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The Secretary, Committee on the Regularization of Igbo Diaspora Traditional Title and Leadership (CRIDTTL), Prince Ubochi Ubochi, JP, FICCON, MCSN, has described the Onyendu Ndigbo position as a “call to service” rather than a crown
Ubochi spoke against the backdrop of the successful public presentation and inauguration of selected Ndindu Ndigbo in Lagos on October 3 under the auspices of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers (SECTR).
In an interview, he explained the thinking behind the new framework, the screening and verification process for recognised leaders, the responsibilities attached to the Onyendu portfolio and the committee’s vision for a more structured and credible system of Igbo traditional leadership in the diaspora.
He said the October 3 event, held at the Colonades Hotel, Ikoyi, marked an important step in restructuring Igbo traditional representation outside the South-East.
According to him, the event was not merely another social gathering or title-presentation ceremony, but “an institutional transition in the way Igbo traditional leadership is structured outside the South-East.”
He said SECTR had provided a clearer framework for Igbo traditional representation in the diaspora, while CRIDTTL was established to undertake the implementation process, including screening, verification, assessment, documentation and recommendation of prospective Onyendu.
On why the Onyendu framework was initiated, Ubochi explained that for many years, different forms of Igbo traditional titles, including Eze, Eze Igbo, Eze Ndigbo and Igwe, had been used outside Igboland, raising questions about authority, jurisdiction, recognition and the relationship between diaspora Igbo leadership and the traditional institutions of host communities.
He said the Onyendu Ndigbo framework was designed to provide a more clearly defined structure for Igbo traditional leadership outside the South-East.
He also noted that the initiative had received public support from Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, adding that its President-General, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, announced in April 2026 that the conferment and use of the title Eze Ndigbo outside Igboland was no longer recognised.
Ubochi said some states, particularly Lagos and Edo, had also taken measures against the unauthorised assumption or impersonation of traditional royal titles.
“We therefore do not want any of our people, in Nigeria or anywhere in the world, to expose themselves to avoidable legal, administrative, security or reputational consequences,” he said.
He added that the process was aimed at promoting recognition, legitimacy and protection while encouraging responsible and lawful traditional leadership.
‘Onyendu is leadership with responsibility’
Ubochi stressed that an Onyendu was not a territorial monarch and did not acquire sovereignty over a host community by virtue of the position.
“Onyendu Ndigbo in practical terms actually means leadership with responsibility,” he said.
“His responsibility is to lead, unite, represent, mediate, preserve culture and solve problems.
“We want people who can be approached when there is a problem; not people who become the problem.
“An Onyendu should be a bridge between Ndigbo and the host community, between generations, between individuals and, where necessary, between the Igbo community and relevant institutions.”
He said the title should therefore be regarded as “a portfolio of responsibility, not a licence for personal aggrandisement.”
Screening, verification
The CRIDTTL secretary said the committee took its screening responsibility seriously, stressing that people were not selected merely because they wanted titles or received casual recommendations.
He said the committee examined documentation, background, community standing, identity, domain of operation and the capacity of prospective leaders to provide responsible leadership.
“The process involved consultation, verification and assessment,” he said.
“The objective was to ensure that those eventually presented could understand the weight of the responsibility being entrusted to them.”
Ubochi said 33 people were inducted in May and another 44 in July, bringing the number from the two exercises to 77, adding that the process had also covered people connected with Igbo communities outside Nigeria.
He explained that although most of the Ndindu had already received their certificates, the public presentation and inauguration took place on October 3.
He, however, warned the new leaders not to mistake recognition for entitlement.
“Your certificate should not be something you put on your wall and forget. It should remind you every day that people are watching what you do with the responsibility,” he said.
He cautioned the Ndindu against using their positions to bully or intimidate people, solicit money from politicians in the name of Ndigbo or turn the office into a business venture.
“Do not ask yourself, ‘What can I gain from being Onyendu?’ Ask yourself, ‘What can I achieve for my people because I am Onyendu?’ That is the difference between a title-holder and a leader,” he said.
Integrity, fairness and humility
According to Ubochi, CRIDTTL expects very high standards from the Ndindu, including integrity, dignity, fairness, maturity, humility and courage.
He said an Onyendu should command respect through character rather than intimidation and should remain fair to Ndigbo irrespective of political affiliation, religious denomination, state of origin, town or clan.
“If an Onyendu from Lagos has 10 Igbo people before him; one from Abia, another from Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Delta, Rivers or elsewhere, he should see Ndigbo, not political or sectional identities,” he said.
He also warned against turning the Onyendu office into a political platform.
“People have their individual constitutional rights and political affiliations. But once you occupy an institutional leadership position representing Ndigbo, you must be able to rise above partisan considerations when dealing with the community,” he said.
He added that an Onyendu must not become the representative of one religious denomination or section of the Igbo population, but should serve the entire Igbo community within his recognised domain.
‘We must not create another platform for rivalry’
Ubochi said leadership rivalry had affected many organisations and warned that the Onyendu structure should not become another arena where individuals compete to be “number one.”
“We must not create another platform where everybody wants to be ‘the number one,’” he said.
He advocated consultation, collective responsibility, orderly succession and rotation, noting that leadership should have rules, tenure, consultation and succession.
“If they eventually have a coordinating leadership structure, it should not become anybody’s personal property,” he said.
He also challenged the Ndindu to demonstrate tangible achievements.
“If, after two years, people cannot point to one meaningful thing an Onyendu has done for his community, then we need to ask what leadership has actually been provided,” he said.
“The greatest recognition an Onyendu can receive is not the number of ceremonies he attends. It is the number of people who can say, ‘When I had a problem, this man helped me.’”
CRIDTTL’s role
On the role of CRIDTTL, Ubochi said the committee had served as the implementation mechanism for the framework provided by SECTR.
“SECTR provided the institutional direction. The committee was then given the responsibility of translating that direction into a workable process,” he said.
He acknowledged the leadership of the committee’s chairman, Chief Charles Odunukwe, OON, Ijele Ndigbo GBURUGBURU, and the contributions of members representing the South-East states.
He said the assignment had involved travelling, meetings, documentation, screening, verification, correspondence, consultations and difficult conversations.
“But we understood from the beginning that institutional reform is never easy,” he said.
‘We will not engage in personality battles’
Addressing criticism and challenges encountered during the exercise, Ubochi said any attempt to change an established system would naturally generate different reactions.
“Our responsibility is not to engage in personality battles. Our responsibility is to remain focused on the mandate entrusted to us by SECTR,” he said.
He added that the committee would remain guided by due process, fairness, transparency, institutional authority and the interest of Ndigbo.
Relationship with SECTR
Ubochi emphasised that CRIDTTL operates under the auspices of SECTR and is not a parallel traditional institution.
“We are not creating a parallel traditional institution,” he said.
“We are implementing a framework established by the recognised traditional institution of the South-East for Igbo traditional leadership outside the South-East.”
He said the committee’s responsibility was to ensure that the process remained orderly, credible and properly documented.
Celebrating service
Beyond titles, Ubochi said the committee also wanted to recognise individuals who had demonstrated leadership, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and community service.
He disclosed that three distinguished personalities received the Igbo Traditional Values & Leadership Awards 2026.
“The message is simple: we want to celebrate service,” he said.
“We want younger generations to understand that success should come with responsibility to society.”
Five to 10-year vision
Looking ahead, Ubochi said his vision was for a system that people could trust and where claims to the Onyendu position could be verified through a credible institutional record.
He said he wanted Onyendu to become synonymous with responsible traditional leadership, integrity, mediation, community development and peaceful coexistence.
He also envisaged a system in which leaders would go beyond ceremonies to build schools, support young people, mediate disputes, facilitate business relationships, preserve Igbo language and tradition, and strengthen relationships between Ndigbo and host communities.
‘October 3 is not the end; it is the beginning’
Reflecting on the October 3 inauguration, Ubochi described the occasion as a moment of responsibility and gratitude.
He expressed appreciation to SECTR for the confidence reposed in CRIDTTL, as well as to the committee chairman and members for their sacrifices.
“But I would not describe October 3 as the end. It is the beginning,” he said.
“The real question will be: What will these Ndindu do with the responsibility entrusted to them?
“If they use their positions to unite people, solve problems, protect the dignity of Ndigbo, respect host communities and promote our tradition, then this initiative will have achieved something meaningful.
“And that is ultimately what CRIDTTL wants to see.
“Not more people carrying titles. But more people carrying responsibility.”
