to command respect in their respective communities and are thus consulted in times of ethnic tension. They are certainly not monarchies within monarchies.

I don’t know if Yorubas and other groups have similar setting, if they don’t, it may be because you are more likely to find the Igbos and Hausas in large numbers outside their ethnic States that any other group in Nigeria.

The question that we should be asking is whether there is a quarrel between the President of Igbo peoples association and Eze ndi Igbo in Calabar, which is likely to spiral out of control and cause disturbance to the peace and harmony of Calabar residents.

EXACTLY!

Someone asked what is Obong ,Eze ndigbo and so on? I know its a bit of a storm in a tea cup. Chief Ezenwanyi has been one of the most prominent businessmen in calabar for a long time.He was my late fathers associate and at a point owned a construction company.
The fact is the man has fallen into some hard times recently and this is his way of raising his profile as a former government contractor. The problem here is that as someone pointed out most of the people in the south south are still very sensitive to perceived Igbo imperialism which arose from the civil war.
For the igbos who may not understand this, you may want to do some honest research, though born after the war I grew up hearing tales of Igbo oppression during the few months biafra lasted . This caused the people of the south south to rebel against the idea of Biafra. But make no mistake about the fact that the motivation for this is government
patronage not love or hate of Igbos in Calabar.
Calabar people are the most accommodating people you can find in Nigeria,ask any outsider living there.Speak the language or marry from there ,no one really bothers where you come from.
Toshmann , London Cool ,Muchababe eyen Efik efen odu mi o. Efana Calabar tutu ke ebiet emi.
PM me guys .

Eze Igbo is for Igbos in Calabar not for all people in Calabar. As for tales of imperialism during civil wars, the truth has vindicated Igbos. I know that some of your folks will always blame Igbos even though you are still fighting the same enemies Igbos fought against. May be they are Igbo cloned enemies or Igbo instigated enemies. Good luck in wallowing in ethnic phobia.

I have challenged you to show me where Igbos caused trouble in Nigeria due Eze Igbo installation; instead you resorted to highlighting educational achievements of Obong. I am very certain that nobody will tell you that I really don’t like your people because of political correctness, but actions speak louder than voice. Some folks like you think IGBOS MAY TAKE OVER which is not possible because they go home during Xmas and New Yam festival.

Adcoline rest this matter .I like to deal with facts.I stated two facts earlier and I will repeat them not to whip up sentiments but make you understand.
1.Calabar people (also Akwa Ibom ,and other South South states ) had a rough time under the Igbos in Biafra.These people who experienced these things are still alive and have not completely forgotten. If you ask these old folks ,they always say if you are going to be a slave,better be a slave to a hausa man than an Igbo.they don,t say this because they were born that way. It is due to their experiences,this is not a forum for history lessons(as against sentimental talk).Go do some unbiased research .
2. Ask anybody you know how tribalistic or discriminatory calabar people are, and if the consensus is that they are ,I will bow to such popular opinion(confident though you will not hear such).
People can become oversensitive if they have been hurt before ,like i said its a storm in a tea cup

Toshmann I used to live on Barracks road too

@samsilo, dont allude to sentiments. provide historical facts.
If indeed that your sentiments are true, why is it that your state has not developed under Hausa or Yoruba slavery. I don’t even hear you talk about Odi massacre, it was only Chuba Okadigbo who condemned and later visited Odi community.  May  be you can start another thread. What did Igbos do to Calabar  nay South South that  would be called imperialism.   I watched Oputa Panel and all your grievances were directed toward Huasa-Fulani leadership. Why didn’t your leaders state the way they were treated by Igbos during the sitting of Oputa Panel

Have you asked Igbos how they were treated by your people who occupied properties, businesses and communitied they had not toiled for?  Have you asked the Igbos how they were treated when your folks allowed federal troops in your territories in order for Biafra to be captured? How do you feel that your folks gave away Bakassi  Penisula in order for Biafra to fall? I know that some of your folks are happy that decision to give Bakassi away has resulted in giving your own people to Camerou?. Abadoned property act was entrenched in constitution for your people to take over Igbos properties. Ken Saro Wiwa later saw what Igbos had fought for. Why is MEND fighting today the monster Igbos had confronted?

I said you should rest this matter,there is a place for history lessons.That is why book have been written. Nigeria is full of injustice that is why no matter how comfortable I am ,I can never be comfortable seeing the condition of my fellow countrymen.
Take note the enemy is not Efik, Igbo ,yoruba or Hausa. The enemy is the cabal whose members come from all these tribes and thier interest is in thier own pocket and families. If you read my earlier post you will see I said this Eze Igbo man has a personal agenda.If the people become wise it is dangerouse for this group of people( no more government awoof).So they need to knock the head of the poor and simple masses for thier personal gain .
This has been a great part of Nigeria and Africa.
Do you think the warlord of Ibadan Adedibu will be so powerful if he did not have a lot of illitrate and poor people to manipulate. So rest my bros.

I have personally benefited from a University scholarship award sponsored by Chief Ezenwenyi in the 1980's in Nigeria and my late Mum used to execute Govt contracts with him so I have no ill feelings about him , when he was very rich he shared his wealth without any ethnic discrimination. The point I have consistently made is that the Igbo's in Calabar have been faithfully represented by the Igbo Community Association for the past 30 years in Calabar and do not suddenly need an Eze Ndi Igbo for the purpose of breaking Kola nuts and presiding over Yam Festivals (ala adconline).. The issue at hand is just a personality conflict between the 2 Igbo leaders in Calabar. If Chief Ezenwenyi  really has a mandate then he shouldn't be going around seeking government recognition as an Igbo leader.Afterall, a Tiger does not have to go around proclaiming its Tigritude (apologies to Wole Soyinka). The Obong of Calabar has the right to stop one of his subordinate Chiefs from trying to cause friction within the Igbo Community,I wont be surprised if he has not already been stripped of his Ada Idaha Chieftancy title.

Moral of the story: Never attempt to bite the finger of the hands that once fed you


@samsilo
Da, afo odu ke mong mi ke obio mbakara ? Omo diong mbio efik mi ?

Ndu ke Croydon .Sent you a mail,small world o! Rasaki edi akani ufan mi. Just reply the mail so we get in touch .

Did not know Akwa Ibom and Cross River people plenty for this board.

Inyeneke nte mmo mmi iwake, edi ke mmeuwak mmo esiyom ndidip idem mmo, edi amiedi ami edieke mfiokde ete afo edi eyen ekami iko mbakara osop kpak kini tiet.

well, others communities may accept the installation or crowning of Oba, Obi, Emir or whatever you may called it in their land, that should not mean calabar must do the same mind you that we have different culture and tradition.

and for those who are trabalistic BE WARN

Beline:

well, others communities may accept the installation or crowning of Oba, Obi, Emir or whatever you may called it in their land, that should not mean calabar must do the same mind you that we have different culture and tradition.

and for those who are trabalistic BE WARN

a culture of inferiority complex?
a culture that somehow the Eze ndiIgbo may overthrow the obong?
Ask yourself why other communities dont feel threatened and you do!

well if their 'tradition' does not support it, then this man (dunno who elected him sef) should stop trying to claim position

there is an Igbo organisation already in place with a Director-General, I see no reason why that one is not sufficient.

I put this down to title crazy Nigerians.

How can my tradition stop someone from the Hausa community in my village ascribing himself the title of "Leader of the Hausa"

Is it just me or does the Pic of the Obong make him look like a dwarf.
Please upload a better pic.
Thanks

Talktrue:

Is it just me or does the Pic of the Obong make him look like a dwarf.
Please upload a better pic.
Thanks

lol.
he needs a little lumpectomy on the temporal region too.