Government
The traditional monarch of Nnewi is called the Igwe. The Igweship in Nnewi kingdom predates the arrival of Europeans, this makes it a unique monarchy in Igbo land. The Igbo's are known for not having Kings, hence the popular Igbo saying, Igbo e nwe Eze' meaning, 'the Igbo's have no King'. In other Igbo clans, the British colonial administrators created warrant chiefs who then assumed the office & title of Igwe and are elected to this day. In Nnewi, the Igwe is the isi obi (Head of the Obi's) and hence the Igwe which literally translates as the heavenly one or Highness as he is the holder of the Ojo, the religious and political symbol. He is born and not made or elected, and the institution of inheritance is the traditional right and privilege. The position is neither transferable nor negotiable. He is also an Obi. Obi is the title held by ruling chief's, it is the equivalent of a duke in the Nobility.
The present reigning monarch is His Royal Highness Igwe Kenneth Onyeneke Orizu III, he is the longest serving mornach in Nigeria and he is currently the 17th monarch in the Nnofo Royal lineage. His Royal Highness, Igwe Kenneth Orizu III is the first class chief in Anambra state from Nnewi as well as the vice Chairman of the Anambra State House of Chiefs.
There are Obi's in the four clans that make up Nnewi. The highest and the Most senior Obi is the Obi of Otolo who is also the Igwe of Nnwi. HRH Chief Nnamdi Obi, HRH Obi. Bennett Okafor and HRH Obi. J. O. Onyekaba, are the current Obi's of Uruagu, Umudim, and Nnewichi, respectively. These three obi's with HRH Igwe Orizu, III as chairman constitute the Igwe-in-Council and they deliberate on the spiritual, traditional, and communal matters, in Nnewi.
There is also an active town union called the Nzuko-Ora Nnewi. It is a forum through which adult Nnewi indigenes (18 years or older) can contribute to the development of Nnewi. This union was set up to encourage and promote the establishment of structures and facilities that will promote and improve the quality of life of people resident at Nnewi people.
Read more about this topic: Nnewi
Famous quotes containing the word government:
“Her wrongs are ... indissolubly linked with all undefended woe, all helpless suffering, and the plenitude of her “rights” will mean the final triumph of all right over might, the supremacy of the moral forces of reason and justice and love in the government of the nation. God hasten the day.”
—Anna Julia Cooper (1859–1964)
“But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“All forms of government symbolize an immortal government, common to all dynasties and independent of numbers, perfect where two men exist, perfect where there is only one man.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)