From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi

An Igbo leader in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka (known as Ogilisi Igbo) has traced the challenges facing Ndigbo in Nigeria to what he described as “failed cultural and traditional leadership” which he said paved the way for Ndigbo to accept the idea of depositing corpses in mortuaries.

Addressing challenges facing Ndigbo and what is expected of them in response to the challenges, Chief Ezeonwuka observed that the idea of keeping corpses in mortuaries was a breach of Igbo culture and tradition that had brought untold hardship on entire Igboland.

He, therefore, blamed the challenges facing Ndigbo on what he described as “the anger and venom” of aggrieved souls of the dead bodies that were under indefinite lockdown and languishing in mortuaries across Igbo land.

He insisted that the challenges facing Ndigbo in Nigeria including political marginalization, violent crimes, bad condition of roads, dirty environment, poverty and unemployment had continued to linger without possible solution in sight because of dead bodies deposited in mortuaries.

Speaking on what Ndigbo could do to give effective response to the challenges facing them, Chief Ezeonwuka said that the first and important step was for Igbo leaders such as the Ohanaeze Ndigbo under Professor George Obiozor, the town unions and traditional rulers to revive the Igbo culture on burial which was about committing dead bodies to earth within twenty four hours and to get the funeral done on a later date.

He said that would abolish the idea of people depositing dead bodies in mortuaries in entire Igboland.

Chief Ezeonwuka said an investigation revealed to him that the spirit of the corpses in the mortuaries were breeding fear, ghosts, violent hoodlums, zombies and vampires among the youth.

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He noted that the need for Igbo leaders to look inwards and find out where things had gone wrong and also find out how to make corrections should not be overemphasized, noting that the issue of keeping dead bodies in cold rooms was one of the areas where things had gone wrong in Igboland and needed to be corrected.

“Everybody is blaming the problems of Ndigbo on bad political leadership in Nigeria but as the spiritual leader of the Igbo nation, I see most of our problems as offshoots of the failure of cultural and traditional leadership.

“For instance, the upsurge of mushroom churches being controlled by fake pastors that are promoting idleness, crime, poverty and laziness in Igboland is consequent upon the failure of cultural and traditional leadership. Igbo culture and tradition don’t accept poverty but they promote hard work. These mushroom churches promote idleness and poverty.

“Mushroom churches are worse than coronavirus because they lock people down in working hours and tell them to expect miracle that will never happen and at the end of the day people take to crime to earn a living.

“Let me, therefore, say that I am privileged to use this opportunity to draw the attention of Igbo socio-cultural and traditional leadership under, Professor Obiozor-led Ohanaeze, town unions and traditional rulers to retrace the Igbo steps and collaborate with State government to abolish the idea of depositing corpses in mortuaries and also as a matter of urgency abolish mushroom churches in Igboland, ” he said.

According to him, both God and Angels in heaven were no longer listening to Ndigbo prayers as it is against the law of God and the Angels to keep dead bodies in mortuaries.

He warned that it was very dangerous for people not to have the attention of God and the Angels, adding that the implications were that in the long run Ndigbo would face the wrath of drug addicted hoodlums, and those he called zombies and vampires who would violently kill and chase everybody out of Igboland.

He also called on church leaders both Catholic and Anglican Bishops as well as those of the Pentecostal to see reason with his revelation on the harms being inflicted on Ndigbo by dead bodies in mortuaries and to stop the idea of christian adherents under their leadership depositing dead bodies in mortuaries henceforth.