Unifiers as Against Dividers: The Immediate Need of the Ibusa Community

Unifiers as Against Dividers: The Immediate Need of the Ibusa Community

 

- Emeka Esogbue 

 

Throughout history, societies have always created leaders but such leaders MUST either fall under the category of dividers or unifiers, depending on their track records in such societies. In politics, business, academic environment, technology, community, or cultural leadership, there will always be unifiers and dividers. These are the only two camps available to greatness in societies and are determined according to the philosophies of the leaders.

 

Ibusa is proudly complete with professors, successful businessmen and women, technocrats, serving and retired security men and women, philanthropists, and top government functionaries, among others, but what the community appears to lack are unifiers. Where all of these endeavours are present but unifiers are absent, the situation becomes characterized by divisions in socio-cultural quarters which will then lead to the emergence of factions in that society as they now exist. Several captains in a single ship need a unifier for the coordination of the ship and ultimately, its effective sailing. Maybe, that's just what Ibusa lacks at the moment.

Quoting Soo Bong Peer, Author of "The Essential Diversity Mind," "In our time of sharply heightened public concern over race relations, it is crucial to have leadership that can help cultivate an authentic path to diversity. Our lives are to a great extent affected by how our leaders think and what they do. A country's unity or divide rides on the mindsets and actions of its leaders, whether they be in government, business, or academics. They exert a pivotal role in our diversity journey toward healing and harmony as they set policies and directions that touch our daily lives."

Peer further shares the belief that "leaders can unify and advance the health of society or the workplace as well as the power to corrode the culture and people within it."  

Another writer, Amir Ghannad, an international keynote speaker and author of "The Transformative Leader" listed the qualities of unifying leaders and they include the following highlighted below: 

 

·       The tremendous empathy to relate with the aspirations of the people that one leads: Can we find the Ibusa leader who goes out of his way to impact the vulnerable unconditionally?

·       The amplification of the voice of the voiceless: Can we find the Ibusa leader without the urge to impose his powers or preferences on the people?

·       Uncertainty over whose side the leader is on: Can we find the Ibusa leader who can gravitate towards his principles?

·       Consistently speak and behave by the values they promote: Can we find the Ibusa leader who scrutinizes himself for credibility?

·       Routinely own up to his flaw: Can we find the Ibusa leader who constantly points out his own mistakes for evaluation?

·       Urge collaborative efforts to end bad situations: Can we get the Ibusa leader who furthers collective efforts to resolve the communal issues?

 

The Ibusa settlement is founded on a close-knit beginning but the same cannot be said of the societal life of the settlement as there are just too many lords - masters of Ibusa households to whom various individuals and families owe interests. The people appear to quickly factionalize and are also immediately found in camps. Hardly do camarillas who seek power through disturbing intrigues emerge than the Ibusa people begin to find the particular camp to belong. It is by this means that even families become divided along different parallel lines that will never have any reason to meet. Plenty of research would need to be put together to discover why the people are swift to identify with factions.

 

Why is this so? The community retains legendary divisive histories. One must historically understand that the foundation of the settlement accommodated wars in the early beginning, carried to as far as the nation's Southeast region. Although the various quarters that make up the community today may seem to be at peace, the early history of the community also marked local wars between the quarters. This is in addition to other minor skirmishes in recorded history. The Iwu story strikes the mind as a perfect illustration here. Iwu Festival of Ibusa, imported from Ogwashi-Ukwu was first celebrated in the land by Ogbeowele. According to Ibusa legend, Umueze 'borrowed' the festival from Ogbeowele but they failed to protect it, leading to its theft from them by Umuodafe who now celebrates it. This was a socio-cultural skirmish in the history of Umueze and Umuodafe.

 

There was also the story of Obi Ezesi, the Benin-coronated King of Ibusa whose dynasty was the last in the kingship history of the community whose founders were recorded in history as sons of monarchs. His reign was violently brought to an end over allegations concerning the meddlesomeness of his wife in the collective affairs of Ibusa. The Obi Ezesi monarchical rise and consequent dethronement would mark the watershed moment of division in the history of the Ibusa community as the implications of the era continue to live with the community. Since then, there has been a geometric increase in the lack of unification.

 

According to Ragy Thomas, "Unifiers create civilizations. Dividers destroy them. Unifiers have a mission and the ability to draw people to it. They know how to reconcile situations, putting the cause and others — as opposed to themselves — first."

 

Where there are more dividers than unifiers, the society not only exists in polarity but in a near state of turmoil. This is the seeming situation of the Ibusa community. Unification has the power to elevate society by setting it free from social chaos. Characterized by frequent and severe conflicts, Ibusa has one of the highest numbers of cases in police stations as a community, and the courts as traditional judicial arms suffer unbelief. The belief in the community's local judges is on the decline. Getting quick to push matters of the community interest - resolved or/and unresolved to the courts of law, a test of one's capacity in external judicial systems mulls over the Ibusa traditional judiciary.

 

Every spirit of 'mbosi nke nwanne oyi anaa' and 'ofu nmor' are giving way. Children, going from house to house, and turn by turn to feast on Christmas are gone. Many aspects of the people's cultures are also suffering. For instance, part of the burial ceremony of an Alor initiate in the community is the rite of 'isi nni unor ndu' in which families of the deceased take turns preparing sumptuous foods for the Umuada. If only enemies can feast together on the same dishes then the cultural continuity of 'isi nni unor ndu' is a guarantee in Ibusa's present times. The rite is now better carried out with monetization; apportioning of money to the Umuada instead of the feast.

 

The culture of tying 'omu' or palm leaf to disputed areas as a local injunction or writ which requires a party to refrain from doing any act on such property according to the exigency of the people's law, has also vanished. Tying any piece of 'omu' to any disputed land or property now amounts to a waste of time. The culture is seeing its end. Where do we go from here? The Ibusa custodians of the culture who should strengthen the cultural institutions run to the courts and such 'resolved' matters often return with severe bitterness to add to the division of the community. Many Ibusa families have now lost count of the number of cases with other families.

 

Peter Reuell who wrote on "Religion as Social Unifier," holds the view that belief in Deity helps humans to cooperate and live in large groups but like all other shared norms and values that bind communities, belief in Deity, in Ibusa is also suffering especially among the youths. Respect for the elderly ones, another norm, has decreased. It was once a belief that a person who respects an elder will also grow old but social media has proven that value to die gradually. The Ibusa parents once lived on high moral values, doing the right thing and condemning evils but that too, has seen its end. The militating factor is "onye ga eji oku, oku ji anyu." The few outspoken voices are becoming overwhelmed with onlookers on the increase.

 

Once situated on the threshold of academic pride, educational values have given way to wealth acquisition. To be counted in Ibusa is to be wealthy at all costs. I once noted in my earlier article that while the surrounding communities of Asaba and Okpanam may collectively agree on a single hero, it is not the Ibusa community as any such debate may end up in a violent rift. We know that Asaba has "Dennis Osadebay University," named after their political legend, Chief Dennis Osadebay, Okpanam has Nzeogwu Roundabout, named after their soldierly son, Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu and went ahead to erect a unifiable statue of the soldier in the community. Ogwashi-Ukwu has a stadium named after Austin Okocha, the former Super Eagles legend from the community. Who is for Ibusa, a community that has produced some of the biggest men and women in history?

 

The Ibusa community has Obi Senator Nosike Ikpo in Dennis Osadebay, two contemporary elder statesmen but while Asaba's Osadebay has monuments named after him in Asaba, Ikpo has none to his credit anywhere. A thousand Ibusa reasons may be advanced on why he is not befitting. Prof Buchi Emecheta is not also ideally situated in a legendary place monumentally despite her globally acclaimed accomplishments. If the Ogwashi-Uku risked the naming of Ogwashi-Uku Stadium, can Ibusa contemplate Kingsley Obiekwu, another Super Eagles footballer with globally acclaimed accomplishment?

 

Who are the unifiers and what efforts are they making to set the community on the path of unity? Again, where do we go from here? Any attempt to unify the community will include the youths who are now also divided. The community leaders must stand up to the unifying needs of the community and the time is now. Let the people identify and support their leaders.

 

Pray for unifiers in Ibusa.