Introduction
There is a sustained decline of
leadership quality in Igboland since 1967. With the massive shock it withstood during the Nigeria – Biafra War, most of its elements were lost as it limped grudgingly
to 1982 with the first civilian rule in Nigeria. Since 1983 the compact between
leaders and followers has broken down and what obtains is discredited, abysmal
and regressive. This article attempts to flesh out some of the typological characteristics sustaining the breakdown and suggest at least a solution to the problem from a
strategic viewpoint.
Spaces & Unique Qualities
Location
only influence human actions rather than determine them. The implication of
this ground truth confirms that change is the only permanent feature on any
part of the earth, the only home of man including Igboland. Over 80% of Igbo
population live in rural areas. There is abundant evidence of leadership change
with observational data captured since 2016. This data only confirms
the double flotsam & jetsam of centrifugal outcomes in Abuja and the state
capitals. Standard of living and quality of life continues to decline across
the board. Between 2017 – 2019 a 25-litre of palm oil never exceeded N7,999 in
any market in southern Igboland. Apparently numerous major & minor palm oil
dealers left the industry. Mayhem, instability and uncertainty rules!
Horrors of Leading
Most bearers of ascribed and
achieved leadership i.e. men in the area have failed. It is
natural that the landscape is contaminated by the prevailing poison of
ontological and existential poverty flowing from Abuja. The following negatives dominate leaders
disposition including lack of curiosity, insensitivity to complexity &
history, slavish attachment to European & USA hypotheses/theories,
ignorance of huge cost of solutions, poverty of problem-resolution tools & skills,
anathema to knowledge, allergy to knowledge bearers and hatred for
delegation. These negatives are found across the board in both urban and
grassroot roles; in the political, social, economic, the Church and ecclesial
groups. These are the collective drivers of the collapse of Igbo
society.
Footprints for Man
Bad leadership doesn’t always
correlate with bad followership however majority of followers carry the can
falling from bad leadership setting off a hydra-headed explosion that affects every
person in every family in the communities. Distrust, lack of confidence, fear
and suspicion gradually rear their ugly heads with clear behavioural and
spatial footprints. To beef up security home parcels are fenced and gated,
within which large homes with gothic roof are usually erected for lizards and rats to
occupy.
Another expression is ‘pure
water’ syndrome, a desperate valueless and ahistorical living. The previous
generation had cool fresh water stored in clay pots, a signature feature of a
people that has vanished even in villages. Of course there is the pathological
public display of material things. The best expression is the torturous erection
of costly places of worship in villages by the poorest people consolidating the spectre of confused spiritual identity and ambiguous spiritual leadership.
Browse of Confusion
One of the most powerful sources of leadership crisis across the board is uncritical attachment to ideas/theories/hypotheses from the Global North. Most of the leaders subscribe to these poisons without even reviewing and unpacking their components. For example many accept the idea of cash crop vs food crop. They also root for foreign direct investment vs local abundant resources and opportunities. They hang on to an uncritical and ahistorical presentation of knowledge which they helplessly impose on impressionable young minds transmitting poisons from one generation to another.
Everything indigenous is beneath their dispositions,
paying lip service to their values and potential to respond to current
problems. The sad truth is that elite Europeans & USA citizens with power have never
wanted other peoples, ethnicities and nations. A comprehensive treatment is found in Black Skin, White Mask
by Frantz Fanon. There is no such thing as an African European, Asian European or
African American. These are illusions packaged and sold to the existentially deprived & ontological
poor.
The limitation of some of these
ideas is recently evident. Global North elite will suffer their own populations before they export it to other peoples. COVID-19 decimated United States while
the leaders played for time. European Union with all its wealth and advancement
couldn’t produce a vaccine. The invincibility of Israeli armed force is exposed
by the strategic error of allowing its eastern flank to be compromised which
brought Iran to its borders. Despite sanctions in a generation, Iran has moved from being a no-power to a
nuclear power. Brazil organises the best football but is on a freefall with
COVID-19. Few weeks ago, India was flexing muscles with China and went on
weapon-buying spree only for COVID-19 to unleash aggressively on its 1.3 billion people.
So the question to be posed is
thus, does an Igbo leader/follower recognise his/her dignity intuitively? Or
does he/she only have confidence in self-reference to others and things? An
unexamined life is unworthy of living regardless of attainment and status. The mind must
be drained of erstwhile poisons for life-giving knowledge to germinate and grow. There is
no middle ground.
Ahead to Tomorrow
Things will get tough before
getting better. The fact remains that the current indigenous structures are
very weak to contend with the emerging problems initiated by the double
implosion of Abuja and the state capitals. The kind of emerging problems can no
longer be articulated and solved at the nuclear family level only. Which
hospital is affordable? How is preventable health care managed? Where does a pregnant
mother go for ante-natal care? Who provides resources for a talented child from
a weakly resourced home? How/where are improved seeds obtained and
distributed every farming season? These and more problems affect everyone and
require well taught out collective action. Such actions need a new leadership.
There is a desperate need to
revitalise indigenous leadership structure which is embedded in the
community. The old leadership needs to be updated rather than be eliminated. Dynamic centralisation at the local level is the way forward. A new leadership need to fast-forward
incorporation of young men and women into the ranks. There is huge untapped human resource in the villages in retired professionals. They will bring their skills, expertise, professional experiences
and networks on board. These are the keys towards preparing the ground for
knowledge-based economies with unique characteristics of each community. Above
all this leadership must be open to share and interact with others for
innovation exchange.
The community structure needs
strengthening, fed by relevant policies, backed up with dynamic
systems/processes, and sustained by an active personnel who implement approved
proposals & initiatives. The community becomes a capital, a centre of
excellence, an exporter and generator of added-value resources. Abuja is remote now, Owerri may return to better day. There is no need waiting for both centres.
There are rich opportunities
waiting to be tapped if the collective will is brought to bear in recognising
that a generational potential is open for positive exploitation. Only if the
danger of inaction is recognised and positive action is accelerated.
Conclusion
Creative destruction in every age
opens new paths for persons and collectives to recognise potential responses
for strategic initiatives. Therefore communities have the best opportunities to
embrace what appears ugly, regressive and disgusting by collectively
articulate lasting cost-effective solutions for calibrated implementation. This
ushers in stability and certainty. Through this way, the unintended consequences
of centrifugal outcomes are avoided for consolidation & a healthy transfer from the current
generation to the next.
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