The efforts of Eze Ndigbo Ghana, His Royal Majesty Eze Chukwudi Ihenetu Eze Ohazurume 1 in promoting Igbo culture in the Diaspora got a boost recently as
Ndigbo Worldwide Cultural Carnival (NWCC) team visited his palace in Ghana to confer the patronship of the association on him as well as intimating him on cultural fiesta that is to take place in Enugu later in the year.
While commending NWCC for their fine initiatives, HRM Eze Ihenetu who is also the Assistant Publicity Secretary Association of Ndieze Ndigbo in the Diaspora assured the organizers of the carnival of his unwavering support.
NWCC, a project borne out of the idea to ensure cultural integration and as tool for peaceful co-existence among the Igbos, is billed to take place between December 30, 2021 and January 1, 2022 in Enugu State.
According to a Press Statement signed by Mrs Evelyn Okere Onyung, the Founder and Convener of NWCC, the visit to the revered Monarch was in recognition of his prominence in the Igbo agenda and philanthropic dispositions.
Furthermore, Okere who is a former Vice Presidential Aspirant, a board member of West African Fashion Council and a Brand Director maintained that the visit was premised on the fact that Eze Ihehetu has done extremely well not just for the Igbos, but for the entire humanity.
The organizers used the opportunity afforded by the visitation to intimate His Majesty on the laudable programmes of the highly intellectually packaged Cultural carnival, its aims and objectives, among other issues, while also soliciting his partnership for the cultural carnival coming up in December.
Okere disclosed that aside his yearly New Yam Festival in which he flies high the flag of the Igbo agenda, unification and progress in Ghana, Eze Ihenetu has done so well, helping Igbos in Ghana to attain their goals without molestation by either the hosts or government of Ghana. She added that Ihenetu performed exceedingly well during the COVID-19 pandemic when his philanthropic activities came to the fore; he fed people both Igbos and non Igbos in Ghana and outside Ghana.
She went further to state that Eze Ihenetu is not the only Igbo traditional ruler in the Diaspora, but he is unique as he has not abandoned his people. “Eze Ihenetu is not the only traditional ruler in the Diaspora, but even though many of them are doing quite a lot, we don’t know them, he is in the media space, he communicates ideas, he also intervenes and uses his office resoundingly at any point there is friction between Nigerians and Ghanaians. He is somebody that has love and progress of Ndigbo at heart,” Onyung stated.
She continued “So we went there first to recognize what he has been doing, secondly we made him the Grand Patron of Ndigbo Worldwide Cultural Carnival, which he accepted and promised to support us.”
Okere said “It is the intention of the organizers to bring Igbos from different states to a state in our various cultures whereby we would not see ourselves as substandard Igbo, everybody would see themselves as brothers and sisters, dancing, and watching masquerades perform; it would bring about investment to the people, it would help to instill cultural confidence, really it is going to be a big project, using cultural tourism as pillar for industrialization, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) among other benefits of the carnival.”
Appreciating the team Leader, Mrs Onyung for her dogged leadership qualities, Eze Ihenetu said it will be a thing of joy to see Nigeria being led by a woman, he spoke of the organizational dexterity of women both in family and government ventures. He said that any home where the children are well cultured there is a virtuous woman in that family.
He commended Mrs Onyung for the laudable project, adding that the project is designed to sensitise the Igbos especially the young ones on the cultural practices of the Igbos.
He assured the group of great and massive support towards ensuring that the carnival is a success. He stated that the grand patron position given to him is for the entire Igbos in Ghana.