By Henry Obetta
The South East Council of Traditional Rulers has formally replaced the controversial Eze Ndigbo title for Igbo leaders outside the South-East with ‘Onyendu Ndigbo,’ in a move aimed at resolving longstanding disputes over the legitimacy of diaspora traditional leadership.
The decision, implemented through the Committee on the Regularisation of Igbo Diaspora Traditional Title and Leadership (CRIDTTL), comes amid growing controversies surrounding the coronation of Eze Ndigbo in different parts of Nigeria and abroad, with critics arguing that the practice often creates parallel traditional institutions and conflicts with recognised monarchs in host communities.
The new policy was reinforced on Saturday in Owerri, where the South East Council of Traditional Rulers inducted the second batch of 19 diaspora Igbo leaders as Onyendu Ndigbo, describing them as cultural ambassadors rather than traditional rulers.
Presiding over the ceremony, the Chairman of the Imo State and South East Councils of Traditional Rulers, Eze E. C. Okeke, said the newly recognised leaders were expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity and leadership in their respective communities.
