Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday urged traditional rulers to promote justice and fairness among their subjects.
The governor spoke at the presentation of staff of office and Certificate of Recognition to some monarchs at the Sam Mbakwe Exco Chambers of the Governor’s Office in Owerri, the state capital.
He said the monarchs were products of justice and should uphold justice at all times.
Okorocha 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 in 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.”
He added: “Today, your rising as traditional rulers has marked an end to injustice and will bring progress to your various communities.”
The presentation of the staff of office had restored peace in 11 autonomous communities, which had been engulfed in eze stool crisis in the past 15 years.
The traditional rulers given staff of office are: Eze Marcellinus Iheme (Umuezegwu Autonomous Community), Eze J. C. Uwalaka (Umuhu), Eze Bartholomew Agu (Aku-Amato-Amaraku), Eze Samuel Amanta (Ezumoha) and Eze Dr. C. A. C. Eronini (Awo Mbieri).
Others are: Eze Magnus Onyeka (Isi Orodo) Eze Iwuoha A. Korie (Odomkume), Eze Christian D. Adigo (Okwu-nezigwe), Eze Charles Nneji (Okwelle), Eze Isaac Ibeke (Umucheke Okwe) and Eze Augustine C. Agbordike (Eziawa).
The intervention of the governor in the crisis which had resulted in the loss of lives and properties, allowed the communities to select their traditional rulers who were eventually given Staff of Office and Certificate of recognition.
All efforts to restore peace in the troubled communities by previous administrations proved abortive until Okorocha met with the people involved and the contenders to the Ezeship stools of the respective warring communities and the pending cases in the eleven communities were amicably resolved.
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.
“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.