The attention of the Anambra State Government has been drawn to a publication by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, indicating that she has been conferred with a chieftaincy title of “Anyanwu N’Awalu Ora”, which, according to her, was “conferred at the prestigious Igu Aro Cultural Festival by His Majesty Obi Austin Chukwuezugo Ndigwe (MON)”. Mrs Ojukwu is an APGA chieftain, and her posts have caused massive confusion, leading many to wonder whether her involvement in the phoney chieftaincy title signals a change in the State government’s policy stance or simply an unnecessary/avoidable affront to the State government, the Anambra traditional institutions, and culture.
In a statement issued by the Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftancy and Community Affairs, TonyCollins Nwanbuwanne, Anambra, as a committed State to law and order and the promoter and protector of the people’s culture and traditional institutions, wishes to clarify and state as follows:
a) The conferment of chieftaincy titles in Anambra State is the exclusive prerogative of recognised/certified traditional rulers in their respective communities, and they do so only to residents/indigenes of their communities. In the case of a person not from the community, the approval of the Traditional Ruler of the conferee’s community and the Commissioner for Local Government, Communities and Chieftaincy must be sought and obtained. This is in line with the extant Traditional Rulers’ Code of Conduct. None of the above conditions was met in the case under reference.
b) Chief Austin C. Ndigwe IS NOT a traditional ruler in Awka or Anambra State. To put it mildly, he is simply an impostor. We have sighted a letter signed by him under a letterhead as the “Eze Uzu III” of Awka (a clear criminal offence under the Anambra Law) when the traditional ruler of Awka, HRH Gibson Nwabueze Nwosu (Eze Uzu II), is still alive, and with the official certificate and recognition by the government as the traditional ruler of Awka. Eze Uzu Awka, a 92-year-old, is known to be the first Nigerian to fly a fighter jet solo. He was the Second in Command in the Biafran Air Force, who left with Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu to Côte d’Ivoire and later to Zambia, and was in exile for 15 years. It was this same Eze Uzu Gibson Nwosu who, in 2004, conferred the chieftaincy title of OMENIFE AWKA on the current president of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. Sadly, it is this aged veteran, now blind but still agile, who this dance of infamy is denigrating as well as insulting the sensitivities of Awka people and the Anambra traditions and culture. Even the late Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu will be turning in his grave at this unwarranted insult on HRH Gibson Nwosu, designed to whet some megalomaniacal appetite. In the Anambra/Igbo culture, this is an abomination.
c) Hon Minister Ojukwu—with her background and pedigree, knows or should know these FACTS very well. She was in the home of Chief Ndigwe when the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, attended his birthday celebration a few years ago and publicly advised him “as a friend” to desist from impersonating the traditional ruler of the town and that the recognised traditional ruler remained HRH Gibson Nwosu. The video went viral. Indeed, in her publication on her verified Facebook account, Mrs Ojukwu carefully avoided referring to Mr Ndigwe as a traditional ruler but instead described him as “Supreme Commander of Awka Ancient Kingdom”—a phantom title/position that does not exist in Awka. We do not object to whatever pet name she chooses to call her friend to massage his ego, but such must not be elevated to a point of sacrilege against law and custom. The entire exercise appears to be an indirect affront to the authority of the Traditional Ruler of Awka and the sanctity of the Traditional Institution in Anambra State, as established by the Traditional Rulers Law of Anambra State. By proceeding to describe Mr Ndigwe conjunctively as “His Majesty” and “Obi”, the message unequivocally evinced an intention to portray and, as a matter of fact, portrayed him as a Traditional Ruler. This is against the spirit of the Traditional Rulers Law of Anambra State.
d) By purporting to confer a chieftaincy title, Mr Ndigwe usurped the ceremonial functions of the bona fide Traditional Ruler of Awka—HRH Gibson Nwosu—, and this is totally unacceptable. Arrogating to oneself the non-existent and childish title of “Supreme Commander” and using the same to confer vain Chieftaincy titles is designed to subjugate
the Traditional Ruler and ridicule the Traditional Institution, thereby creating a dangerous precedent which the State Government will not allow. The State Government will not tolerate this desecration of the Traditional Institution and will take every lawful step to promote and protect our culture and traditional institutions.
According to the Commisioner, Amb. Bianca Ojukwu knows that Mr Ndigwe has neither legal nor customary rights to confer a Chieftaincy title on anyone. She is eminently qualified to be honoured with Chieftaincy titles by recognised traditional institutions—at least, as the wife of late Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu. However, it cannot be a vain or fake Chieftaincy title from an impostor or a fake traditional ruler, such as Mr Ndigwe. We therefore state that the Chieftaincy title she purports to have received from Mr Austin Ndigwe is fake and not recognised under Anambra culture, tradition, or law. She should desist from addressing herself by any such fake title conferred by Mr Austin Ndigwe.
Anambra State government, he stated, wishes to assure our people that it is committed to a new social order. We must restore sensible values and respect for law and order, custom and tradition and ennobling values that elevate our collective social consciousness rather than the nascent subculture that celebrates a few with megalomaniacal delusions and who attempt to play God. These few cannot be role models for our children, nor can they be the foundation for our future. As a responsible government, we must take all necessary steps to protect our collective heritage from willful assault. To the great and law-abiding people of Awka, we have your back.
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