Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has officially abolished the use of the controversial Eze Ndigbo title by Igbo leaders residing outside the South-East, replacing it with the title Onyendu Ndigbo as part of efforts to standardise and strengthen leadership among Igbo communities in the diaspora.

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The announcement was made on Monday during the induction of diaspora leaders and the inauguration of the first batch of 32 Onyendu Ndigbo leaders in Owerri, Imo State. The newly inducted leaders were drawn from Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ghana, and other locations.

Ohanaeze said the decision was aimed at ending the longstanding controversies and disputes surrounding the use of the Eze Ndigbo title by Igbo leaders outside their ancestral homeland.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Committee on the Regularisation of Igbo Diaspora Traditional Title and Leadership, Charles Odunukwe, explained that anyone leading Igbo communities outside the South-East would henceforth bear the title Onyendu Ndigbo or any other designation approved through consultations with the Council of Ndieze and Ime-Obi.

He stressed that the use of the titles Eze Igbo or Eze Ndigbo by diaspora leaders has now been officially prohibited.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the South-East Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Emmanuel Okeke, formally inducted another group of diaspora leaders into the office of Onyendu Ndigbo, describing the initiative as part of efforts to establish a more organised, credible and accountable leadership structure for Igbo communities living outside the South-East.

Okeke urged the newly inducted leaders to uphold honesty, integrity and selfless service, warning them against corruption and abuse of office. He also commended the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, led by Senator John Azuka Mbata, for supporting the initiative.

The traditional ruler warned that any Onyendu Ndigbo leader who fails to meet the expected standards of conduct would be stripped of both the title and the certificate issued during the induction ceremony.