PRESS RELEASE#
Governor Rochas Okorocha has finally restored peace in eleven Autonomous Communities in the State that have had lingering Ezeship Crisis lasting from ten to fifteen years, which had even led to loss of lives and properties, by settling the Crisis and enabling the Communities to select their traditional rulers who were given Staff of Office and Certificate of recognition by the governor on Monday, August 21, 2017 at the Sam Mbakwe EXCO Chambers.
The Crisis in the Communities had defiled all the steps taken by both the previous governments and the Current administration to restore peace in them and enable them select their traditional rulers, for the peace and development of their respective Communities.
The governor had on Friday, August 18, 2017 personally met with the people of the Communities involved and the Contenders to the Ezeship stools of the respective Communities and armed with the Constitutions of the Communities the exercise which took the whole day, saw the Ezeship Cases in the eleven Communities resolved and the selection of their Ezes.
Addressing the traditional rulers after their inauguration, the governor said “You are products of justice and so you must continue to maintain justice. For many years, most of your communities had remained without traditional rulers resulting to the killing of innocent souls and building walls of hatred in the communities and the division had created indirect poverty in the system as you no longer work together as members of one community and as brothers and Sisters. Today, your rising as traditional rulers has marked an end to injustice and will bring progress in your various communities”.
The governor further explained “This is the first time in Imo State that we are trying to have Ezes in all the communities in the State. We have over 644 autonomous communities but had less than 500 Ezes at any given time. This we are trying to address to bring progress to all the communities”.
He continued “Today, let me be the first to congratulate you as Ezes and remind your wives (Ugoezes) that behind every successful Eze is a patient Ugoeze. When you become a traditional ruler, it is an undertaken to sacrifice your time, resources, family pleasures for the interest of the people. Not every Eze is Eze until such Eze is able to impact positively on the lives of the people in his community”.
He added “An Eze is that man when passing judgement between two conflicting groups would be delivering judgement as if he is doing it before God. An Eze of a progressive community and an Eze of a failed community cannot be the same. Your Ezeship is rated by the progress in your land and that you must uphold. The Ezes of today are those who will imbibe Jesus as their Lord and Saviour against the Old Order where Ezes are seen as idol worshippers”.
In his vote of thanks on behalf of the other traditional rulers, Eze CAC Eronini of Awo Mberi, thanked the governor for being an agent of justice and promised that they will all ensure that peace is restored in their Communities and also pledged to assist the government in bringing meaningful development to their Communities.
The traditional rulers inaugurated are, HRH Eze Marcellinus Iheme (Umuezegwu Autonomous Community), HRH Eze J.C. Uwalaka (Umuhu), HRH Eze Bartholomew Agu (Aku-Amato-Amaraku), HRH Eze Samuel Amanta (Ezumoha), HRH Eze Dr. C.A.C Eronini (Awo Mbieri), HRH Eze Magnus Onyeka (Isi Orodo), HRH Eze Iwuoha .A. Korie (Odomkume), HRH Eze Christian .D. Adigo (Okwu-nezigwe), HRH Eze Charles Nneji (Okwelle), HRH Eze Isaac Ibeke (Umucheke Okwe), HRH Eze Augustine .C. Agbordike (Eziawa).
Sam Onwuemeodo
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
