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Information is power. In today’s age access to information is almost free but still many people in our community are either ill – informed or not informed at all. Education is not information but rather impartation of the knowledge of a particular subject. So education is just a subset of information. When the people in a community are well informed there is relative peace, unity and progress in that community. When people in a community are well informed, ego and pride are relegated to the background and actions and decisions are based on facts and figures and not on people and sentiments.
Many people in our town today have never read a book since they left the university or secondary school. How many books have you read for the past 10 years? In our town today ignorance is becoming power. People publicly make bold statements and when you research those statements made in the public you discover that those statements are false and unfounded. When such statements are echoed by many people it becomes an alternative truth and reality. Such statements only take root in a community or town where many people are not well informed. The sickening thing there is that the few people in the town who seem to be well informed, travelled to a civilised world and have lived under the western civilisation instead of debunking those false statements they keep mute just to maintain their ego and pride.
I was in a gathering last year where someone said that the Igbo Ezeship is a Monarch. I was shocked at the rate everybody in that gathering echoed the same thing the person said. Sincerely i was confused myself because it looked to me that I was wrong by thinking otherwise. Instantly I did a quick research using my phone and I discovered that the person just made a false statement publicly and the community people are echoing that false statement.
The research we concluded online said that the Igbo Ezeship is generally not a monarchy in the conventional Western or centralized African sense, although the title “Eze” translates to “King” or “Leader”. The system is more accurately described as a form of “community republicanism” or a participatory democracy where power is decentralized and shared among councils of elders and village heads. The research also went to say that one of the main characteristics of the Igbo Ezeship is Merit-Based, Not Hereditary: Leadership, often referred to as Eze (or sometimes Igwe or Obi), was often chosen based on achievement, wealth, or title-taking (Ozo) or village head rather than strict royal succession
In another research conducted by Dr. Nnamdi Achuko and posted on the Obi Mbieri leaders of thought group. That research shows the Eze of an autonomous community according Nigeria law have no right to constitute an Interim Caretaker Committee Executive and also the Eze of an autonomous community have no right to dissolve an elected community Executive leadership. Doing so will be illegal according to the Nigerian constitution. The only people that have such rights are 1. The people of that autonomous community 2. The higher authority in this case is the state government through the local government. Whereby the people of that autonomous community do not have the capacity to elect or choose their community leaders as a result of disunity and disagreements, the state government through the local government have the right to intervene so that peace and security can be maintained. There cannot be a vacuum in the community. This law makes sense and it checksmate the Eze and avoid autocratic Ezeship in the autonomous community leadership structure.
In Igbo society especially of southeastern Nigeria, the Eze is the recognized traditional ruler of an autonomous community. The institution of the Eze represents an important aspect of Igbo traditional political organization, culture, and identity. Although pre-colonial Igbo society was largely republican and decentralized, the modern institution of the Eze has evolved to meet contemporary administrative and cultural needs while still reflecting core Igbo values. Today, the Eze plays significant cultural, social, administrative, and developmental roles within the autonomous community.
Research shows that in the traditional sense, Igbo communities were governed through a system of shared authority involving councils of elders, age grades, titled men, and village heads. Unlike centralized kingdoms, leadership was collective. However, during colonial rule and post-colonial administrative reforms, the need for a central traditional authority led to the formal recognition of autonomous communities and the installation of Ezes. Despite this evolution, the Eze’s authority remains rooted in Igbo customs and communal consent.
One of the most important roles of the Eze is the preservation and promotion of Igbo culture. That is the omenala ndi igbo. The Eze safeguards traditional rites, festivals, taboos, customs, and values that define the identity of the community. He oversees cultural ceremonies such as New Yam festivals (Iri Ji Ohuru), traditional title-taking, and ancestral rites. Through these activities, the Eze ensures continuity of Igbo heritage and reinforces respect for ancestral traditions.
The Eze serves as the symbolic head and unifying figure of the autonomous community. As father of the land, he represents the collective will and identity of the people. The Eze is expected to maintain neutrality and fairness, fostering peace and cohesion among villages, kindreds, and families within the community. His presence strengthens the sense of belonging and communal solidarity.
In Igbo autonomous communities, the Eze works in collaboration with the council of elders, chiefs, and village heads and community executives leaders in decision-making processes. Although he does not rule autocratically, but rather through the community executive leaders the Eze provides leadership and guidance on matters affecting the community. Issues such as land management, chieftaincy disputes, community regulations, and enforcement of customary laws are handled under the traditional governance structure led by the Eze.
The Eze plays a key role in conflict resolution using customary legal principles. Disputes involving land, family matters, inheritance, and communal disagreements are often brought before the Eze’s palace. With the support of elders and village heads, judgments are given based on Igbo customary law, fairness, and reconciliation. This traditional justice system promotes peace and restores social harmony rather than punishment.
The Eze acts as an intermediary between the Igbo autonomous community and the local or state government. Government policies, development initiatives, and security matters are communicated through the Eze, while community concerns and demands are relayed to government authorities. This role enhances grassroots governance and ensures that the voice of the community is represented in state affairs.
In contemporary Igbo society, the Eze is also a development facilitator. He mobilizes the people for self-help projects such as construction of schools, roads, markets, and health centers. The Eze often collaborates with community union executives, age grades, and Igbo diaspora associations to attract investments and development programs to the autonomous community
The Eze occupies a position of moral authority in Igbo society. He is expected to uphold truth, justice, and good character (omume ọma). In many communities, the Eze also performs spiritual roles, offering prayers to ancestors and the deities of the land for peace, fertility, and prosperity. His conduct is believed to influence the spiritual well-being of the community
The role of the Eze in an autonomous community in Igbo society is multifaceted and deeply rooted in Igbo cultural values. As custodian of tradition, the Eze is a unifying leader, mediator, a development advocate, a peace maker. Fairness and equity is the Eze armour.
The Eze does not support violence or put his people in a violence and confrontational way.
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