By Sunshine Ofoelue
The king of Arochukwu in Abia State, Eze Dr Eberechukwu Oji, has explained that his throne represents not just Arochukwu indigenes but the entire Igbo nation.
The king, better known as Eze Aro of Arochukwu Kingdom, stated this while responding to questions from panelists at the 2nd edition of Ububo Eze Aro n’Umu Aro on Sunday. Ububo Eze Aro n’Umu Aro is a discussion platform of the entire Arochukwu people on the Zoom chat platform on the internet.
Callers who participated in the program, numbering over 375, engaged the monarch on various areas of interest.
Onyemaobi Anyiwo, who called in from the United States, enquired if he intends to do a tour of the Aro Diaspora communities, as Eze Kanu Orji did decades ago.
In his response, Dr Eberechukwu Kanu Oji said,
“That’s a valid question, and the answer is yes. We will even do more than that. We have come to realize that this stool does not belong to the Aro alone. In Lagos, the Igbos of the 5 eastern states organised a program and invited me. I went with some of my Aro brothers in business.
“When they spoke to me, they said that the reason for my invitation is to inform me that the Eze Aro throne is not an exclusive of the Aro alone, but a stool that represents the legacies, histories and pride of the entire Igbo nation.
“That there is no Igbo traditional ruler or monarch that has the capacity to protect them from persecution outside Igbo land, for instance, when their businesses or homes are attacked or face destruction in Lagos, there is no Igbo monarch they can run to, who will speak with the governor on this.
“They said they came to me this early so that I should not focus on Aro alone and forget Umu Igbo. That if they have any emergency, they will run to Eze Aro, and Eze Aro will go, whether to the Governor or president and tell them that the way his people are being treated is not fair.
“So, the Eze Aro will not only go to our Diaspora communities but will go even beyond that. Those Igbo brothers were at the coronation celebration.
“Therefore, we Aro should know that it is a giant responsibility not just on Eze Aro, but on all Aro to be aware that Eze Aro is for all Igbos, and when Umu Igbo requires Eze Aro to play any role of responsibility, he has to do that. So Eze Aro shall be prepared to ensure that Igbos are never oppressed anywhere again, “he reiterated.
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