By George Ozalla
The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has vehemently rejected a Senate bill that proposes to create a National Council of Traditional Rulers with only the Sultan of Sokoto and the Ooni of Ife as permanent co-chairmen. According to a communique endorsed by Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, National President of OYC, and other state chairmen, the bill is a direct attack on Igbo heritage and identity.
The communique noted that the Igbo nation is rooted in one of Africa’s oldest democratic and decentralized traditional systems, with revered institutions such as the Obi of Onitsha and the Eze Nri. The OYC expressed outrage over the deliberate exclusion of these ancient institutions from the proposed National Council, describing it as an affront to equity, federalism, and historical reality.
According to the communique, Nigeria is not a two-nation federation of Yoruba and Fulani, and any national institution must reflect the plurality of the Nigerian people. The elevation of the Ooni and Sultan alone amounts to ethnic favoritism and hegemonic manipulation, the OYC argued.
The communique stated, “The Sultan of Sokoto, while respected, is primarily a religious leader and Fulani authority figure, not a pan-Northern traditional head. The Ooni of Ife cannot and does not speak for the Igbo, Ijaw, Urhobo, or any other non-Yoruba ethnic groups.”
The OYC warned that it will not tolerate a national structure that erases the place of Igbo traditional leadership from Nigeria’s symbolic or operational governance and categorically rejected any attempt to subdue the Igbo civilization under an imposed binary monarchy.
The communique outlined several demands, including the withdrawal or fundamental redrafting of the bill to reflect Nigeria’s ethnic and cultural diversity, recognition of Igbo traditional rulers in any national council, and the initiation of a national conference on traditional leadership structure to harmonize and respectfully integrate all ethnic groups and their institutions.
The OYC declared that any law or council that fails to recognize the historical civilizations of the Igbo, Hausa, Kanuri, Ijaw, Urhobo, Tiv, and others is null and void in moral, constitutional, and cultural terms. The group vowed to continue resisting all veiled attempts to politically enslave the Igbo nation under the pretext of national unity.
The communique was signed by Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, National President, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), and other state chairmen, including Comrade Onuoha Eberechukwu, Anambra State Chairman; Comrade David Ani, Enugu State Chairman; Comrade Ogbe Vincent, Ebonyi State Chairman; Comrade Eugene Okonta, Abia State Chairman; and Comrade Goodluck Ushene, Kogi State Chairman, among others.
