IGBOS AND WEALTH.
Igbos love wealth.
Igbos adore wealth.
Igbos worship wealth.
Igbos love ostentation,
Ostentation bothering on megalomania.
One with wealth is blessed by God and One without, presumably punished by the Devil.
Prior to introduction of monetary instruments,
Agricultural output especially
Yam tubers determined wealth,
Succeeded by cowrie shells.
Now wealth is determined by dollars, Pound sterling, Euro, and Naira.
And new methods of farming money, were introduced.
Productive Farmers sought reverence, respect, and status by
Acquiring or buying titles to boost personal egos.
Quest in having biggest yam barn now
Turned into quest in having biggest bank account.
A bank account has no limit as a yam barn.
Barns replaced by accoutrements of luxurious lifestyles.
Traditional titles marked by habiliment such as
Caps, elephant tusks, animal skins, and amulets replaced
By SUVs, exotic cars, castles, jet airplanes, and fake doctorates.
Accumulating dollars, Pound sterling, Euro, and Naira
Require fraudulent sharp practices such as
Swindling, theft, and confidence games.
Igbos’ quest for recognition through wealth accumulation is genetic
And inimical to Igbo political aspirations.
The highest bidder buys the Igbo vote.
Igbos must replace excessive reverence for wealth with
Reverence for honor, trust, and integrity.
There is still time to turn around the clock and
Restore the much-vaunted Igbo pride to her lost glory!
How do suggest Ndigbo go about restoring “the much-vaunted Igbo pride to her lost glory” if that glory has historically been about the accumulation of wealth, as measured by something of value like yam tubers, cowries, currencies, and assets like cars, houses, etc?
Glorious – using sweat labor to cultivate yam.
Non-glorious – using fake conversion to Islam to accumulate “yams.”
Glorious – studying to acquire a yam – Ph.D.
Non-glorious – buying a yam – unaccredited online Ph.D or buying a Ph.D by donation.
Glorious Yam – endow a chair in a University or build infrastructure in a university.
Non-glorious Yam – endow your castle with unneeded luxury automobiles that are rarely driven.
Yams accumulated by sharp practices not same as yam accumulated by cultivation.
Real Yams take 6 – 9 months to mature.
Today’s “Yams” can mature in milliseconds by electronic swindling.
Since that wealth (pride) is acquired almost effortlessly, it is also used for mischievous deeds.
The yams you planted in the university will keep reproducing yam.
The yam in your garage will disappear once you disappear from the face of the earth.
Igbos must turn wealth into legacy (pride).