The people of Oferekpe Agbaja Autonomous Community crowned Chief Ezekiel Nwifuru Nwankpu as their traditional ruler on Saturday.
Eze Nwankpu, a farmer from Ebonyi, has married 19 wives, of whom 17 currently reside with him, and they have a total of 108 children together.
Among those children is Chief Francis Nwifuru, the current Governor of Ebonyi State.
Eze Nwifuru will oversee the Oferekpe Agbaja Autonomous Community, which comprises 17 villages.
He was introduced to the Oferekpe Agbaja people by their community town union leadership, receiving the staff of office during the ceremonial coronation.
The event took place at the Oferekpe Agbaja Primary School in the Izzi Local Government Area of the state.
In his address, Chief Godwin Ogbaga, the Chairman for the occasion and a former minister, praised the installation of Nwifuru Nwankpu as the traditional ruler, highlighting his significant contributions to societal development, particularly within the Izhi clan.
Ogbaga attributed the success of Eze Nwifuru’s coronation to his son, the state governor, who had fostered an enabling environment by enacting the legislation that formalised the creation of the communities as requested.
“His Excellency encouraged the communities to take the necessary steps to select suitably qualified individuals as their traditional rulers. It is well known that the community followed this guidance and unanimously chose a man of considerable traditional experience, honour, integrity, and an exceptional capacity to embrace and accommodate others, designating him for coronation,” he stated.
Ogbaga commended the Oferkpe Agbaja community for their wise decision in selecting Nwifuru as their king.
He noted that traditional rulers are not political appointees and hold their positions for life, serving as custodians of customs and traditions.
He urged Nwankpu to maintain his peaceful disposition on the throne to foster rapid development within the community.
It is said that the father of the state governor, now the traditional ruler, did not marry early due to unforeseen life challenges.
Reports suggest that his decision to take multiple wives was motivated by a sense of isolation and the perception of being marginalized by the community.
