Excess Floorspace in Extra-Urban Igboland

Introduction

The reader may wonder why the subject is pertinent to warrant bundle of texts and space. It will be welcome to throw similar inquiry to the title phrase which suggests abundance in a particular geography (and time). While both theses are valid, the patterns, attributes and relationships including complexities underlying the subject deserve exploration. Moreso it is part of a consistent strand of analysis that attempts to shine holistic light on Igboland. 

From Space

Advancement of technology especially in remote sensing and satellite have provided a wonderful opportunity for anyone to zoom in onto their origin or village from any distance with manageable resolution. Google Map, Yahoo Map, Bing Map and others are part of global mapping environment for civilian and recreation utility. The most important aspect is observing the clear outline of your family home and compound especially the boundaries of contested places where disputes has cost resources including blood. What is apparent is clear evidence of low density of settlements scattered across Igboland with highest concentrations of built areas found mostly in state capitals. This will be addressed in full later. There is no contest between built up areas and dominant vegetation. Of course this doesn’t suggest that population follows similar pattern and this is the crux of the matter. What that is observed from space must be ‘ground-truthed’ for verification.

Ground Truth

Travelling around Igboland recently has exposed and confirmed a trend that commenced after Nigeria-Biafra War but accelerated in the last 3 decades by aggregate diminishing of the economy. This trend has economic, demographic, political and cultural implications. The gradual wave of emigration from extra-urban areas to the few urban concentrations in the former Imo and Anambra states has succeeded in part as the former population are not replaced by natural growth or immigration. Devoid of clear policy and investments in extra-urban areas it is impossible for these communities to compete with the state capitals which have become the ultimate destination. As a result housing stock gradually increased.

Spatial Realities

Mobility of people is usually not a threat to origin-destination matrix as each side benefit from daily exchanges and interactions. However movement of individuals and groups of people over time gradually produced a functional spatial winner-takes-all. This means that those who move from an origin to a destination are no longer permanent residents of the origin and hence do not contribute directly to its day-to-day activities. Destinations like Owerri, Aba, Enugu, Umuahia and etc become apparent winners though there is more to it than clear wins. Nevertheless their numbers swell as young unemployed men and women seek their fortune returning home only on occasions when it is affordable. This is one side to depopulation of extra-urban Igboland.

What is not difficult to miss is the increasing number of homes that are ‘too big’ for the current residents. In parallel is emerging increasing number of homes in various stages of dilapidation. The former depicts gradual or rather transformation of busy homes into ‘sterile’ nests for a few. The latter points to evidence of limited usage or reduced function for the few users what are constrained to monitor these homes for wear and tear. Even in clans with erstwhile large population, the experience is the same. What is interesting is the commonality of large homes with massive fences undergoing disrepair.

When you consider that most settlements in Igboland are linear on both sides of the road, you are confronted with a bilateral spectre of resignation and confusion with extra-urban spatial development. In addition to this emerging experience is the cultural dimension which is very powerful on various scales. In a sense it confirms the rejection of our villages as relics of gone-by days which have no relevance and lack productive essence. It sustains the view that our villages are mere outposts for infrequent short visits and space for ‘Denge Pose’ or ‘Power Show’ syndrome. This is no longer an attractive and viable space for living in most perceptions driving home a sense of fear which is accentuated by diaspora population especially their uncultured womenfolk and dislocated menfolk.  

Impacts

The first impact of depopulation and increasing housing stock is narrowness of roads including asphalted ones. Reduction in road width is evidence of few things. One is conflict which creates insecurity and abandonment. The other is peacetime abandonment due to lack of leadership and resources. The second point drives the point that with poor leadership and few employed young men, community maintenance becomes low priority. It is important to stress this outcome is not limited to the rainy season. 

The internal community dynamics which have exposed uselessness of time expected role of youth seem to unveil in the absence of ameliorating policy. The days of defined youth roles including responsibility for community maintenance are gone. With it also with a step to the grave is the socialist nature of community experience received from the ancients. I hope the word ‘socialist’ doesn’t make anyone look towards Marx and Bolshevik Moscow for answers. It is no surprise that social fragmentation and factionalisation is replete in Igboland.

Evidence

There are a number of points and areas which vividly exposed the gaps that drive the experience captured in this piece. We’ll be limited with the most obvious ones.

1.     Degradation of positive leadership is holding sway in various parts of Igboland. This includes but not limited to devaluation of community elder, development unions, the political elite, the churches and the state. They have all collectively failed (directly and indirectly) to replicate what the ancients managed with aplomb. I am not interested in wasteful debates on democracy rather highlight that collectively and individually above-named institutions have contributed to the on-going leadership rape in Igboland. What is clear is the lack of clarity on the role of these institutions in the current social, economic and political climates. You get a sense of posturing and burying the head in the sand.

2.   In the face of expansion of geopolitical units at the lowest levels, there is total failure to maximise potentials of autonomous community structure. While the cultural elements are recognised, the political and economic dimensions remain untapped as communities fail to seat down together under the auspices of their Eze to design strategic plans and development policies which serves as springboards for holding the state accountable. In a sense communities are apolitical, apathetic and lack nuance towards innovating new political machinery for solving community problems.

3.   Massive stagnation of communities in the inertia to embrace human development along knowledge-based principles. Since it took almost 3 generations to get most of Igboland accessible water and energy, it is obvious that the potential in these values are lost. What do communities do with or after acquiring electricity and piped water? Where do specialists comes from when these investments require maintenance? Surely not from host communities in most cases. You begin to realise that extra-urban development is stuck in crisis with inability to evolve toward self-sufficiency in physical and human development. The import of these views is in part to reduce dependence on asset-owning families and increase employability of young men if possible starting up firms in the villages. Community security and population could be sustained. Building new churches or new parishes will not solve these problems but rather increase them.

4.    In the battle of settlements it is clear that the few urban centres have won hands down as the giants and near monopolists of spatial development; social, political and cultural investments. One cannot avoid the binary nature of choice that is apparent in both strategic and spatial levels. Still it is a pyrrhic victory as these few urban spots are unprepared and unequipped for increased waves of immigration. Poor (few) housing, poor sanitation, crime, political corruption, few schools, few hospitals, confused churches leadership, high cost of living, etc are found in Owerri, Orlu, Enugu, Awka, Onitsha, Abakiliki, Aba and Umuahia. It is interesting that each Igbo state has at least 2 viable urban concentrations. 

5.    Lastly local government as an instrument of viable governance, deliverer of public service and enhancer of physical and human development in Igboland is still-born. For now it remains a well-spring of privileged few who command and control all its resources for themselves and their families. You can only hope that their future generations will keep it together.

Conclusion

There is an opportunity to re-address spatial and human development strategies at the lowest level in the communities for sustained growth. The issues raised above result from neglect and gradual accretion over the last 3 generations. What is evident is massive confusion to confront or adjust to confront issues in a new era by bring together a mix of received ancient knowledge and achieved foreign concepts. The confusion is not strange rather is an expression of deep identity crisis. For communities that lived in the same area for thousands of years before the present, they either find a viable solution to surmount their problem or they simply vanish themselves from the face of the earth.