The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has said that in Igbo culture, if a man marries an Igbo woman, that man has automatically become a member of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo. He said that the man would be accorded all the respect, and that he would even be respected more than the indigenes of the place. He said this during an interview with The Punch, which was published on Sunday July 2nd.
He said that Maryam Babangida, the late wife of the former military President of Nigeria, Ibrahim Babangida, was an Igbo woman, and that automatically makes Babangida and his children members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
(Photogrid of Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the late Maryam Babangida and Ibrahim Babangida).
Iwuanyanwu said that one of his daughters is married to a Yoruba man in Ibadan, and that means that he has his blood in Ibadan, and that there is nothing anybody can do about it.
He said – “In my culture, my son-in-law is considered to be an Igbo and an automatic member of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. In Igboland, our culture is that we accord such a person all respect and he even earns more respect than the indigenes. If he has any problem anywhere, he can come to the village for assistance because that is how the culture is.”
Speaking further, he said – “The Igbos have already mixed with the Yorubas so much that it is very difficult to separate us. It is real. The late Maryam Babangida was also an Igbo, making Ibrahim Babangida himself and his children automatically Ohanaeze’s members.”
Below is a screenshot of the report by The Punch:
He said that the Constitution of Nigeria says that every Nigerian can live and work freely in any part of the country and contribute to the development of the place, and that is what Igbos have been doing. He added that Igbos have played a major role in the development of Nigeria.
What do you have to say about this statement from Iwuanyanwu? Feel free to share your thoughts with us.
Richiehenshaw (
)
