Our problem with Eze Uzu
He cannot be laying claim to the throne of Awka people because more than two-thirds of the council of king makers voted for his removal. We had been tolerating him but it has become too much. You are a Traditional Ruler who is the custodian of Awka tradition but you have severally failed to protect and uphold it. This man went ahead to form a splinter kingmakers council and another splinter Ozo institution, and you know that he is an Ozo title holder. Those in the cabinet that tried to call to his notice his gross misconducts, are all rusticated and he brought in his cronies who had no business with the administration of Awka Town and made them kingmakers and members of his cabinet.
He imposed the former President General of Awka Development Union, Tony Okechukwu when his tenure had passed.
You say you are a First Class Traditional Ruler and you have reduced our revered throne to public ridicule by loitering around government offices looking for personal favours.
The council of kingmakers had severally invited him to come and clear the air on countless allegations against him and he refused to appear before them. We demanded his apology and he rather violated the ground of pardon by Awka people after he did penance for his past misdeeds. So in compliance with section 16 (d) of the Traditional Rulers Constitution as amended in 1986, he has admitted guilt of those allegations.
Consequent upon that and in obedience to section 17 (e) of the same constitution, the Head of Ozo Awka, personified in me, Ozo Obiora Essell has assumed office as the Regent of Awka which would last for six months before a new Traditional Ruler would be enthroned.
Dust-to-dust rite saga
This has been there since origin and we are not the ones to change it. A community in Awka North called Ebenebe, wrote us (we the members of Ozo Awka town) a letter to know how we burry our Christian members and we replied them. It takes three stages. I will read it out to you stage by stage.
Members are buried according to their faith. All Ozo men and their wives will assemble at the compound to pay the last respect to the dead. Ufio drum will be in attendance to play as directed. Good shades and seats will be provided for Ozo men and their wives. Before the Christians commence their service in the compound or move the body to the Church, Ozo men must do the following: Presentation of Cloth – (Ikpu ogodu), Returning of the wired ankle cord to the dead, Presenting the surviving senior son in collective prayer before the dead as heir to his compound. After this stage, the Christians will take over, until the dead is laid to rest. The Christian must not be disturbed in way. After the dead has been lowered to the grave, the first Son or, in absence of the first Son, any of his Sons present will throw sand into the grave before covering it up. Where no son is present, any male relation of the dead shall be called upon to perform the ceremony. It is an abomination for the wife of the dead or any woman for that matter to perform the ceremony or throw sand into the grave of the husband or relation.
Awka men entered into agreement with our Church leaders and both sides agreed on the conditions for Christians to perform Awka titles in a way it may affect their faith.
So you can see that there was no provision for the widow to do that in the first place? If it is a widow that has been having problems with the late husband and you allow her to do so with malice in her mind, she will be expressing victory ever her husband who is now dead and we cannot accept it at all.
Awka landed property
We know that Awka is the capital of Anambra State and most of our land is with government. But there are some that still belong to us the Awka people. But all he does is to use his position as Traditional Ruler to take ever our communal land and sell to people, without recourse to the community that owns the land.
When sons and daughters of Awka approach him over what he is doing he would continue to abuse them and even threaten to banish them from the land.
Even the university admission quota given to Awka people are sold to the highest bidder at the detriment of our sons and daughters that are better qualified and actually deserve those admissions. This level of high handedness and total desecration of the sanctity of the revered Awka Chieftaincy throne is unacceptable to Awka people in general. So, we, the Ozo title holders, who are also members of the council of kingmakers representing the 33 villages of Awka, said enough is enough; that he is no longer our Traditional Ruler.
Already, in line with our constitution, we have notified the Awka South Local Government and the Government of Anambra State over the dethroning of Obi Gibson Nwosu as he is no longer the Traditional Ruler of Awka Town.
Government’s refusal to accept the dethronement
The Constitution says ‘inform the government’. It did not say government should accept it or not. The state government cannot decide or choose who shall be the traditional ruler of Awka Town.
It is of no consequence if the state government chooses to accept it or not. What we have done is in line with the the thinking of Awka people who earlier accepted Gilbson Nwosu as their Traditional Ruler. They do not want him again and he remains dethroned.
When you look at section 17 of the same constitution which is entitled Death or Disqualification of the Traditional Ruler from sub section (e) to (h) it stated thus:
Before an Eze Uzu is crowned, most importantly, the council of kingmakers shall arrange to recover and keep the Staff of Office and the Cap until the installation of a new traditional ruler. We are poised towards carrying out the stipulations of the constitution to the letter. We do not need any government interference to do what we are doing. After that, we shall go ahead to present the new Eze Uzu of Awka Town to the state government. He is not the Traditional Ruler of Anambra State government but that of Awka people.
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