By engr. cele 08037752938 Email: engr.cele@yahoo.com
Thanks for your interest in our Ezeship issues in many communities in Imo State and Nekede in particular.Thanks also for updating me with such Info that I may have missed.
The two points “According to this writer, did the Governor used the below two methods in handling the Ezeship problem in your Town, Nekede?
(1) Who the tradition of the community favours (2) The agitation which the constitution of the community upholds”.
I can straight say NO but its simplistic, so let us see if our Governor Rochas may have been wiser as they writer claimed.
A) Tradition: Based on supported historical records, most of the purported ezeship claims hinged on Warrant-Chief and we know the Colonial Master Britain used it. Therefore this could not have been and NEVER will be correctly regarded as our TRADITION. For Nekede for example, Nekede existed before 1920, was it Nkwezema or Agumanu that ruled Nekede? Definitely NO.
(2) But if Rochas claimed he used that, then, as I have shown and evidences supported, then Nkwazema was first Warrant-Chief and should continue to be Eze of Nekede. But which Nekede? The Nekede we talk about today is Umualum, for in the old Nekede, we had three major groups – Umualum, Umuoma and Umudiabia (no importance in the listing). Umuoma and Umudiabia are two separate Autonomous Communities today, with their own Ezes and their own problems. Umualum, by whatever mistake of IMSG, maintained the name Nekede.
(3) Here, another look at Tradition. At the above separation and creation of Autonomous communities Umuoma and Umudibia, Eze Jonas Agumanu was in charge and was carried over to Nekede (Umualum) as the Eze and has I had stated, he has been the only one to use that Title for he started as Chief and the Title was changed by Government during his tenure. Therefore if Tradition is who was the last Eze, then Agumanu will continue to be Eze of Nekede. But wait there, did the current Nekede (Umualum) make him Eze and by our Tradition, should Agumanu or Nkwazema or any part of current Nekede be Eze where Umuohiadagu Umumbazor is the eldest?
(4) Let this lead us to the CONSTITUTION. IMSG has Laws and amongst them are The Traditional Rulers and Autonomous Communities Law and the Town Unions and Development Associations Law, made and passed into laws by the State House of Assembly. For Nekede, I stated and I repeat herein, there is no legal Constitution. Why, some claim they have one and this is clearly stated to be Constitution (do not mind the Cover page, read it and you will see three different titles) to be and referred to as The Constitution of Nekede Ancient Kingdom. The truth is that there is no Nekede Ancient Kingdom in IMSG Gazette of Autonomous Communities in Imo State. One will find Nekede Autonomous Community. Therefore that purported and erroneous Constitution is Null and Void, for it is Constitution of non-existing Community in Law.
(5) Based on this nobody from Nekede can legitimately claim to be Eze until we follow the processes outlined in the relevant laws of Imo State and The Federal Republic of Nigeria.
(6) Should Gov. Rochas be praised and did he do the right thing? Definitely NOT. Nation and States exist peacefully based on Laws, at least in this modern and Democratic ERA. Government is made of Three Arms – Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. So anyone who for whatever foolishness claim he should combine these functions into himself, the greatest mistakes must have been made. And it will not solve our Ezeship problems for at best, Rochas stays two years and his inglorious Era filled with illegalities will be over and the court cases on these Ezeships continue.
(7) Solution, we should educate our people to stand up and solve their problems by following DUE PROCESSES and RULE OF LAW. If most Ezes started as Warrant-Chiefs and this is not our Tradition, the only way out is to follow the CONSTITUTIONs of the various Towns, which they freely made for themselves. In fact, the IMSG Traditional Ruler’s Law stated it clearly that where no acceptable historical records and Ezeship tussles are generated, the Ezeship should be ROTATORY starting from the Oldest Clan or Village and where in doubt, the most POPULOUS VILLAGE. These are simple steps where we are truthful to ourselves and realize NO EZE will feed any of us. So it should be HONOUR given by the PEOPLE.
(8) Gov. Rochas has failed again and exposed his faulty understanding of governance processes and only those like him will praise him.
God bless Imo State and Nekede.
