Igbos were original settlers in Ile-Ife – Igwe Alfred Achebe

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The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, has said that a recent history book has ascribed to the Igbo as the original settlers in Ile-Ife and whom Oduduwa met, other than the present contest between the Ife and the Ugbo sections in Yoruba land.

Igbos were original settlers in Ile-Ife – Igwe Alfred Achebe

He made the statement, when he chaired the First Chinua Achebe International Conference organised by the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)

It could be recalled that the Director of the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Emeka Nwabueze, announced that the institute was organizing the event scheduled to hold from May 22 to 25 this year in remembrance of the late literary icon.

According to the Igwe Alfred Achebe, the Igbo society existed beyond what the late prolific author, Chinua Achebe, recorded in his books.

He, therefore, tasked the academia in UNN to conduct further research that would either authenticate or dismiss the new study on Igbo origin and settlement.

The traditional ruler also noted that Achebe, would always be remembered by Ndigbo for projecting the Igbo world view, the history, culture and cosmology.

Other persons, who spoke alongside Igwe Alfred Achebe, at the opening ceremony of the three-day international conference included the former Governors of Imo and old Anambra state, Ikedi Ohakim and Chukwuemeka Ezeife; former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Viola Onwuleri; veteran actor, Pete Edochie.

In his remarks, Ezeife freely used Chinua Achebe’s book entitled, “Things fall apart” to satirize the present political and economic crisis in Nigeria.

He said: “Today, the centre cannot hold any longer in Nigeria. Are we going to watch things fall apart and allow Nigeria disintegrate?

“Today, all speeches have been going in the way of referendum. It has come to a stage where it’s clear that if nothing is done, there will be no more Nigeria.

“My appeal, therefore, is that all hands must be on deck and all brains at work, otherwise the country will exist no more. First, there must be restructuring. After that and we don’t like it ,then any other things can come .”

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