*FROM THE DESK OF THE CHAIRMAN, SOUTH EAST COUNCIL OF TRADITIONAL RULERS,* *EZEIMO PALACE, MBARI STREET, IKENEGBU OWERRI, IMO STATE*
*25TH NOVEMBER, 2024*

*PRESS RELEASE*

*BAN ON CENTRALIZED IGBO CEREMONIES /CELEBRATIONS, FESTIVALS STILL SUBSIST AS MOURNING PERIOD FOR DEPARTED ILLUSTRIOUS IGBO LEADERS NOT YET OVER*

It has become necessary to formally inform the General public, especially Heads of various Igbo Associations/Organizations in Igboland (Comprising the five South East States) that a mourning period has since been declared by the South East Council of Traditional Rulers and Ohaneze Ndigbo in honour of our illustrious sons and daughter; Chief Engr (Dr) Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu CFR, President – General of Ohaneze Ndigbo,Chief Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, former Governor of Abia State, and immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Lady Onyeka Onwenu who transited this year and have been successfully buried.

Considering the weight of what happened in losing such important Igbo leaders within the same space of time and the pains it has elicited across the broad spectrum of the Igbo Society, it was deemed necessary to cancel various events and ceremonies earlier scheduled to commemorate the annual Igbo New yam festival for 2024 which usually involves Ohaneze Ndigbo,State Governments, Traditional Rulers and other key Stakeholders of Igbo extraction. It would have amounted to self ridicule and obvious insensitivity to Ndigbo if we had continued with such centralized gathering to merry when it is expected of us to mourn and be sober over our calamitous loss of top Igbo leaders.

It is surprising that upon this calamitous development and decisions taken to abstain from celebrations of any type within the mourning period, some business men led by a certain traditional ruler, His Royal Highness, Eze Ofoegbu from Abia State congregated to a jubilant group by fixing/scheduling for the so called Igbo New yam festival coming up soon which is an aberration and outright deviation from the designed mourning arrangement for our departed heros.The said Eze Ofoegbu is neither a Chairman of Local Government Council of Traditional Rulers nor Executive Member of Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, nor Executive Member of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers. One wonders his source of power or authority to convoke Igbo New yam festival and confer Chieftaincy titles and Awards which amounts to flouting the directives of constituted authorities in Igboland and disrespecting our sacred culture and traditions.

It is in the light of the foregoing therefore that the South East Council of Traditional Rulers wishes to reaffirm it’s stand on the subsisting ban on all manner of centralized gathering of Ndigbo to celebrate in whatever guise, whether New yam festival or Igbo Day hence tears are still flowing from our eyes and the mourning period for these departed leaders is not yet over.

We shall consider whoever that violates or attempts to breach this sacred decision as a great enemy of Ndigbo and may go further to request for explanations if such a recalcitrant person or group knows what happened to these great men and woman that transited at our most difficult time, when their presence obviously mattered most.

The South East Council of Traditional Rulers solicits for the cooperation and understanding of all stakeholders on this very important issue that demands unalloyed support and total compliance.

May the noble souls of our departed brothers and leaders rest blissfully in the bosom of God Almighty, Amen.

*Signed*:

*HRM EZE (DR) E.C Okeke CFR,*
Ezeudo II of Amaifeke Ancient Kingdom, Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chairman, South East Council of Traditional Rulers