BY PROF. JOHNSON O. ONAH
DATE: 27TH NOVEMBER 2021.
TOPIC: HOW IGEDE NATION UNDER-DEVELOPED ITSELF: TIME FOR PARADIGMN SHIFT IN 2023 AND BEYOND.
Outline.
Preamble
Defining Igede person
Historical perspectives
The transformed Igede Nation- Education
The Church and development
Economic structures
Role of Igede Elite in the development failures
Indigenous political structure
Political participation
The way forward in Igede land from 2023 and beyond.
Conclusion
Preamble
Igede Ihiooo (x3).
It should have been most appropriate to address the esteemed audience in Igede language, but I’m handicapped for two (2) reasons; firstly by my limited ability in Igede oratory and secondly by the limited vocabulary of the language in relation to English language.
Please permit me to use the two in a complimentary way for effective communication.
I sincerely want to express my heart-felt gratitude to the leadership of IGEDE IN 2023 MOVEMENT the organizers of this gathering, which I believe has long been expected.
I appreciate you all tremendously because you‘ve spent the last close to one year working towards the success of this Summit in spite of detractors. What I’m going to discuss here is purely my personal opinion derived from observations and deductions from contemporary issues that I’m very familiar with.
The topic for discussion as highlighted might seem unpleasant to some people but it’s my attempt to draw attention to self assessment or if you like look inwards to things that Inhibit our performances all round.
Remember the popular philosophy that ACTION AND REACTION ARE EQUAL AND OPPOSITE.
Development issues involve quite a number of parameters which will not be exhaustively discussed here.
My focus would be on “whether the standard of living of an average Igede person has significantly improved since 1976” when the Old Oju Local Government Area was created.
If you were an adult by 1976, then you’ll have an idea as to the development strides in Igede land and why I think we’re not at the optimum level.
This presentation is designed to bring out some “inconvenient truths” that many might not agree with, but I’ve chosen to play the devil’s advocate all the same, so please pardon me.
I don’t know how many of you had the privilege of studying History in Secondary School as I did. I suggest that if you didn’t, then you’ve missed a vital link in your educational career.
While I was in College, I didn’t like History subject because of it’s monotony. I didn’t just understand how dates were written in reverse, e.g. 300 to 250 BC. Before College, I was steeped in oral history, so for me I should not bother with West Africa or West European Histories. Science was exciting for me.
I must confess, I later found History to be VERY important.
PERMIT ME TO ASK YOU THIS QUESTION: HOW MANY OF YOU CAN NAME YOUR FAMILY LINEAGE UP TO 5 GENERATIONS?
I personally now realize that if you don’t know your past, you’ll not know where you’re, why you’re where you’re and cannot reasonably figure out where you’re going.
Surely, if you don’t know your History, you’ll be doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
OUR BENIGN NEGLECT OF HISTORY HAS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR PRESENT UNDER-DEVELOPMENT.
As far as I’m know, we Igede people are totally responsible for our sorry state as I will highlight the essential factors a little later.
DEFINING AN IGEDE PERSON.
What are the characteristic features that define an Igede person? What has non- Igede observers seen as defining characteristics of an Igede person?
Fundamentally, Igede lifestyle is Republican and so encourage free enterprise.
An Igede man may appear timid in outlook but can be uncompromising in his determination / conviction.
When you have an opportunity to engage an Igede person on real issues, you’ll come off concluding that he/she is fastidious or pedantic or a perfectionist.
With that state of mind, he/she will never be disposed towards ventures that are unknown, because all things would not have appeared certain before him/her.
An Igede person is afraid of failure, may in fact be terrified of failure; with that mindset he could not exploiting the unknown, a prerequisite for progress or development.
By refusing to take chances of exploring and exploiting the unknown we inflict on ourselves under development at personal and at the societal levels.
WE JUST HAVE TO CHANGE OUR ATTITUDE AND VENTURE INTO THE UNKNOWN SUCH AS ENTERPRENEURSHIP.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
It will be unnecessary for me to narrate our oral history here because we know or have an idea of our past.
If our oral history was correct, it was insane to expect to restore a broken pot, a situation so badly managed that it led to war that drove Igede people out of Benin Kingdom.
They were unforgiving and we’re carrying the burden today.
The core values of Igede people are Integrity (Honesty), Hard work, Equity Respect, and we’re our brother’s keepers. Greed and avarice were strongly condemned and rejected.
You’re required to account for your source(s) of income. They knew when to compromise and accept reconciliation. They were diplomatic even during hostile / volatile disagreements.
HOW CAN DEVELOPMENT COME ABOUT NOW IN THE PRESENCE OF GREED, AVARICE AND LAZINESS?
THE TRANSFORMED IGEDE NATION.
The arrival of the white man/ colonization has impacted positively and negatively on our religion, culture, traditions, perceptions and attitudes.
The most important positive impact was EDUCATION and the most negative was abandonment of our culture and tradition, social classification and individualism.
EDUCATION:
Education and quality of education is the irreducible minimum for development, so no society can develop without necessary educational skills.
The first primary schools were introduced to Igede by Methodist Missionaries between 1930 and 1932. The first secondary school to be established in Igede was Methodist High School Ainu in 1970. The first Indigene of Igede to obtain First School Leaving Certificate was 1939. The first Igede person to obtain a university degree was 1967.
Between 1970 and 2012 tremendous strides were achieved judging by the number of university, polythenic, college of education, etc, graduates
The weaknesses in rapid educational development has also become obvious today; for example, it has affected our cultural affinity, emphasized greed, created social classes or inequalities and individualism.
Currently in Benue State, Igede Nation can boast of the largest number of holders of Institutional certificates on unit- by- unit basis.
The question to ask is: why is Igede Nation not achieved its’ optimum level of development or not developing at a fast rate? Or why has Igede Nation remained stunted in terms of development?
To answer this question, we must understand what constitute the benefits (impact) of education. In my view, education has 2 components, i.e. knowledge and understanding.
So many of us have knowledge but lack understanding and I dare say that this is one of our major handicaps.
When we fail to show understanding, we remain stagnant and in fact degenerate.
I make bold to opine that our education process didn’t find it’s root in our traditional core values of character.
Mahatma Gandhi once said that one of the social sins is Education without character and I say
EDUCATION WITHOUT CHARACTER IS LIKE A GOLD RING ON THE SNOUT OF A PIG.
In our generation we lack so much understanding that we resort to unrestrained emotional out bursts and uncontrollable anger (rage).
We’re generally an unforgiving people thus making reconciliation extremely difficult.
Our inability to bear with each other creates toxic environments that preclude cooperation for self and community aspirations / actualization.
Our Traditional rulers used to berate intellectuals that we have knowledge but lack understanding and wisdom. They couldn’t be more correct judging by the way we conduct and handle conflicts and our commitment to culture and tradition. Any society without culture is like wind that has no direction or control.
THE CHURCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN IGEDE LAND
One has to be circumspect when commenting about the Church and its activities outside shepherding.
The Church is not concerned with the morality around material wealth and social development. However, that the Church was the first to introduced educational institutions to Igede land was a great contribution to the development of Igede society.
This notwithstanding, permit me to make the following observations and make an appeal.
Christians in Igede land have not decided whether to believe and have faith in God or to believe and have faith in culture and traditions. The choices one observes is that of convenience.
Christians in Igede land don’t show enough respect for their Priests so the society leads the Church instead of the Church leading the society.
I rarely see the Clergy championing conflict resolutions in Igede land. If the Clergy recognize this as part of their ordained responsibilities the present toxic environment in Oju LGA in particular would be of interest to them. Remember, blessed are the peace makers.
According to reports, during the recent fracas between Ukpa and Ibilla Clans, my in-law was asked to pack out of his residences so that they can torch the property. Rumors had it that widows suffered similar fate. What type of Christianity are our men of God preaching?
Where was the clergy in reconciliation efforts in the aftermath? Which God are we serving?
In societies where there is no leadership recruitment mechanism, the church should fill that gap because of the high moral standards of the religions.
The fallacy that Christians should not actively participate in PARTICIAN politics has resulted in the society being saddled with godless representatives at various levels in government and cooperate world.
Please the Clergy, come to the rescue of Igede Nation.
IGEDE NATION NEEDS TO BE BORN AGAIN SPIRITUALLY SO THAT DEVELOPMENT CAN TAKE ROOT.
ENONOMIC STRUCTURE IN IGEDE LAND.
Please pardon me that I will not comment on the philosophy of Economics because it’s a Science of Chaos, Economists they should seek assistance from Mathematicians.
We’re told that economic development is concerned with improved standard of living, i.e. high literacy rate, reasonable income distribution, increased life expectancy, low unemployment and ability to meet basic needs.
According to one Authority, Igede people lack the ability to separate economic from non-economic activities meaning that valuable productive time would be lost pursuing one direction.
We’re yet to learn how to allow money to work for itself, i.e. generate wealth according to our economic theorists.
The people of Igede from the beginning of time were agrarian, i.e. they rely on agricultural production for sustenance. Basically, they enjoyed food security.
In addition to this, they engaged in crafts (which we now call artefacts). Today, one cannot see any form of artistic activities, at least if we cannot innovate we should have been able to carry forward our heritage.
Their economy was so advanced that they smelted iron ore and fabricated tools for various activities. They lived in giant villages that provided security and encouraged cooperative farming. They could travel to neighboring communities to enhance wealth creation.
In our generation with the benefit of Western Education, advances in Science and Technology; a period that agriculture should be advanced really to strengthen our economy, we’ve abandoned everything in search of white collar jobs or slave labor.
ALL SOCIETIES OR COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD THAT ARE TRULY DEVELOPED STARTED WITH AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES.
In Igede land we have no industries of any kind, not even agro-based. The level of commerce we practice cannot even support the family.
There is no single super market in Igede land. We all have to travel long distances to purchase our daily needs.
How many of us are willing to transform the little spaces in our family grounds into orchards and plantations?
There is no meaningful economic activity in Igede land because we choose to be LAZY. Wage earners are unable to save monies for investments because of conspicuous consumption and fear of failure.
Please let me quote what Dr Samuel Omachi said “
…the Igede people should stop wasting valuable time on recrimination about the past and radically remodel their attitude towards repositioning Igede land for sustainable economic development”. I couldn’t agree with him more.
IT’S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SAVE AND INVEST AND GROW THE ECONOMY OF THE LAND.
THE ROLE OF THE IGEDE ELITE IN THE DEVELOPNENT FAILURES OF THE LAND.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary “Elite” used as Noun describes a group of people in the society who are powerful and can influence the course of events in the society/ community.
This privileged people may be classified into (a) business group, (b) military brass (c) Police and Civil forces, (d) Intelligentsia or Academia (e) Bureaucrats (Civil / Public servants), (f) Etc
From my observations, Igede Nation does not have a critical mass in any of these groups except to a small degree in “Intelligentsia and bureaucrats “.
Considering bureaucrats, it might not be an exaggeration to state that in Igede land, one can at least find one public servant in every family.
On intelligentsia, recently an Association of Igede Professors was formed the objective(s) of which has not been the focus of activities so far.
A little earlier, an Association of Igede in Academia and business was formed, again without defined focus and proper engagements, it has gone moribund if it ever took root. Much earlier there was “Ikpa Owolaule”
I’m aware of Igede Unity Organization currently in existence with little results after many years. There were several others in 1980s.
The pertinent question should be “why has these privileged groups failed to
Mobilize their communities towards economic activities, e.g. cooperative agriculture production?
Sensitize their immediate communities towards the role of education in human resource management, e.g. character molding.
Serving as role models for the younger generation i.e. guiding and directing the younger people toward actualizing their potentials.
Generate the big picture for the entire Igede Nation based on our core values of hard work, honesty and entrepreneurship?
Provide meaningful political education to our less privileged in the society.
Form a network of lobbyist to reach out to Government apparatuses, politicians in high places and corporate organizations for support.
ETC.
Tell me which part of Benue State can boast of a higher number of Professors on a unit-by-unit basis, so why are we so docile?
In Igede land today, Clan Associations are very well structured and strong, much stronger that Omi’Nyigede. Why is it difficult for each clan to take it’s destiny and it’s comparative advantage in his hands and tackle his development initiatives.
When it comes to inter-clan squabbles, huge amounts of money could be generated at the twinkle of an eye. With all the education, exposure, experience and very religious convictions, why do we still return to primitive instincts so readily?
What is more destructive that conflict?
INDIGENOUS POLITICAL STRUCTURE IN IGEDE LAND.
Igede Nation has the most democratic antecedent in Benue State to the extent that they reject Kingship but embrace collective decisions and collective responsibilities anchored by Council of Elders.
Remember that God didn’t want His people to be governed by Kings, but His people rejected this. See what happened, Jews never had peace ever since.
One can claim the Western democracy introduced by the colonial masters was a refinement of Igede democratic principles, e.g. introduction of universal suffrage leading to establishment of Parliaments.
Igede people recognized merit and rewarded it and practiced it.
For example, the first District Head ever appointed for Igede people was selected from OCHIMADU (Owo clan), probably because he was the best material at the time for the job. This was followed by another Head from AMUNO ( Ukpa clan). None of these came from the Iyeche clans which was the most senior of them.
When the chance came to Igede people to choose the Och’idoma for the entire Idoma Kingdom, Chief Daniel Ochelle from Ada clan was considered but he declined. Chief Ajene Okpabi was finally selected and his ancestral roots was Ogbagba (Oboru clan).
We were told that these political positions were filled by consensus, no rancor whatsoever. OUR FORUNNERS INSISTED ON MERIT; but kept equity in mind.
What we practice today is a perversion of meritocracy and we call it zoning so that we can manipulate it.
The consequence of not following the workable principle that satisfied our need for decades has resulted in this political chaos we’re in presently.
Mahatma Gandhi spoke about Politics without Principles as sin.
I plead that if our generation cannot improve on this principle, we should not destroy it.
As long as we don’t practice what works for us, our development efforts in whatever direction will suffer irreparably.
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN IGEDE LAND.
Permit me gentlemen to put my idea about political participation in Nigeria, even if crudely, as a conspiracy of the political and military elites to impose themselves on the hapless common man.
These gangster organizations have no public interest at heart whichever way imaginable.
Up till now all we do is mope and cheer while the so-called Political Parties revolve around individuals.
The “big men” decide how and who to vote for and can ensure that political contest is a must win (a do-or-die) affair, in fact, they recycle themselves over and over again.
Their agents straddle the landscape brandishing big names and we seem to have nothing to do.
Our learned men and women including erudite Professors just wait helplessly for another humiliating rant as long as they benefit materially from the moral perversion.
It was Edmund Burk who said that “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”.
Ladies and gentlemen, tell me in all honesty whether you as a Party member have any voice in the affairs of your Party?
I hear that at Party Conventions somebody has to write your name on the ballot because you cannot write for yourself, even including Professors.
The few Professors and other educated individuals who have participated in partitial politics and represented Igede Nation at various levels and times have failed us hopelessly, you know them and this is true.
If Igede is going to develop politically and economically, the status quo must change and I expect the youth to get involved because they will be the greatest losers.
I dare to suggest that only young men below 50 years should vie for elective positions in the future. Let the older sons and daughters serve as advisors and consultants.
THE WAY FORWARD IN IGEDE LAND FROM 2013 AND BEYOND. OUR LOW HANGING FRUITS.
Igede people are culturally and traditionally democratic in character and these principles were (are) used to regulate the conduct of the society. These attribute should continue.
Igede people are inherently republican in lifestyle and they also vehemently reject single Kingship. They seek freedom of decision making. This has worked for the society and continues to be our Gold standard.
The core values of Igede people are: integrity (honesty), hard work, equity, respect and being brother’s keeper. This principle defines Igede society in Benue State and humanity at large. These are worthy values.
In the upcoming political activities in 2023 and beyond, Politicians must understand, accept and factor- in these qualities as our society’s irreducible minimum.
Igede people have a complicated process of leadership recruitment. It starts from the village (even kindred), to Clan and finally to the National level.
As observed earlier, since the Clan Associations are very strong, they should form our political units and should be centers of leadership recruitment.
The present composition of the leadership of “Igede in 2023” Movement should be reorganized to the form the standing coordinating unit for Igede economic and political activities.
Modified zoning arrangement whereby each political zone would represent Igede Nation ONCE in all Legislative representations should be adapted from 2023. This principle could be reviewed after a cycle has been completed.
The present situation in which political activism is the vocation of everybody is unhealthy. Political participation is very expensive and only few people can afford it.
There are other less costly ventures that can help establish a high standard of living derived from economic activities and these should be explored.
It’s my candid opinion that Igede Nation cannot go it alone in Benue politics, so we necessarily have to align with our Idoma brothers. This is going to be our lot until Christ comes. I cannot see any alternative as yet.
I wish to emphasize that political power cannot be accessed on the platter of gold; it must be acquired one way or another. So far, my view is that Igede people are politically very docile, i.e. not aggressive and forward looking enough.
With the possibility in sight of returning power to the people through direct primaries in party selections (internal party democracy), the time for paradigm shift is just here.
This new opportunity is for the youth to seize power from the political merchants. The youth now has been entrusted with an opportunity you couldn’t imagine a few years ago.
CONCLUSION.
In the light of this detailed presentation, I imagine that Ali’Igede have an idea of where we came from, where we’re now, why we’re where we’re now and where we’re going. We need a paradigm shift from 2023 to realize our next level of economic and political activities.
THANK YOU ALL FOR LISTENING AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU.
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