Igbo Leader in Ghana Denies Claims of 50-Acre Igbo Village in Ningo-Prampram
Accra, Ghana - 8 July, 2025 - The office of Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, the Igbo community leader in Ghana, has dismissed claims that the Igbo community acquired 50 acres of land in Ningo, Greater Accra Region, to establish an "Igbo Village," addressing a controversy that has stirred tensions and public debate in Ghana.
In a press release issued on 8 July 2025, the leader’s office clarified that no such land acquisition has occurred, attributing the rumors to a misinterpreted 2013 interview that discussed a now-abandoned plan, canceled in 2014 due to unresolved land ownership issues.
The statement, signed by Ronney Gogo, Head of Communications at the Eze Igbo Palace Ghana, emphasized that Ihenetu, known as Eze Ohazurume I of Ndigbo, has not acquired any land in Ningo or elsewhere in Ghana for an Igbo village.
According to Ihenetu, the controversy was reignited by a viral video resurfacing from a 2013 Crystal TV interview, conducted shortly after Ihenetu’s coronation as Eze Ndi Igbo Ghana in September 2012.
In the interview, reported by YEN.com.gh, Ihenetu outlined a vision for a 50-acre cultural village in Old Ningo, featuring Igbo-themed infrastructure like a palace, schools, markets, and a 2000-seater town hall. The plan, intended to promote Igbo culture globally, was abandoned in 2014 after disputes over the land’s rightful ownership, according to the press release.
The recent uproar prompted swift denials from Ghanaian authorities, including the Ningo Traditional Council and Ningo-Prampram MP Samuel Nartey George, who on 8 July 2025 reaffirmed that no land had been allocated for an Igbo kingdom. The Council, led by Paramount Chief Nene Osraogbo Djangmah XII, called for law enforcement to act against those spreading the claims, asserting that “Ningo is Ningo and will remain so.”
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF IGBO COMMUNITY LEADER CHUKWUDI JUDE IHENETU
RE: “MISINFORMATION REGARDING ALLEGED IGBO VILLAGE LAND ACQUISITION”
It has come to our attention that statements and accusations are circulating on social media regarding the alleged acquisition of 50 acres of land (250 plots) in Ningo in the Greater Accra Region by the Igbo Leader in Ghana, Eze Ohazurume I of Ndigbo, to create an "Igbo Village.
We want to state unequivocally and without reservation that we have not currently acquired any land in Ningo or elsewhere in Ghana for the purpose of establishing an Igbo Village.
We understand that these accusations stem from an interview granted to Crystal TV in 2013. This interview was a follow-up to his (Eze Ohazurume I of Ndigbo) coronation in September 2012.
We wish to clarify that the plans discussed in that interview never materialized due to a series of issues surrounding the rightful ownership of the land in question.
This led to the cancellation of those plans as far back as 2014, and there is currently no plot of land in Ghana that has been earmarked for an "Igbo Village."The Igbo leader, having been a resident of Ghana since 1995 and married to a Ghanaian businesswoman, has a deep respect for the culture and laws of this nation.
We would never engage in any activity that would mar the strong relationship between the Igbo people residing here and the Ghanaian community. His commitment to being a law-abiding resident has been unwavering throughout his stay—a message he consistently conveys to the Igbo community with absolute clarity.
We reiterate that we presently have not acquired any 50-acre land or any other land to be used as an "Igbo Village" in Ghana.
RONNEY GOGO(HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, EZE IGBO PALACE GHANA)Contact: 0550077645
