'CALL IGBOS TO ORDER. THEY CANNOT HAVE KINGS IN YORUBALAND'- Afenifere tells Obas and governors.

The Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) has called on
governors and monarchs in the South-West not to
recognise Igbo kings in their respective states and
domains.
A statement by its Publicity Secretary, Kunle
Famoriyo, said the concept of Igbo kings
otherwise known as Eze Ndigbo in Yorubaland
was not backed by any customary law.
The ARG was reacting to an altercation between
the Deji of Akure, Oba Kole Aladetoyinbo, and the
Eze Ndigbo of Akure, Gregory Iloehike, in Ondo
State, last week which led to protests and the
closure of markets.
ARG noted that “The evolution of this structure
has forced us to consider it as an expansionist
agenda as the structure is only rampant in
Yorubaland
“In Akure, the ‘Eze’ believes he now has the
power to confer people with chieftaincy titles that
are traditional to Yoruba kingship systems. In
Lagos State, there is an Eze Ndigbo of Lagos, as
well as for each of the 57 councils. There are
reports that we now even have Eze Ndigbo of
some neighbourhoods in Lagos.
“What used to be were development unions and
associations of Igbo people living in Yorubaland.
Almost all Igbo communities with sizeable number
of indigenes living in Yorubaland have a
development union or association. These
associations are welcome and supported, being
organisations set up to discuss the welfare of
their members.”
The ARG said the proliferation of the Eze Ndigbo
could cause a huge problem in the near future,
warning Igbo groups to stop testing the patience
of the Yoruba.
Insisting that that a kingdom can never have two
kings, ARG lamented “the manner this idea of ‘Eze
Ndigbo’ sprouted and started spreading connotes
territorial influence and even ownership.
“This practice has continued to stretch the
tolerant nature of the Yoruba people to the limit
and it appears the eventual aim of its perpetrators
is to stretch this beautiful culture of Yoruba to the
breaking point.
“This is something that Yoruba people living away
from Yorubaland do not even think of, and we,
therefore, see no reason why migrants living in
Yorubaland should not know their boundaries.
“Consequently, the ARG calls on all Yoruba
traditional rulers and the executive heads of
government at state and local levels governors not
to recognise all customary titles that are not
backed by our customs, particularly those that
they did not confer; and we enjoin those parading
themselves as holders of such titles to drop them
in the spirit of peaceful coexistence.”