The South East Council of Traditional Rulers has inaugurated the Ndindu Ndigbo framework in Lagos as part of efforts to regularise the nomenclature and titles of Igbo traditional leaders in the Diaspora. The event, held at the Colonnades Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, brought together prominent traditional rulers, Igbo leaders and stakeholders from all walks of life. The inauguration was chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of Embassy Pharmaceutical, Nnamdi Obi.
Among those in attendance were the Obi of Onitsha, HRM Nnaemeka Achebe (Agbogidi); HRM Eze Dr E.C. Okeke, Chairman, Ethics, Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers; HRM Igwe Amb. Lawrence Agubuzor; HRM Igwe Chidubem Iweka, Chairman, Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council; HRM Eze Linus Mbah, Chairman, South East Council of Traditional Rulers; HRM Eze Charles Mkpuma; and HRM Igwe Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu, among other dignitaries.
The Ndindu Ndigbo had earlier met with the South East traditional rulers following the screening conducted by the Chief Charles Odunukwe-led Committee on the Regularisation of Igbo Diaspora Traditional Title and Leadership (CRIDTTL), after which certificates of recognition were issued to those approved. The event was a public presentation of the Igbo leaders, with the formal inauguration having earlier taken place in Imo State.
In his address, the Obi of Onitsha, HRM Nnaemeka Achebe, urged the Ndindu to imbibe humility, transparency, and honesty in all their endeavours, stressing that such values would promote peace between them and their host communities. Similarly, HRM Iweka commended Ndigbo for their commitment to peace and unity, and urged them to cooperate with their leaders in efforts to promote Igbo cultural values in the Diaspora.
Chairman, Ndindu, Lagos State, John-Greg Ezebuadi (Okporoagha), while thanking the governors of the five South East states for their support, appealed for allocation of funds to Ndindu, as a mark of appreciation for their noble efforts at promoting culture and welfare of Ndigbo in the Diaspora. The Leader, Ndindu Ndigbo in Lagos State, Uche Dimgba, thanked the royal fathers from the South East for their intervention, saying the initiative had ended years of squabbles among Igbo leaders outside Igboland.
The Chairman, CRIDTTL, Chief Charles Odunukwe, thanked the South East Council of Traditional Rulers for its moral and spiritual support, saying the new arrangement would pave the way for greater peace and orderliness among Ndigbo in the state. The Secretary, CRIDTTL, Prince Ubochi Ubochi, said the initiative was necessitated by the different forms of Igbo traditional titles used outside Igboland over the years, which had generated questions concerning authority, jurisdiction, recognition, and the relationship between Diaspora Igbo leadership and the traditional institutions of host communities.
CRIDTTL has provided a website, www.cridttl.com.ng, where the names of accredited Ndindu can be verified. The exercise is not a one-off initiative, with 33 people inducted in May and another 44 inducted in July, bringing the total from the two exercises to 77. The process has also included people connected with Igbo communities outside Nigeria, with the Ndindu framework designed to ensure that Igbo leaders in the Diaspora operated within a recognised and responsible structure.
Key points
- The South East Council of Traditional Rulers inaugurates Ndindu Ndigbo framework to regularise Igbo traditional leaders in the Diaspora.
- The initiative aims to promote peace and unity among Ndigbo in the Diaspora.
- The Ndindu Ndigbo framework ensures that Igbo leaders in the Diaspora operate within a recognised and responsible structure.
