Cries of marginalisation of Mbutunweorie: Newly crowned royal father calls for collaboration

Anthony Chukwuemeka Emeh, the Eze Ubaoha 2 of Mbutunweorie in Aboah Mbaise, Imo State

…Tony Emeh out for reconciliations, peace, academic revolution

Tony Emeh, an accountant, stock broker, entrepreneur, and politician, has mounted the throne of Ubaoha 2 of Mbutunweorie autonomous community in Aboh Mbaise LGA of Imo State, waving collaboration for rapid development.

He has also declared his intention to mount on a reconciliation and peace mission with those who held contrary view over choice of the Eze. This seems to be the most urgent steps advised my most important personalities during the coronation. The new Eze has thus pledged to go bring the opponents back to one united fold in the community.

The newly crowned Eze made it clear that collaboration is the strategy to liberate his people from the much talked about neglect of his section of the LGA which has not ever produced a local government chairman or commissioner or any top position in government.

The royal father who sued for peace and cooperation in the eight villages that make up his community said it would be his strategy, saying collaboration between him and the elected councilor and the Aboh Mbaise LGA chairman has already started yielding fruits.

Speaking to newsmen after his coronation, the Eze said: “We have sunk a government borehole in our community market. It’s part of attracting dividends of democracy into my community. And now we have collaborated in grading all the bad roads in my community before the rainy season. Also, the regional manager of MTN has agreed to mount a mast in my community, because we don’t have good network.”

The capital market consultant said his focus however is academic boost with focus on education. “When you empower people educationally, there’ll be a progress, people will understand the norms and caprices of doing things in the community. If you empower people academically, you will get very good result and the community will make rapid progress.”

The new Eze made waves during his days with excellent results at college level, winning best positions in JETS and STAN contests in his state, said he would use his stool to push for revival of education and scholarship.

Already, scholarship award flooded the day of his coronation in his community. Smarting from the installation which generated disputes along the way, the newly crowned Royal Highness who replaced the late Eze, Michael Opara (Ubaoha 1), said he was very happy about it because his crowning was very successful. “It’s a huge success and my kingship is not made by me, it’s a divine kingship because it’s only God that gives kingship. It’s not ordinary, and I believe so much that this is the will of God for me to be crowned the Ubaoha II of Mbutu-Nweorie Autonomous Community.

“I was highly elated and my community was so happy for receiving me and crowning me and people rejoiced, and my guests were happy. And I conferred titles on persons of integrity, including my community chiefs. These are persons that are honored in the community based on their antecedents, based on what they do for the community, for developmental projects, for arranging the community in order to move forward. They are also persons that are philanthropists, people that are patriotic, they were the ones conferred with chieftaincy titles.

“We also conferred Nze title too. You know, Nzeship is not like a chieftaincy title. Nzeship comes from the community and from various villages. Every village that lost its Nze wrote to send in a new representative. And if an Nze in a community is not dead, you will crown him Okenze. So we crowned two Okenzes during the coronation and gave them their Okenze Gburugburu before we have a grand chief.”

Now that coronation is done and dusted, the new Eze appealed to the opposers come back home for to form one united front to develop Mbutunweorie.

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He said: “All of them are my subjects. You cannot do any contest without getting people who will support you and people who will not support you. As a child of God, I have forgiven all that didn’t agree and I pray that they too should forgive me of my shortcomings. So, the door is open to receive any of them. I don’t even mind going to them in their various areas and tell them, “Come, let us put our community in order.”

He told his people to expect a lot from him because of his wide contacts. “Some of my friends that came for the conferment of chieftaincy titles did great things to my people. One of them gave scholarships to my community people for 10 years. It’s part of the dividends of me being a king.

“My duty is to make sure that this community moved forward, both in culture (because I am the custodian of our culture) and in developmental stride. I will help my community to move forward. I have been settling disputes based on the level and the power government has given to us to settle disputes.”

Moreover, he stated, “I will bring God more into this community because I’m a child of God. I was crowned according to biblical injunction and I believe that God gave me kingship and I will worship God in this community. And I’ll make our people emulate my method of worshipping God. I myself, I’m an usher in Overcomers Christian Mission. Even now that am crowned king, I will still do my ushering because it’s part of the work and services as a church worker that I’m doing in the house of God.”

On his message to Mbutinweorie people, Emeh said God will bless them. “The contest has come and gone. I have forgiven everybody. My door is open. I accept anybody. So shall I pray that they accept me as their king so that we work together to the glory of God Almighty and for the blessing of the community.”

Welcoming guests, Vitalis Njoku, the president-general (PG) of the autonomous community, described the day as a great one as it has yielded a new Eze.

The PG said it was a reaffirmation of the unity and cooperation in Mbutunweorie, saying he was confident that the new royal father would not uphold these virtues but would pursue greater togetherness.

Some of the important personalities that were conferred with titles include Richard Ogbonna (Miri Mara Ugo 1), Maxwell Opara, Cornelius Akubueze.

The coronation day threw Mbutunweorie community into big celebration with dances and merriment all day.

The coronation was unique as a highly respected man of God anointed the crown and joined in placing the crown on Emeh’s head. The king and his Ugoeze, Precious Ngozi Emeh, took graceful steps to their seats as the people rejoiced with hope of peace and unity once again.

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