“I Am Not a King in Ghana, I Am Just Eze Ndígbo” – Eze Ndígbo in Ghana Speaks to VDM
When Verydarkman (VDM) visited the palace of the Eze Ndígbo in Ghana, the leader took time to clear the air on many things people say online about him.
First, he explained that the title Eze Ndígbo does not mean “king” in Ghana. It is simply a cultural leadership position created to help Igbos in the diaspora stay united and keep their traditions alive.
> “Our Ghanaian hosts understand this very well, and that is why we are living peacefully here,” he said.
The Eze also revealed that there has been an Eze Ndígbo in Ghana for more than 30 years, and he is not the first. His only “crime,” according to him, is that he won the election in 2013 against some people who have since been spreading false stories about him.
He explained further:
The Yoruba in Ghana have their Oba.
Other communities, including Moroccans and Chinese, also have their cultural leaders.
Igbo people having an Eze Ndígbo is not strange or threatening to anybody.
On the viral video of an “Igbo village,” he clarified that the project started in 2013 but never materialized because the land was under dispute. The idea was to create a place with schools, a shopping mall, and cultural centers—just like the Chinese have their Chinatown in Ghana.
> “If we had succeeded, it would have been a place of pride, not a kingdom inside another man’s country,” he explained.
He also spoke on his relationship with Nigerian monarchs:
> “When the Ooni of Ife or any other Nigerian king visits, I step down from this seat and they take over. I become their subject, because I am not a king. I don’t even parade myself as a king when I travel to Nigeria.”
On the issue of locked Igbo shops in Ghana, he explained that it was due to Ghana’s trade laws that forbid foreigners from retail trading. Many Igbo traders were forced into retail because local buyers often refused to pay after supplies. Yet, while foreigners from other countries also retail, the law seems to affect Igbos more.
> “I have been meeting with authorities, and things are already getting better,” he said with confidence.
Finally, he pointed out that the house people call his “palace” is actually his personal home, which he built long before becoming Eze Ndígbo.
> “I built it because God blessed me as a businessman. Later, I was chosen as Eze Ndígbo, but that doesn’t make me a king.”
He ended by stressing one thing: his mission is to preserve Igbo culture, unite his people, and keep good relations with their Ghanaian hosts.
Source: Igbo history