KWENU: Our Culture, Our Future

 ‘07 Presidency and our vision (2)

In laying a framework for evaluating purported Igbo leaders and economic capacity of the Igbo, Prof. Utomi explores some pertinent reasons for the failure of Ndi-Igbo to produce quality leaders that are responsive to the people.

The excerpts:

First, however, we have to try to probe the other reasons for the failure of Igboland to produce accepted and performing leaders in the post war era, besides the fact that we all too often rush to embrace leaders picked by outsiders or imposed by them on Ndiigbo.  At last year’s Igbo day I raised these issues.  I had been asked to be keynote speaker in Lagos and to address the Igbo leaders past, in tribute.  Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. Dr Michael Okpara, Dr Akanu Ibiam, among others we identified for my lecture to discuss.  The issue I raised then was why we all think of these men as heroes, referred M. I. Okpara, but can hardly remember many others who have lived in government houses in Igbo state capitals since his time.  I noted then that Okpara served selflessly, allocating no plots to himself even when he apportioned Enugu GRA.  This compares differently with the new Igbo leaders who see the commonwealth as avenue to satisfy their avaricious natures and have very little of a sense of service.  It is no wonder they are so readily forgotten because they have little by way of accomplishments that live after them.

This sad limitation of our imposed, picked from outside or self-promoting pretentious elite is the issue of the moment for Ndiigbo.  I trace some of these back to the civil war and its trauma on the value system of Ndiigbo.  A time of war is a time of extreme conduct when the thing that mattered most was capacity to adapt, so as to survive.  In those times the values that were the glue, which held society together, came apart.  The post war culture that emerged in Igbo land was a perverse glorification of the loud, garish and material.  A friend in Houston put it more starkly when he said he had been trying to persuade someone to write a play in which an inanimate object suddenly acquired a lot of money in an Igbo community.  He was sure some “otimkpu” will emerge around it and in no time the traditional ruler would be chased out in favour of this tree or statue.  Sad as this may be it was part of the way people tried to assert themselves as being of value after the war.  To borrow from John Williams it was how many Ndiigbo cried, “I am”.  Unfortunately that symbol of “I am” somebody has done much damage to the collective good.

When a culture of service is missing in a community the people are often unable to sustain providing a direction.  Invariably the people soon tire of what they can get out of these new rich, because they create little real wealth.  They are soon abandoned and another character that has run into treasure emerges as the new "Onwa na-etili ora.”

A people of purpose cannot carry on like this.  Before the war when the Igbo man was much regarded the kind of characters who parade themselves as leaders today were scorned and avoided because they could not explain the source of their money.  Wealth that came from hard work and creating value was celebrated but money that had no history was a source of shame.  A rediscovery of the Igbo essence in leadership will have to involve a return of the values that make us celebrate the Okparas of our history.  With such values a President coming from the Igbo stock will serve the Igbo well and serve Nigeria well.

This new kind of Igbo leader that has come from the idea of "mma nwoke di n'akpa ya" is sadly supplemented by “leaders” appointed by others.  During military rule ever so often there was need to appoint the token Igbo main to public office.  Some Brigadier from the North or the West would come up with the name of the most pliable Igbo man he remembers from his high school days or who was frequent at parties.  That person is named a minister or appointed to some ranking position.  A year later he is ex this and ex that and when a meeting of Igbo leaders, are called he shows up and takes a front row seat.

OF VISION AND STRATEGY

Leaders do not just get drafted.  They emerge from a pattern of offering service, helping envision or clarify the vision of where a people are headed.  Where then is the vision of the Igbo nation and what is the strategy for attaining the vision?  I think the exposure of the Igbo Diaspora and their effort at organizing should help with the quest.

I am on record as saying that I gave up on the annual conclave of the World Igbo Conference because in 1998 we gathered in London to review a vision document and strategy for rapid economic growth of the Igbo heartland prepared by Aka Ikenga.  As chairman of Aka Ikenga’s Economic and Finance Committee I had the duty to oversee the preparation of the document.  To the disappointment of a few of us that meeting was taken over by politicians seeking to serve self as evidence of experience has now shown.  The articulation and advance of strategies for progress of Ndiigbo should be a good grooming ground for leaders.

The point in the foregoing is that the appropriate motive for the Igbo is not who is president but the increased well-being of Ndiigbo.  The emergence of a leadership elite will no doubt cause that to be achieved because true leaders envision a future for their people and sacrificially give of themselves to help realize that ambition of their people.

As personal effectiveness guru Stephen R. Covey tells us, effective leadership conceptually is predicated on two things going right: knowledge on the part of the leader and a sense of service towards the people.  Jim Collins who first stirred our souls with Jerry Porres with the book “Build to Last” in the mid 1990s has lately given us the book “Good to Great” where evidence is provided to show that leaders that are self-effacing but who are ambitious for their organization attain the most success.  Our task now must be to be on the look out for those who place the Igbo cause above their self-aggrandizement and personal ambition.

If we can put together teams of this kind of people it will not be too long before the need to discuss an Igbo President of Nigeria will become unnecessary, as they will emerge without trouble.  Let me also hasten to add that these potential Presidents have to learn to gauge the pulse of others and how to use strategic alliances to overcome the stereotypes that get in the way of communication and cooperation.

Have you ever given thought to why the regional or zonal structure idea ran into trouble very quickly at the National Dialogue meeting in Abuja?  Could it be because it was suggested by these Ndiigbo other Nigerian groups are somewhat wary of?  Yale Professor Amy Chua helps our understanding here with her book “World on Fire” in which she discusses globalization and the generating of ethnic hatred against market dominant minorities.  Among these market dominant minorities featured in her book are the Chinese the Jews, and of course, the Ibos.

New leaders must be savvy enough to outpace these stereotypes, communicate the Igbo essence and build cooperation with other stakeholders in the Nigeria project.

Conclusion

To close these remarks let me say that even for just symbolic purpose the idea of an Igbo President for Nigeria makes sense. 

I hope however, that keeping our eye on the ball may either mean that we begin with a network of Influence like the Jews, or build leaders that will mean that real value for human advance accrues to Ndiigbo from a Presidential slot.   Nothing being prepared suggests that this will take forever.  It could happen in a year or five years. 

The key message is let us not allow a few individuals with no real agenda for Ndiigbo to use their personal ambitions dressed in the gab of an Igbo Presidency project to distract us from pursuing the advance of the Common Good of Ndiigbo.

Let us also not make the mistake of thinking that the path I have suggested is so long term in nature that it rules Ndiigbo out of 2007.  The point is in ensuring that we do not miss the real point of seeking the presidency.  It also aims to prevent us from putting the cart before the horse.