The Igbo Tradition Responsible For Incessant Biafra Agitation, By Anayo Nwosu

By Anayo M. Nwosu

There is an Igbo tradition I suspect that is responsible for the undying Igbo agitations in Nigeria and could be the root of their struggles  to secede from the country.

The Igbos must have been alarmed at the very way the resources of their supposed polygamous father are being shared.

Nigeria from the Igbo man's  perspective could be considered as a father whose wives are likened to the constituent tribes in Nigeria.

Igbos view any Nigerian tribe as a wife or mother that has many children who constitute an ethnic group in Nigeria.

Accordingly, Hausa, Yoruba, Ijaw, Tiv, Igbo etc are deemed the wives of Mr. Nigeria.

Igbo man likens the children or citizens from all Nigerian tribes as members of a federation whilst those from same mother or same tribe are regarded as Umunne or a region.

Revenues or assets belonging to Umunna or the Federation are traditionally shared into the number of the constituent tribes.

The political head of umunna or federation  takes the first portion which is used to run his office of Obi or federal government.

The Obi is usually the oldest son as at the time the patriarch died and could be equated to the elected government at the centre.

In sharing of any shareable at Umunna level, each of the first sons of the patriarch from each mother or tribe would step forward (according to seniority or age when their father died) to take a portion each.

The first sons from each mother or tribe will then go home to share the takings with his siblings according to their rank in age.

It is unheard of in Igbo land that population or the number of children a mother has affects on the size of her first son's share from her husband's estate.

The share received by a tribe of a fewer population  could be of same size with that collected by the tribe of greater population.

Children of a wife or tribe with a huge population are expected to use their numerical strength in creating personal wealth and could be at an advantage when taxes are levied.

Taxes are levied in Igbo land just as resources are shared.

But that's not what Igbos see in Nigeria.

What I hear the agitating Igbos say is that the resources of Nigeria should be shared equally and equitably as they are generated or as taxes are levied.

Igbos  wonder why the tribes who have numerical advantage or special talents would not be allowed to harness those advantages to their own benefits.

There are laws design to hamstring those tribes that want to soar very higher than others.

The use of landmass, population and any other indices instead of productivity or contribution to share or distribute Nigeria's resources which include appointments, political offices, revenues, etc are very antithetical to what Igbos believe.

Igbos, I think, would not worry if those who receive the lion share of the federation's resources contribute as much in the percentage of what they take as a share.

The lion share taker of the federation's resources is also seen by Igbos not to value human life.

They kill their Igbos tenants upon slightest provocation or over something as natural as changed colour of the evening sun yellow to orange.

In Igbo land, willful shedding of blood is a sacrilege punishable by banishment for seven years.

Igbos love living life and would no longer want to co-habit with habitual life extinguishers.

If you understand the above, then you have understood the root causes of Biafran secession agitations.