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Eze (pronounced ) is an Igbo word which means King. Such words as Igwe and '' Obi'', plus others, are used by Igbo people as titles of respect and homage to the Eze. Igwe is derived from the Igbo word ''Igwekala'' or ''Eluigwekala'', "the sky or heaven above the sky is higher or bigger than land", implying that the Eze is a higher servant of the people. ''Obi'' usually refers to the centre building for receiving visitors within an Igbo leader's or man's homestead. When used as a title of respect for the Eze, ''Obi'' implies: "the one who sits in the throne house or heart of the Kingdom." In Igbo tradition and culture, the Eze is normally an absolute monarch advised by a council of chiefs or elders whom he appoints based on their good standing within the community. A popular saying in Igbo is ''"Igbo enwe eze"'', which translates to "the Igbo have no king." This popular saying does not, however, capture the complexity of Igbo societies as it has been explored in many centuries of anthropological, sociological and political research. In many ways, it is a comment on a cultural disregard for authority and nationhood as seen in the build-up and aftermath of the Biafran Civil War. The
Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', * * * ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A ...
had and still have ruling bodies of royal and political leaders in which an individual can be recognized by the entire society as ''primus inter pares'', i.e., first among equals. This status is usually hereditary among the male lineage, since Igbo culture is patrilineal. Women in Igbo cultures were known to develop parallel social hierarchies through which they both competed and collaborated with their counterpart male kingship and governing hierarchies. However, there was one woman ''Eze'' in colonial Nigeria,
Ahebi Ugbabe King Ahebi Ugbabe (died 1948) was king (''eze'') and warrant chief of Enugu-Ezike, Nigeria. She was the only female king in colonial Nigeria. Her life's impact is described by Nwando Achebe: "She was a 'slave' married to a deity, a runaway, a se ...



Kingship in Igboland

Scholars generally believe that Igbo kingship institutions developed from three sources. The first is indigenous and ancient priesthood, which traditionally combined clerical and political duties of leaders in the village-based
republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
s. Ezes were recognized in Arochukwu, Awka, Nri-Igbo,
Owere Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...
, Northern Nsukka and Ngwa: the most populous Igbo sub-group. In Ngwa,
Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku Josaiah Ndubuisi Wachuku (also spelled Josiah Wachukwu) was king, paramount chief, servant leader and Eze of Ngwa-land – in the then Aba Division of Eastern Nigeria – during British colonial times. He was the father of Jaja Wachuku, the ...
was Eze from ancestral, royal lineag

Enugu-Ezike, Ovoko, and Iheakpu-Awka are home to the Igbo-Eze communities. The King is variously referred to as ''Eze'' or ''Ezedike'', depending on
lineage Lineage may refer to: Science * Lineage (anthropology), a group that can demonstrate its common descent from an apical ancestor or a direct line of descent from an ancestor * Lineage (evolution), a temporal sequence of individuals, populati ...
. Secondly, the neighboring
Benin Empire The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom, or the Benin Empire ( Bini: ') was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th c ...
imposed certain conventions by colonizing certain parts of Nigeria. According to an opposite view, the Eze of Nri influenced the constitution of the Benin Oba's status. Differing points of view are focused particularly on the communities of
Asaba Asaba is the capital city of Delta State, Nigeria. It is located at the western bank of the Niger River, in the Oshimili South Local Government Area. Asaba had a population of 149,603 as at the 2006 census, and a metropolitan population of o ...
,
Onitsha Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. ...
, and Oguta. According to some scholars who argue against what is known as the '' Afigbo and Omenka Thesis on Origin'', Igbo kings of these places trace the historical roots of their investiture immediately to the Oba of Benin. They tend to be called ''Obi'' as royal title of honour. The third source of Igbo kingship is believed to be 19th and 20th century colonial rule by the British. Under a policy of indirect rule, the colonial administration created "warrant chiefs," selecting recognised individuals to serve as administrators, rulers, judges and tax collectors. Native to their communities, warrant chiefs were usually selected from among those men who were most cooperative with the colonial administration. For this and a number of other reasons, Igbo populations often resented and sometimes overtly resisted the authority of warrant chiefs. An example of such resistance is the
Igbo Women's War of 1929 The Women's War, or Aba Women's Protest (Igbo: ''Ogu Umunwanyi''; Ibibio: ''Ekong Iban''), was a period of unrest in colonial Nigeria over November 1929. The protests broke out when thousands of Igbo women from the Bende District, Umuahia and ...
. After Nigeria gained its constitutional independence from Britain on Saturday 1 October 1960, many of those warrant chiefs tried to maintain their power by seeking to recast their political roles. Those with political influence and new-found wealth bought honorary ''Eze''- sounding titles. They clamored to be among traditional rulers retained by government of independent Nigeria.


Notes

1. Review in the ''American Historical Review'' of Nwando Achebe's ''The Female King of Colonial Nigeria'' https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article-abstract/117/1/308/2113349 {{reflist


References

* Achebe, Nwando (2011). ''The Female King of Colonial Nigeria'' * Agbasiere, J. (2000). ''Women in Igbo Life and Thought'' * Echeruo, Michael J. C. (1998), ''Igbo–English Dictionary'' * Ottenberg, Simon (2005). ''Igbo Life and Thought and Other Essays'' * Uchendu, Victor C. (1965). ''The Igbo of Southeast Nigeria''


External links


Igboland’s Culture on Igbo Village
Igbo Guide Igbo royal titles Monarchs Royal titles Noble titles