THE Igbos, who live in these areas, have amongst themselves, the richest individuals in Nigeria. Orifite has over 10 billionaires; the best known of which is Sir Emeka Ofor.

The Anambra State Governor the other day called a meeting of 50 people and 25 of them were billionaires. The rest were no slouches. The Igbo sometimes are too polite for their own good.

Each time a politician goes to Anambra State, he makes the promise to build a second Niger Bridge or to dredge the Niger. The Igbo feel that people say these things because they think they are fools.

They ask whether the Federal Government built the ports of Lagos for Lagosians? Was the 23 kilometres Third Mainland Bridge built for Lagosians? A bridge across the Niger is a development of infrastructure that would yield benefit for all Nigeria.

Why does the Federal Government need a special loan or bond to build the bridge? That they do not openly say this in public is perhaps an element of the sublimation of their persecution complex. Culture The Igbos are proud of their culture.

But are also willing to participate in other people’s cultures, and more importantly, to adapt foreign culture to their own. For many years, the black people in the United States had been insulted by being regarded as having no culture.

Many changed their names in the belief that this would identify them with Africa; they preferred to be called African Americans, and took names like Kobe, Jamal, Hussein, etc, little realising that these were Islamic names, not African names. No matter, the point had been made that Mr. X was African American and his name was Jamal Juba. About 15 years ago, two cultural trends burst out on the African scene – a distinct music genre, distinct dancing genre and distinct theatre genre.

The U.S. has always been open about its debt to Africa in term of music – jazz, pop culture, ghetto dancing and music etc. The Yoruba and other Africans contributed to this, not only Igbos. But in the past few years, the young African musicians had taken on world pop culture and Africanized it, dominated it and now own it. There is no Igbo mega star like Fela – so massive was his genius.

However, young men and women are hitting the world stage with beats that cannot have grown from anywhere else than in Nigeria, and a lot of it, due to Igbos. Hand in hand with this musical explosion.

African drama was re-born but this time, using new techniques to attune old theme – the advent of Nollywood – which in 10-15 short years – is now the third largest movies industry in the world. Igbo influence, both in new music and in Nollywood, is substantial.

It was generic, and should remain so. But it may die if it imbibes government contagion. Nearly everything shown in Nollywood about Igbo Kingship, Princesses and Princes, etc., is an exercise in the producers’ imagination.

The cultural basis is there; but the manifestation is poetic licence of the producers, and rightly so. Nollywood is not a cultural course: it is entertainment within the imagined context of Igbo culture.

The Biafra War It is impossible to write about the Igbos without writing about the Biafra War. It is futile to go into the pros and cons of the war. The war affected Igbos, as it did other Nigerians.

The Igbos felt that they had something precious to contribute to Nigeria; but the Civil War deprived them from contributing, and Nigeria from accepting, Igbo contribution. They lost a war they felt was unjust.

They lost property everywhere, especially in Port Harcourt. But they learnt how better to handle other Nigerians. They channelled their sense of loss into more productive avenues. They now believe in Nigeria; but also believe anything can happen and hedge their bets and build large houses in their villages should any other war break out.

They have a mixed feeling for – yet believe that it is now their turn to rule Nigeria. Some Nigerians, including some Igbos, believe that the eventual break-up of Nigeria is a matter of time, unless some fundamental changes are made soon in the political arrangement.

The Igbos believe in meritocracy because they are supremely confident that they would prevail.

An apocryphal story goes something like this: If you do an examination with an Igbo man and he has a better result and beats you, he will nod as if to say that is natural, that is as it should be. But if you beat him, he would ask you whether the examiner is your brother or who leaked questions to you.

The Igbos lost a lot of houses in Port Harcourt. Lately an old wise Rivers man seeing the Igbo contribution to Abuja and Lagos wondered whether the Rivers State Government should not invite Igbos back to Port Harcourt to do their magic on housing and the economy in Rivers State. Young men and women living together before marriage is unknown in all African cultures including Igbo.

Hollywood’s portrayed of this practice is non-Igbo and due more to western acculturation than any thing, traditionally, a girl may go to the husband’s house after the payment of dowry and the consent of her parents, herself. Inheritance, even “kingship” and property legally does not go to the children but to the eldest brother of the deceased who by custom is now supposed to look after his brother’s wife and her siblings. • Concluded. • Dr. Cole (OFR) is Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Brazil.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/04/the-igbos-and-their-unifying-factors-4/

Igbo kwenu!!!!

I love igbos.


Sai Buhari!!!

Nice piece of write up... However, I must say, in all sincerity, the igbo language is speedily going extinct,, no thanks to our over zealous westernization...

U have said it all, thank God buhari promise building the second niger bridge when he came to Onisha. So let's see his change

Ok