In a statement signed by key members of the Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House and made available to our newsroom, the family has rebuked a statement emanating from an unknown Etubom with the name, Essien Efiok Ekpeyong who falsely accused High Chief (Prof.) Eyo Etim Nyong of not being of Efik Royal blood.
Describing the statement as fake history, the Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House said it decided to respond to the unfounded statement filled with errors, lies and typographical mistakes to set the records straight in the interest of her immediate and future generations as well as the protection of the Efik Kingdom’s history.
A member of the family who spoke with our correspondent informed that issue at hand could be traced to the tussle for the stool of the Obong of Calabar which ordinarily should have been put to rest following the Supreme Court’s judgment and subsequent pronouncement of the Cross River State Government, recognising His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi V, as the Obong of Calabar.
Our source informed that the Obong of Calabar acting on the above, had set up a Peace and Reconciliation Panel with the aim of reconciling both factions and bringing lasting peace to the Kingdom. Surprisingly a statement suspected to be written by a self acclaimed Etubom Traditional Rulers Council constituted by Etubom Anthony Ani’s faction decided to dishonor the panel, stating that members of the panel set up by His Eminence, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi V are not of the Efik Royal Family.
The statement sighted by our correspondent reads in parts:
We wish to point out that:
a) Justice Michael Edem who is a member of Queen Duke family is not Efik royalty taking into cognisance the fact that Queen Duke (Mma Adiagha Umo) had no biological child so he is not a blood descendant of that family.
b) High Chief Eyo Etim Nyong who is a member of King Honesty Vlll (Nsa Okogho) family is not Efik royalty since Nsa Okogho had no biological child.
c) AIG Ene Okon Etim is not also Efik royalty since Esighi whence he claims to come from is not a royal house but one of the plantations of Cobham town people. No Efik royalty hails from a plantation…
…we advise these noble Efik sons and others in the fake panel to remain noble by refusing to be part of destruction of Efik tradition which holds that they are not qualified by birth to dabble into Obongship issues. Inwang okponde enyene adangha ( no.matter how large a plantation is there is always a boundary)
Responding to the above extract from the statement issued by the unknown Etubom Essien Efiok Ekpeyong, the Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House in defense of their son and Family Head/Village Head, High Chief Eyo Etim Nyong whose name and linage was blasphemed noted that ”Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House was created by two direct descendants of King Eyo Honesty made up of Nsa Eyo and Okoho Eyo Families. It noted that although, Okoho Eyo Nsa may not have had a male child but his nephew Nsa Eyo with whom together the Nsa Qkoho house was established had a number of children including Ekpenyong Nsa Eyo, Efiom Nsa Eyo, and one female.”
According to the statement, “The two male families have over the years produced male indigenes of pure Royal blood through their descendants such as Asuquo Ekpenyong Nsa, Okon Ekpenyong Nsa among others. Averring that Prof. Eyo Etim Nyong whose name and heritage was abused in the fake published document is a direct descendant of the Okon Ekpenyong Nsa lineage.”
The statement which was signed by over 20 prominent members of the Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House and copied to both the Palace of the Obong of Calabar and the Etubom Traditional Rulers Council rebuked the statement made by the faceless Etubom in support of the Toni Ani’s led faction against it’s Royalty status while calling on the authors of the ‘Fake‘ circulating document to publicly challenge it’s stands.
In a chat with High Chief (Prof.) Eyo Etim Nyong, Family and Village head of Isong Inyang Akpatre Efe, King Eyo VII, whose name and linage was abused in the statement issued by the faceless Etubom Essien Efiok Ekpeyong, our correspondent gathered that the Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House had confronted Etubom Essien Ekpeyong Efiok who is the Head of it’s larger House and a key supporter of the Anthony Ani’s led faction over the statement.
“We had confronted Etubom Essien Ekpenyong Efiok who is the family head of our larger family, although he is a key supporter of Anthony Ani. But we still met him over the issue because the name on the statement looks like his and the role described in the statement is the role he plays with Toni Ani, but he denied authoring the statement stating that his name is Etubom Essien Ekpenyong Efiok and not Etubom Essien Efiok Ekpeyong. The family therefore, asked him to publicly disassociate himself from the document if truly he isn’t behind it. An action which he has refused to take till this very moment so it was necessary the family set the records straight.” Nyong informed.
Prof. Nyong also hinted that the same, Etubom Essien Ekpenyong Efiok had once suggested in writing to the Odukpani Traditional Rulers Council and the Government of Cross River State to gazette the Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House as a clan in the Efik Kingdom.
“You see the people are just confused, if my family isn’t of Royal Blood why will they have suggested that we be gazetted as a clan? Today because of some selfish interest they now put up a statement trying to rewrite our history. We have documented evidences to back our Royalty, and we challenge any of them to come out publicly to challenge our stands.” Prof. Nyong concluded.
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| Copy of the statement issued by the Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House |
The statement by The Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House reads in full:
NSA OKOHO EYO NSA (KING EYO VIl) ROYAL HOUSE IN THIS PUBLICATION REBUKE THE FAKE HISTORY PUBLISHED BY AN UNKNOWN ETUBOM IN REACTION TO THE PEACE AND RECONCILIATION PANEL OF THE OBONG OF CALABAR
DATED 12-12-2023 ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal House was created by two direct descendants of King Eyo Honesty made up of Nsa Eyo and Okoho Eyo Families.
Okoho Eyo Nsa may not have had a male child but his nephew Nsa Eyo with whom together the Nsa Qkoho house was ‘ established had a number of children including Ekpenypng Nsa Eyo, Efiom Nsa Eyo, and one female. These two male families have over the years produced male indigenes of pure Royal blood through their descendants such as Asuquo Ekpenyong Nsa, Okon Ekpenyong Nsa among others. Prof. Eyo Etim Nyong whose name and heritage was abused in the fake published document is a direct descendant of the Okon Ekpenyong Nsa lineage.
Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa, King Eyo VII has contributed immensely to the leadership of the Obong’s Palace. the Eyo Ns House, and Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa, King Eyo Vil Family. HRH Etubom Ekpenyong Asuquo Ekpenyong Nsa was a leader of King Eyo Nsa Royal House and one-time Secretary of the Palace of the Obong of Calabar. When he died in 1972. Etubom Ene Oku Ene who was also from Nsa Okoho extraction, came to the leadership of King Eyo Nsa Royal House and was a member of the Etubom Traditional Council in the Palace of Obong of Calabar. He died in 1991 before the present Etubom took over. How then can anyone pronounce Nsa Okoho Eyo Nsa Royal Hause as not having people of Royal blood? We as a Royal House have enough documents to support our history and our heritage.
We hereby challenge the author and publisher of that document put online to diminish our esteemed royalty to come out and challenge what we have stated in this write-up.
The name of the so-called author of that document is not correctly written and the suspected author has denied being involved in such an unreasonable and faulty write-up. His signature is not attached, the abused Royal House is not properly spelt and is assigned to King Eyo Vill not King Eyo Vil.
We totally rebuke the publication in the interest of our immediate and future generations and the protection of the history of the Efik Kingdom.