The Rise And Fall Of Igbo Leadership
Opinions
The creation of the Igbo kingship as an institution began with the introduction of Warrant Chiefs as Eze's (Kings), by Frederick Lugard, the British Colonial Ruler, who dramatically changed the social, cultural and political landscape of Igbo's, who became part of the modern day Nigeria in 1914.
In 2009-2010 Jose Mourinho, the world's best football manager, achieved two major feats as manager of Inter Milan football club. The first was winning the Champions League, arguably the most valued club football trophy in the world, by eliminating his former team Chelsea, beating the mighty Barcelona and crushing Bayern Munich. Secondly, he won the first treble in Italian history. For those not familiar with football, this background information is invaluable, mention the name Jose Mourinho, to a football fan of any team and watch their eyes light up.
At this point you may be wondering what has Jose Mourinho, "The Special One" as he is known in the football world, got to do with the Rise and Fall of Igbo Leadership? In order to answer that question it is necessary to delve into the traditional structure of Igbo people. Prior to British colonial rule, with exception of large kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Nri in the 10th century, being the oldest kingdom in Nigeria, Igbo's in terms of leadership, were politically fragmented. The Igbo style leaned to a more decentralized system of government, which was in direct contrast and conflict with the more centralised style favoured by the British Colonial system.
Different groups were governed according to clans, communities or villages by a Council of Elders. The system of government can best be described as a democratic-like system, centred on the Umunna (kindred), which traditionally is seen as the corner stone of Igbo society. Igbos traditionally function as communities, where no individual is bigger than the community or as the saying goes "Igbo enwe eze", which translates to "Igbos have no king." The Igbo tradition is based on collective leadership derived from the family or representatives of the family.
The creation of the Igbo kingship as an institution began with the introduction of Warrant Chiefs as Eze's (Kings), by Frederick Lugard, the British Colonial Ruler, who dramatically changed the social, cultural and political landscape of Igbo's, who became part of the modern day Nigeria in 1914.
In November 1929, the Aba Women's revolt or riot "Ogu Ndem" took place led by a woman of Ngwa descent, Nwanyeruwa. The protest was against a census due to be conducted by the "warrant chiefs" which she, along with others believed was for the purpose of imposing unfair tax on women. Nwanyeruwa met in the town square with other women and together, strong in number, they marched to the homes of the "warrant chiefs" singing and dancing in protest causing a number of the chiefs to resign their positions.
Nwanyeruwa along with many other women, such as Madam Mary Okezie of Ngwa,Mary Ogu Ndem of Onicha Ezinihitte and Ihejilemebi Ibe of Umuokirika successfully led the women to peacefully fight for a cause in the community which prevented women from paying taxes. After Nigeria gained independence many of the Warrant chiefs held onto to their position as traditional rulers or Eze's.
In 1930 the emergence of Igbo organisations began with the general aims of improvement for Igbo people. The Igbo Federal Union renamed Igbo State Union was created in 1948 as an umbrella organization headed by the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. In 1951 following an agitation led by the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe's political party, the British decided to grant Nigeria internal self-rule. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe later became Nigeria's first indigenous Governor General after independence in 1960 and subsequently, the First President under the Republic in 1963.Other prominent leaders included the First Premier of Eastern Region Dr Michael Okpara,Francis, Akanu Ibiam Governor of Eastern Region in the First Republic.
In 1967 the military governor of Eastern region, Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu proclaimed secession citing amongst other atrocities the massacre of Igbo's in the Northern part of Nigeria. The war ended in 1970. After the war some prominent Igbo people in 1976, under the guise of Prof. Benjamin Nwabueze (SAN) formed the socio-cultural group Ohaneze Ndigbo, proclaiming the need to unify Igbo people under a common umbrella to readdress post-war problems. In 1988 another prominent igbo socio-cultural group Aka Ikenga was founded as a think tank forum for debate of Igbo people. Many more prominent Igbo organisations and groups have since been formed worldwide over the years.
From the background preamble, albeit brief, it is quite clear that Igbo people have been fairly well organized in the past exhibiting many leadership qualities with fairly clear vision. Fast forward to 2010 and Igbo people as a group have become socially, economically and politically displaced in modern Nigeria. How did Igbo people get to this state of being?
How did the Igbo people fall from a state of superior leadership at the point of independence to a state of armed robbery, kidnapping, violent crime and advance-fee fraud (419) ? Ask any Igbo person why things become so bad and you may hear terms like as a result of the war,marginalisation and bad leadership.
In my analysis it is simply a result of a breakdown in the Igbo value system, which is central to the existence of Igbo people, lies at the heart of progress and without which total destruction is the only solution. You may say that my words are harsh, but Igbo people have known for decades that human resource is the number one asset of any nation. In Nigeria no other region has democracy engrained in their tradition like Igbos.
The other regions such as the North and West have been ruled by superior kings such as Oba's or Emir's so why have Igbo's been marked out of a game they know better than anyone else in Nigeria ?
Which brings me back to Jose Mourinho, as the special one as he has a doggish, leadership style which the football world has witnessed. He has conviction, never willing to compromise or water down his belief for money. He picks his best team and expects them to perform to optimum level, one may call him principled.
What we have witnessed in the Igbo land over the years are so called eminent men selling their souls, principles and values like common prostitutes on the street (as the song goes Sawa Sawaley,Ashawo), with no dignity or pride who disregard the tradition and have converted the institution to a market-place open to the Sawa. What we have witnessed are traditional rulers highest bidder. Go to the North and ask how much it will cost a Chinese man to become an Emir, go West and ask the same to become an Oba, now go East and ask the cost of an Eze then compare the responses.
The youths, the future of Igbo land, have been watching this steady decline and the response is clear for all to see. Many professionals and business men living outside Igbo land, who have invested millions of Naira in homes back in the village, can no longer come home for fear of kidnapping or robbery, resulting in a loss of income and development for many of the local people especially during Christmas period. Family members can no longer sit around the same table for fear of being duped by another member.
Prominent Igbo personalities,businessmen, professionals and their families have been real life victims of the crime. When the crisis in the Niger Delta reached its peak, not one Governor in the Igbo region, next door to the Niger Delta, had the vision to capitalise from the situation, by creating a conducive atmosphere to attract the oil companies to invest and set up in their state. Instead most moved their operations to Lagos. The economist amongst you should be able to calculate the cost of lost opportunity for the Igbo region.
Elections coming up in 2011 and there is not one Igbo candidate in the ruling party that has thrown his hat in the ring for the presidential position. What we have is bitter rival, political fighting in Igbo land, with Igbo organisations in Nigeria and worldwide, jostling to endorse all other candidates, without asking the fundamental question where are my people in this presidential race, dont we have any credible candidate?or what will these candidate do to better the lives of my people. It is no longer sufficient to hear wait in line, I promise you will be next. The problem is further compounded by Igbo organisations in diaspora, who ought to know better, treading the same line of calamity instead of advancing the community ethos they were brought up on.
One has to marvel at how the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, managed to entrust the control of the finances of the nation, into the hands of Igbo people in the portfolio of Finance Ministry, CBN Governor and Due Process, yet these same financial gurus are unable to put their heads together to propose a solution for wealth creation and focus on helping their own people eradicate poverty. Or how Igbo's came to create and dominate the third largest film industry in the world, but struggle to secure funding to elevate the status to the next level as in the case of India's Bollywood.
Take the case of the former police chief stating that he is unable to control the epidemic kidnapping of his own people. Or the fact that in a football crazy nation the country's top five international players are of Igbo descent yet the region fails to boast of one international standard stadium.
These are all examples of failed leadership in Igbo land, a situation that must be fixed and a predicament that the Igbo people cannot afford to ignore. Optimism is the name of the game. I wont bore you with doom and gloom, but instead put up a three point agenda for every Igbo person on the planet to follow in order to kick start the transformation to restore great leadership in Igbo land. The first point is that we must be disciplined, go back to basics and re-ignite the community. If you believe that the human resource is the greatest asset, then investment in the community is paramount, people and infrastructure. Accomplished Igbo individuals must see themselves as part of the wider community team. As a tree they must see themselves as part of the forest, without which they
fail to exist as a success story. This can be achieved directly, such as installing a bore-hole, sponsoring a child through education, send monthly cash home to start a trade or through collective building efforts. It's time for us all to emphasise the importance of a disciplined community and conduct a privately funded head count of the Igbo people.
Secondly we must incorporate the 3-V principle when selecting our leaders, we must Vet the person, ask questions about their background, achievements, credibility, record, what qualities do they have to offer. Verify the person, what kinds of people are prepared to vouch for them. Are they credible references ? Validate the person; let others know of the credible person. Tell all the so called eminent men trading Igbo people that Igbo's have left the auction and are no longer for sale to the highest bidder. From today, Igbo organisations worldwide that purport to represent the people must stop giving a platform to failed leaders and people with little or no credibility. It is unacceptable to present people, who have little or no integrity in their home town, to an audience as a chronicle of accomplishment simply because of their position, Vet, Verify, Validate. Like the special one we can only win by selecting the best team credible and passionate.
Thirdly, we must confront the brutal facts; it is time to examine where Igbo's are positioned in Nigeria and how to realistically move the agenda forward. Do the so called eminent men,who have been busy selling their values or the Igbo organisations in Nigeria and around the world, who purport to represent the people, have the will or courage to come together and request a Sovereign National Conference to discuss constitutional matters and how Nigeria@50 intends to move forward.
These are questions that they must answer and produce results; no longer should they sit around telling stories, taking minutes and wasting hours. With the political crisis going on in the region, it is no wonder that the rest of nation do not take Igbo candidates seriously, undisciplined people, make undisciplined decisions. Fifty years ago Igbo's were the drivers, today it is a catalogue of failed leaders, not one of the candidates can boast of clear mandate. Only time will tell whether five decades after independence, the Igbo people are prepared to swallow the bitter pill and rise, to the challenges of the 21st century or on the other hand continue to wait in line for the special one to come along and re-enforce the discipline and core values in the people ? Perhaps...maybe... bear in mind... you are the special one.
Anozie Anyanwu
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