By Williams Odunze

The chairman, southeast council of traditional rulers, also traditional ruler of Amaifeke Ancient Royalty, Eze E.C. Okeke has reaffirmed that the ban on all cultural festivals across Igboland is still in force.

He said the region was still in mourning the demise of its illustrious sons and daughter, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Ifeanyi Ubah, Ogbonnaya Onu and Ngozi Onwenu, respectively.

In a press statement personally signed by him, he said it became necessary to formally inform the General public, especially Heads of various Igbo Associations/Organizations in Igboland (Comprising the five South East States) that a mourning period had since been declared by the South East Council of Traditional Rulers and Ohaneze Ndigbo in honour of the departed souls of great children of Igboland who transited this year and have been successfully buried.

Eze Okeke pointed out that in considering the weight of what happened in losing such important Igbo leaders within the same space of time and the pains it has elicited across the broad spectrum of the Igbo society, it was deemed necessary to cancel various events and ceremonies earlier scheduled to commemorate the annual Igbo New yam festival for 2024, which usually involves Ohaneze Ndigbo, State Governments, Traditional Rulers and other key Stakeholders of Igbo extraction.

He stated that It would have amounted to self ridicule and obvious insensitivity to Ndigbo if the region had continued with such centralized gathering to merry when it is expected to mourn and be sober over what he described as calamitous loss of top Igbo leaders.

“We shall consider whoever that violates or attempts to breach this sacred decision as a great enemy of Ndigbo and may go further to request for explanations if such a recalcitrant person or group knows what happened to these great men and woman that transited at our most difficult time, when their presence obviously mattered most,” he cautioned.