Enugu State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Charles Egumgbe has reiterated the state government’s position against any obnoxious and inhuman traditions that demean the people.
Egungbe disclosed this on Wednesday in Enugu while reacting to alleged ostracism of the entire people of Edeaniagu village in Ishi-Ozalla Autonomous Community, Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
He said that the state government had abolished all harmful traditions that infringed on the fundamental rights of the people of the state including the Osu Caste System.
He said that no individual or groups of persons had the right to deny anybody their rights on the basis of ‘free born and slave’ mentality.
On the alleged ostracism of the entire Edeaniagu Community, Egungbe said that such practice had no place in the state as the practice of Osu caste had been abolished in the state.
“This ministry is bound to protect the fundamental rights of the people in our communities and ostracism has no place in the constitution of our town development unions,” he said.
On the election to fill the vacant kingship stool of Ishi-Ozalla Autonomous Community, the commissioner said that nobody had the right to exclude anyone who wished to take part in the exercise.
“It is a right for anyone wishing to participate to be part of the exercise. If anyone is denied the chance to participate in the election in whatever guise, such person should report to the ministry.
“We are here to protect the rights of our people,” Egungbe said.
Recall that the people of Edeaniagu village had accused the leadership of Ishi-Ozalla Town Development Union and some political bigwigs in the area of tagging them as slaves.
The spokesperson of the community, Mr Christian Uzochukwu, said that members of their village had been humiliated and intimidated arising from the ‘slave’ tag.
Uzochukwu, a former president general of the town union, alleged that the move to ostracise them was hatched to scuttle the ambition of a member of their village aspiring for the kingship stool in the autonomous community.
He said that the kingship stool was made vacant as a result of the death of their traditional ruler, Igwe Frank Nweke, the father of former Minister of Information, Mr Frank Nweke (jnr).
According to him, the town union constitution stipulates that each of the 12 villages in the community are free to present candidates during such elections.
“However, a meeting was held in the house of a prominent politician who feels threatened by the popularity of the candidate from Edeaniagu and they resolved to tag us slaves and ostracise members of our village.
“Directives were given to members of the community not to talk or relate with us and not to buy from or sell to us. They placed a sanction of N200, 000 on anyone that would flout the directives,” he said.
Uzochukwu described such directive as an ‘obnoxious ploy’ orchestrated to scheme out the candidate their community presented for the kingship election.
“They called us outcasts and do not want us to be part of the election because our candidate is the most popular,” he said.
He appealed to the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs to put off the election pending when all issues surrounding the exercise would be addressed.
He said that going ahead to conduct the election on March 22, 2021 would be unfair and an infringement on their fundamental rights.
When contacted, the President General, Ishi-Ozalla Autonomous Community, Mr Obinna Nvene denied that the community ostracised the people of Edeaniagu village.
Mvene said that the issue had been clarified in several fora, adding that the town union executives had not precluded anyone from participating in the election.
He said that the town union had on March 10, 2021 received a letter from the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs on the need to conduct the kingship election.
“We are going ahead with the election as directed by the state government. We are selling forms and every indigene of Ishi-Ozalla is qualified to contest,” Mvene said. (NAN)
