Many people believe that Imo State, of all the thirty six States in Nigeria is the most traditional rulers for they deserve respect because of their apparent royalty. But this does not mean that when a collection of their royal Highnesses make unpardonable mistake, they must be informed lest they think it is honour and part of that royalty.
For one thing, Mbaise Council of Traditional Rulers is composed of perhaps, the most formidable, intelligent and learned crux of traditional rulers. However, it could be seen among the council, some of those not properly educated but who like to use their showmanship to shine or even try to outshine others.
Although I am not so sure of the quantum of highly educated and experienced traditional rulers in the Council, I am sure that within the Council, you get retired Permanent Secretaries; retired Directors; Managing Directors and Chief Executives of well-to-do organizations with heavy subscribed capitals. However, within the Council, there are quite a number of those who could find it very difficult to read a common newspaper effectively not to talk of comprehending some of journalistic terms, or intellectual expose’.
That is not important. What is important is that from the reign of Achike Udenwa, all manner of personalities became traditional rulers of their communities not only in Mbaise but Imo-wide. In order to find spaces for some business and professional friends, colleagues and associates, Udenwa regime perhaps, in order to carve out niches for collection of genealogically linked, the regime went ahead to bulkernize several autonomous communities with different sizes but with countless number of problems which have continued until this day. And Owelle has been trying to confront some of the problems head-on. He has definitely discovered that he had chewed more than he can swallow. Hence many communities are in turmoil until this day. And more are springing up with disputes of different magnitude including attempts to make those who were not sons of the soil (diala) traditional rulers of their communities. In some cases, sons of the daughters are struggling to legitimate their non-birth status which hurts both the traditional and culture more.
Luckily, Mbaise clan although has a share of these problems, it is not as wide-spread as in other clans. But the Mbaise Council has its own share of problems. It is primarily according to many scholars, some members are not sticking to the traditional roles. In fact, many believe that there are many political traditional rulers in Mbaise than in any other clan.
This zeal to play political roles has tended to put conflict in the Council and a highly elitist group known as the Ezuruezu Mbaise. Although the conflicts have been tactically managed and controlled, for example, those who were at Mbaise Iriji ceremony, of last year and that of this year must have observed a serious cold war between the two groups. At the centre of the whole saga is this “who should actually organize the Iriji ceremony.”
There is no doubt that Iriji is a cultural event in which the traditional rulers as seeming holders of tradition and culture should be involved heavily in it. But it appears that they, the Council of Traditional Rulers has not sat down to appraise the whole issue objectively because, the event draws in a reasonable sum of money particularly from the major sponsor, MTN and by and large sums of money as donations from some political heavyweights in Mbaise give on yearly basis.
Unfortunately, the crop of the current leadership of Mbaise Council of Traditional Rulers unlike the previous leadership, has penchant for commercial and financial appetite given their antecedents as businessmen who believe that there is business prospects in every undertaking. Thus, for the Ezuruezu to control such appetite in the Council, members must put the two groups on a collision course.
Admittedly, the Iriji event is purely a cultural occasion but the most valid question is this: who actually should do the organization of the event? But if we see the political and social elements in the ceremony, it will not be difficult to postulate that the organization should be done by the political wing of Mbaise Community. That is, Ezuruezu Mbaise. Of course, both the Traditional Rulers and Ndiezeji must be kept in the progress because, in actual sense, it is the Ezeji that must perform the actual “iwaji” and not the traditional rulers. How can a Royal Highness condescend to the level of Iwaji when Ezeji’s are there. There are of course traditional roles for the Royal Fathers to play to bless both the kolanuts and yams to be used and not to be receiving dignitaries and other visitors, taking over the planning of the ceremony including presentation of welcome address which is purely political.
But the highlight of this year’s Iriji ceremony was when the body of the royal fathers, led by their Chairman, HRH, Eze Okoro came out to parade around the field to the astonishment of onlookers and of course to the greatest chagrin of other visiting Traditional Rulers. How could traditional rulers come out of their royal seats to march around the field of the event? Many intellectuals who have written extensively in Mbaise Tradition and Culture were taking aback when those who are supposed to be very royal and dignified came out to march round the field like school children. Perhaps it was in an attempt to demonstrate that they are the fathers of the ceremony. What of their royal respects which they must earn, deserve and be given? Such behavior must be seriously called to question by Mbaise scholars and others so that it does not become a pattern of the Iriji ceremony.
In fact, two days after the Iriji Mbaise, I attended that of Obowo equivalent Ezumezu Wiyi. Certainly and loud and clear, the most important side-talk topic was “the parade by Mbaise traditional rulers.”
For clarity sake, Traditional Rulers are the custodians of tradition and culture. In a way, “they are merely the Tituler Presidents of the Communities.” While the Presidents of the Town Unions are the Prime Ministers. They are the ones to undertake the development projects in their communities. Therefore, at the clan level, it is the Executives of Ezuruezu Mbaise that should handle such projects. The traditional rulers should ensure that they must eschew political propensity because of the current Governor who tends to look down on Town Development Unions a situation, which most of the Traditional Rulers have tended to acquiesce to because it suits them. They are making mistakes because, town development unions are extension of families and therefore culturally indissolveable. Can anybody dissolve the Institution of family? Family is indeed, the
