Pomp as Dim Ubulu Ihejiofor Community presents Obi as Eze-elect
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For the people of Dim Ubulu Ihejiofor Autonomous Community in Oru West local Government of Imo State, October 16, 2018, was a historic day, as they presented Prince Goodluck Obi to Ogbuehi Paulinus Udemba Obi, chairman of the local government, as their first Eze-elect.
The event, which was marked with ceremony, attracted members of the Eze in–council, the community development association, the youths, the women and the elderly, who stormed the local government secretariat at Mgbidi with traditional dancers and other traditional materials. It was indeed colourful.
The occasion climaxed with Chief Eugene Enwerem, the president general of the autonomous community, telling Udemba Obi that his people had agreed that Prince Obi would be their Monarch.
He said the community chose Prince Obi based on his track record on humanitarian works and good governance in his area of calling. The community, he stressed, believed that, as their Eze, Prince Obi, an activist and philanthropist, would bring the area to limelight for more progress and development, even more than other communities in Imo State.
“I hereby present Prince Goodluck Obi, our Eze-elect, to you for your blessing,” Enwerem told Obi, the council boss.
Responding, the council boss, congratulated the autonomous community and the Eze-elect and promised to always keep in touch with the community through Prince Obi any time there would be need to do so. He extended his hand of fellowship to the Eze-elect and encouraged him not to hesitate to contact him should there be any reason to do so.
The Dim Ubulu Ihejiofor Autonomous Community was carved out from Etiti Ubulu Autonomous Community in Oru West in 2017. Since then, the community had been pushing the process and procedure to have a monarch.
The process included a visitation of the chairman, House Committee on Autonomous communities and chieftaincy Affairs of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Arthur Egwim and his members to the community on October 6, 2017, followed with the appearance of the community leaders and the Eze – elect before the House of Assembly on January 18,2018.
This was preceded by a long process of choosing the Eze-elect, during which emerged unopposed after several other nominees withdrew in favour of Prince Obi.
BusinessDay gathered that during the visitation of the committee members to the new autonomous community, they ascertained the peoples claims and confirmed the geography and topography of the place, the presence of primary and secondary schools, football fields, markets, churches, post office, pipe born water and bore holes, among other prerequisites for the recognizing of an autonomous community and the emergence of an Eze.
During the presentation of the Eze-elect, Ogbuehi Malachy Obi, a member of the Eze in council, in his remark, thanked the local government chairman for his support and warm reception. He also thanked him for the good relationship, which had been existing between the chairman and the community since the quest for autonomy started, which culminated in the presentation of the Eze-elect.
Ogbuefi Damian Ezengu, the Head of the Eze in council thanked the Almighty God for giving the community such a selfless man like Prince Obi as their Eze-elect. He stressed that Prince Obi had been making a lot of sacrifices for the development of their autonomous community.
Speaking with Business Day, prince Obi said that his Motto in life since his days in the university of Ibadan had been “Selfless service to Humanity”, adding, “ I believe my autonomous community will benefit enormously in social infrastructure, youth empowerment and employment.
Among the delegates to the presentation of the Eze-elect were Chief Simon Enwerem, Chairman of the autonomous community, Emeka Ilozurike, the secretary of the community, etc.