Emeka Esogbue

 The Igbo Had Kings: Igbo Enwe Eze Reconsidered By Emeka Esogbue Beyond its literary interpretation, the phrase "Igbo enwe eze," often translated as "the Igbo have no king, "is more of a cultural expression highlighting the decentralized political structures historically found in many Igbo communities. However, this saying does not mean that monarchies were absent across all Igbo societies, nor does it negate the fact that the Nri Kingdom is a monarchical institution.   In fact, several Igbo societies had monarchs long before the arrival of European colonists, a fact well-documented by Igbo historians. Nri, for instance, is one of Nigeria’s earliest known kingdoms, and its traditional ruler, the Eze Nri is both a sacred and priestly king. The immediate past monarch, Eze Nri Enweleani II Obidiegwu Onyeso, was the 16th in recorded history. According to information available, he has joined his ancestors and a mandatory 7 years interregnum is required for the enthroneme...

  Prince Umejei: Origin of the Ibusa Founder Deepens in Controversy By Emeka Esogbue The historians of Ibusa, a clan now located in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State have been in historical struggle to ascertain the original homestead of Umejei, the major founder of the community. Although the legend of the settlement clearly indicated that the progenitor of the community is Umejei Nwa Eze Isu (Prince Umejei) who hailed from Isu of South East Nigeria, that particular Isu in Igboland is not retained by the legendary account. The attempt of the community’s historians to ascertain this part of Isu has been frustrated by this oral tradition and further hampered by lack of documented sources by early writers to unravel the historical challenge confronting the people. the Europeans who also visited the community did not take interest in digging into the history of the people despite the relations shared with them. For the reason presented above, researchers workin...