For five days, intellectuals from Anambra State and beyond, gathered in
the state to brainstorm with and find lasting solution to a problem
that has confronted not only the people of the state, but also the
entire Igbo nation for a long time. The venue was Parktonia Hotel, Awka
and the five-day workshop was tagged Value Re-orientation with the
objectives to rediscover lost Igbo values, find out what went wrong and
where the Igbo have missed it as a nation.
It was also a gathering that was aimed at finding out what could be done
for the people to re-adopt the old values which had been found to be
much better than what they have at the moment.
Though many of the Igbo extraction have realized even before now that
all was not well, not many of them have been so concerned as to stake
their resources in finding solutions to the nagging challenge.
While many remained complacent and some others incapable of doing much,
considering the resources required to effect the necessary change, one
man decided to invest in the intangible, but essential project to
re-orientate the Igbo values, so that the Igbo would again be rightly
directed and rightly focused.
Mr Godwin Ezeemo, offered himself, his resources, and his energy,
physical and mental, to become the vanguard of re-orientation.
He provided the much needed finance and called in the Nigeria Union of
Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Council to assist in organizing a
successful workshop.
Representation at the workshop was so large and so carefully selected
that no segment of Anambra community was left out. The first day
featured the opening ceremony and all and sundry were in attendance. The
second day also featured the traditional rulers, presidents general of
the 177 communities in the state, community leaders, local government
administrators, Igbo groups, security chiefs, vigilante groups, national
and state legislators.
Day three drew participants from the representatives of the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC), market leaders, ASTA members, ANCOPS, NBA, NUT,
professional organizations and business leaders, political party leaders
and academics after which participation was segmented in that order
until it was rounded off on day five. Members of the NUJ participated
actively.
Eminent scholars who delivered papers at the unique workshop which had
former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukuwuemeka Ezeife as Chairman
include Prof Ben Osisioma, Msgr. Jerome Madueke, Dr. Nnamdi Emma
Onuekwusi, Rt. Rev. Prof. Godwin Izundu Okpala, Prof. Ike Ndolo, Mr.
Emeka Ejide, Prof Kate Nnabuife, Prof Kate Omenugha, and Dr. Bakky
Adirika of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
Keynote address at the opening ceremony was delivered by the former Vice
Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, an advocate of Igbo language
speaking, Prof. Peter Ejiofor, while the Chairman South-East Nigeria
Economic Commission, Engr. Chris Okoye and Prof. Nonso Nnabuife of
Nnamdi Azikiwe University were the discussants. Dr. Echezona Ihejirika
and Dr. Mrs. Ifeoma Mbachu both of Anambra State University were the
raportuers of the day.
Papers delivered at the workshop include “The Great Ndigbo Heritage”;
“Addressing Our Current Mindset”; “Productive Cultural Values”,
“Repositioning Ndigbo For Greatness” and “The Strategy For Our
Recovery”.
One significant feature of the workshop was the keynote address written
and delivered in Igbo by Prof. Pila Ejiofor. It was not surprising to
those who knew Prof. Ejiofor and what he stands for, that Igbo language
which the Igbo themselves have inadvertently sentenced to extinction
must not be allowed to die, but must in fact be revived at all costs.
He believes in leading by example and so as he champions the course of
Igbo language revival, he has since adopted the culture of communicating
with all Igbo people in the Igbo Language. Prof Ejiofor traced the
history of the Igbo that contributed not only in the development of
Nigeria, but Britain and American, pointing out that recently, Americans
built an Igbo Farm Village in Staunton State Vagiana in appreciation of
the contributions of the Igbo towards the development of America.
Going into history, Prof. Ejiofor recalled the efforts of the late Dr.
Nnamdi Azikiwe in gaining independence for the counrty, how the British
handed over the leadership of Nigeria Army to General Aguiyi Ironsi, how
Prof Kenneth Dike became the first Vice Chancellor of a Nigeria
University, Prof Chike Obi of blessed memory became the first Nigeria
Professor of Mathematics; Emeka Anyaoku became the Secretary of Common
Health, Olaudah Ekweano became the first Nigerian to write a book on
stave-trade, Iwene Tansi became the first Nigerian to be canonized, the
first autonomous Nigeria University was in Igboland, Chief Dennis
Osadebe was the Champion of the creation of Delta State as the first
state created by any civilian government in Nigeria.
According to him, things changed for the Igbo since the end of the civil
war as he said that “education, which was the bedrock of Igbo
development began to dwindle, the people’s values began to change and
our industries began to collapse.”
Business concerns in Igboland which had collapsed, according to his
research, include Nigerian Cement Nkalagu, Sunrise Flour Mills, Emena,
Iron and Steel Factory, Onitsha; Permatex, Enugu; Niger Steel, Emena,
Cooperative and Commerce Bank; Turners Asbestors; Emene; African
Continental Bank; Progress Bank; Anambra Vegetable Oil, Nachi, Ibeto
Cement Industry, Nnewi, Eddy Motors Industry, Onitsha; Anambra Aluminum
Industry, Ohebe-Dim; Olympic Maiz Mills, Awka and City Biscuits,
Onitsha.
He noted that of the four refineries built by the Federal Government in
Nigeria, none is located in the South-east. In his lecture entitled,
“The Selling of Our Birthrights: National and Global Consequences”,
Prof. Ben Osisioma x-rayed the Igbo and how the people have abandoned
their high old values in place of new ones that are rooted in money.
He noted that the Igbo now operate on misplaced values which have no
regard for hard work, respect for the elderly and which have little or
no regard for character. He expressed the view that the present way of
life could be seen to be working perfectly at the moment, but warned
that with time, their real damaging consequences could began to emerge.
Prof. Osisoma said that Anambra State has the potentials to lead the
South-east in carving a nitch for herself and her people as it is
endowed with some of the best brains Africa has produced. He noted that
Anambra State which was reputed for taking the lead in many spheres now
lags behind in many areas.
His words: “Today, a materialistic society questions the value of
education, and the man of letters is derided and run down in community
and society.”
According to him, “the most tragic consequence of our lifestyle is that
we are ruled by renegades, those who hold the reins of power and
authority today in the land are men despised in the past for their
crooked ways.”
Osisioma did not just stop at identifying the problems, but also gave
solutions, among which are the pursuit of education, value
reconstruction, eschewing religious bigotry and the education of the
people on basic indices of success.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Joyce Banda
Joice Mujuru
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Helen Zille
Isatou Njie-Saidy
Luisa Dias Diogo
Rose Mukantabana
