“As lengthy as my Ikenga is crammed with life, I’m able to battle in the land of the spirits” – Igbo proverb.
In precolonial Nigeria, the Igbo administrative unit used to be some invent of a quasi-democratic republican system of executive. It used to be a system deeply rooted in the of us and assured equality among its voters, somewhat than a feudal system the set a king lorded over his topics in an empire.
The Igbo society on the time would be described as acephalous, working a system devoid of centralization. Village by village rule fostered participatory democracy constant with robust feeble values and beliefs. Every member doubtlessly might perchance perhaps make a contribution to discussions and abet in arriving on the closing decision. Every village had an Age-Grade system apart from to Elders Council that conducted executive, legislative and judicial functions. That used to be how the of us were organised and it furthermore advised the process of affirming legislation and expose.
Sadly, that nice Igbo feeble administrative system of weak, which supplied a safeguard towards unwholesome behaviour and helped popularise the conception that of being our brother’s keeper (“onye aghana nwanne ya”), is no extra. It died when the colonialists abolished what they met on ground and imposed an alien structure that had no basis in Igbo of us’s philosophy of existence. The final failure of that imposed structure and shortage of a homegrown change resulted in rabid individualism and materialism that is eternally self-serving and seeks to continuously work towards the customary factual. Rather then the Age-Grade system and Council of Elders is the political class, ever ready to promote the of us and mortgage their future on a whim. This day, Ndigbo is floating at some level of the ocean, aboard a rudderless ship.
The crack in Igbo values that started with the advent of the colonialists soon widened after independence. However it completely used to be not until after the Nigeria-Biafra battle that the entirety unravelled. The of us grew to became so impoverished that near to each movement defaulted to survival mode. Making sure that the provision of wealth is legit and noble fleet took a succor seat to projection and party of the factual existence. Dodgy characters who, in some other case, must tranquil shroud their faces in shame, grew to became role items and conception leaders. We grew to became a society of “something else goes.”
This day, Ndigbo indulge in in positions of power the mercantile class whose stock-in-commerce is emptying out the general public purse whereas feeding their insatiable greed. They clutch in such acts so openly, believing that as lengthy as they’re ready to defend in the factual books of their masters, they do not indulge in something else to danger about. Of their reckoning, day to day of us don’t count. The fallout of this egocentric and purposeless leadership is that the South-East geo-political zone has come beneath siege and buffeted mercilessly on all fronts by backyard-diversity criminal design committing all forms of atrocities, together with inexplicable execrable murders. Undoubtedly, the space has became an ungoverned and ungovernable home.
Regrettably, the South-East is faced with unpardonable neglect; its once vibrant cities near to abandoned. Job opportunities are lacking to the extent that plenty of our teenagers disappear the space as soon as they’re performed with their education. These who defend are compelled to became profession criminals, correct to fulfill up their customary human wants. Sadly, about a of these teenagers are essentially consuming tools in the fingers of immoral girls and males and increasingly are being indoctrinated by fringe design with unfriendly agenda. Issues must change earlier than the scenario becomes unsalvageable.
Among other issues, a large portion of the topic has to invent with the absence of a space-focused media coverage, such that will beam a searchlight on the activities of executive and public place of job holders in a system that promotes accountability and factual governance. Eternal vigilance, it’s been said, is the value of liberty. Despite the truth that the South-East isn’t lacking in media entrepreneurs, financial challenges indulge in compelled many data organisations to dash cap in hand, requesting executive help and by so doing indulge in became roughly propaganda autos that pander to the whims of political place of job holders sponsoring them and, therefore, unable to dash towards pernicious influences.
“A factual newspaper,” Arthur Miller once said, “is a nation talking to itself.” It has been lengthy for the reason that Igbo nation spoke to itself thru a free and self sustaining media. And as Thomas Jefferson said, “If I needed to decide on between executive with out newspapers, and newspapers with out executive, I wouldn’t hesitate to decide on the latter.” We now indulge in functioned for goodbye in the South-East with governments with out newspapers, factual newspapers.
Ikengaonline is right here to procure that void. This might withhold a healthy distance from the Enlighten and folks in positions of public have faith. It hopes to defend it up in a system that will foster media independence whereas empowering voters with truth-essentially based mostly data.
Ikengaonline will take care of the 5 southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo. The goal is to map consideration to the challenges facing the southeast, give remark to the voters of the zone and highlight many points that are underreported and misreported in the media.
The southeast has been punching system beneath its weight since Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in 1999 and it’s a ways not fascinating to ogle the correlation between lack of accountability and depressed governance and the deteriorating security scenario in the zone.
In step with Narendra Modi, the High Minister of India, “Comely Governance can not stay merely a philosophy. Concrete steps wish to be taken for realising its targets.”
Ikenga is the factual hand’s alter ego; a horned totem that speaks to the price placed on one’s factual hand. In Igbo mythology, the factual hand represents the company and skill to put in force one’s will upon the universe around them. Ikenga methodology being up to bustle of your destiny as you are bestowed with an all-exceptional factual hand that God weak in constructing the universe. Ikenga is the spirit of industry, accomplishing, company, victory in movement, interior power, and success.
It’s time to elevate succor our values as we bewitch our destiny in our indulge in fingers.
It’s time to salvage the South-East to abet it fulfil its capability. Right here is precisely what Ikengaonline hopes to enact.
We are grateful to The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for supporting this initiative thru the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ).
Dr Chido Onumah (@conumah) and Dr Osmund Agbo (@osyagbo) wrote on behalf of the management of Ikengaonline.