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IGBO POLITICAL SYSTEMS
Title Men Obi/Eze Functions
The political arrangements for the purpose of
administration varied. Obi is
the name of the head of the family in the Igbo areas. In old Owerri and Umuahia
provinces, the word chief or Eze is
commonly used, representing the majority of the state. The members of the eze's cabinet are called the Nze. They are the Chiefs' or Eze's
councilors. Among Onitsha Igbos, the majesty's councilors are called Ndichie, meaning chiefs. There are three grades:
(1) Ndichie Ume (2) Ndichie Okwa and (3) Ndichie Okwaraeze. The principal functions of
both Nze's and Ndichies are to assist the Obi/Eze in keeping law and order in the
communities.
The functions of Ndichie in the community
generally, irrespective of grade, are: first, to act as the Obi's representatives
and play the role of public relations officers in the interest of the rulingObi;
second, to maintain law and order; third, to uphold the property of religious
and customary practices; fourth, to dispense justice according to equity and
the law of the land; fifth, to promote social welfare; and, lastly, to defend
the land against aggression. All these councilors are supposed to play a vital
role as peacemakers in their localities and owe allegiance to Obi/Eze the
ruler.
Female administrative titles have not been popular among the Igbo since the late 19th
century when the European colonialists entered into the heart of Igbo land not
merely to trade but as cultural modifiers. The colonial powers have been
described as "bringing with them the Pax Britannica at the tip of the
sword and the nozzle of the gun well into the first quarter of the 20th
century."
Among the Owerri Igbos, the wife of Nze, the
councilor, automatically becomes the Lollo, an honorary
title of a councilor. But the Onitsha Igbos once had a woman chieftain
appointed by theObi to care for the women's affairs; namely
the maintenance of women's dignity, customary laws and their behavior. This is
called Omu, the Queen Mother.
In the kingdom of Obi there was a place
for the female-counterpart ruler, the Omu. The ruler Obi is
a hereditary successor to his clan's throne. Both the Obi and
the Omu worked together for the betterment of their
subjects. The position of Omu was dropped from the
throne by the colonial government. The Onitsha Igbos have not yet restored this
great women's institution in Igbo land. The last Omu (Queen
Mother) of Onitsha that ruled was her Highness, Chief Nwagboka Egwuatu of Ogbeotu
Village. She died in 1890. However, women in Igbo land at present are confirmed
with the title of chieftaincy, not for administrative purposes but for the
roles they play in the community and in the market.
An Egalitarian Society
The Igbo society is patterned on that of
egalitarian society in which almost everyone is equal. The structure of the
system looks thus, but in practice does not conform. There are established
ranks and positions of honor. There are marked differences in political organization.
The Igbos have kings, chiefs, Eze and other titles of
honor. Movement to the top is open and free for any individual.
An egalitarian society is characterized by the adjustment of the
number of valued statuses to the number of persons, or fixing or limiting of
persons capable of exerting power. As many persons as can wield power, whether
through personal strength, influence or authority, can do so.
The Igbo social structure is defined by the blood line. This is
traced by patrilineal linkage. The family is the center or the nucleus into
which the he child compound is formed. From here it extends to village level,
clans, and town. The blood relations create associations between man and his
neighbor. The social organization develops in the form of an extended family to
a kind of village government. There is a strong tie in religious observations,
trade and marriages. In each community there are associations of age groups;
men with titles, poor and rich citizens interact with one another in war or in
peace. All participate in community affairs, in decision-making and all
development efforts.
As far as history supports, most of all Igbo traditional states
governed themselves without giving power to any sort of king. They organized
themselves into many independent village governments -with these village
councils and assemblies meeting periodically, and could also be summoned as the
need arose to discuss and take decisions on both internal and external affairs
of the village. The councils might have been limited to certain age grades but
the assemblies were for all and sundry, thus, the “oha na eze” aka the
People’s Assembly. So, the Igbo traditional system of government was purely
republican in its structure and function. There was no sort of centralized
political authority or kingdom. It is within this context that the popular
adage, "Igbo Enwe Eze" was developed. The adage “Igbo
Enwe Eze” means “Igbo had no King” and this is true
since there was (and still there is) no central Igbo King as you have in Edoland
(Bini), Yorubaland, Kanuriland, and Hausaland.
The main credo of Igbo culture is the emphasis placed on
individual achievement and initiatives, prestige and egalitarian leadership.
Some western and African historians/anthropologists found no
credibility in a society without kings. Most of the Europeans who visited Igbo
areas could not understand Igbo social organization because of the lack of a
monarchy. The representative organization, especially in Igbo culture, was not
monarchical but republican. "The Igbo," writes Phoebe Ottenber
"have a non-hierarchical type of political organization and have been
referred to as 'ultra democratic' in their values." Even Margery Perham
(1957), for all her attachment to Lugard's northern Nigeria, was obliged to
refer to the Igbo as "sturdily democratic."
Individuals remain loyal to the headman, who acts as the head of
the community. The feudal system that is present in northern Nigeria and Yoruba
State could not exist in Igbo land because of the level of the Igbo society,
and also the separation of tribal religion from the titular headship within the
clan.
Recognition of Old Age
The Igbo village is made up of two or more
compounds. Each compound is based on patrilineal relationships. Status is
accorded to the male by seniority, irrespective of polygamous family and
agnatic emphasis. In the family, the first son is the head of the family and
holds the family heirlooms like Ofo, Chi, and Obi. The
first son (Opara) holds the symbol of the
family authority. There are two Igbo positions of esteem that are formally
institutionalized (1) Opara (first son) and (2) Ada (first daughter). The first two children,
namely Opara and Ada, have higher status in an Igbo family. In a
monogamous family, the birth order follows. The younger always gives respect to
the older brother or sister. Before the younger ones address the older child,
whether within the family or outside the family, the younger one adds the word
of respect--Ndaa or Dede. The leadership of authority rest with the
elders of the land.
Seniority accorded to old age is one of the primary beliefs among
the Igbos. Besides the age status, the greatest honor is given to one in his
mother's lineage or Umunne. When one visits his or her
mother's home (mother's lineage), that person is given the highest honor and
respect. Whenever one has any serious troubles with a father's lineage (Umunna),
they appeal to one's Umunne(mother's lineage) for
assistance. As a custom in Igbo land, the Umunne will
surely come to one's aid.
The following example is culled from Chinua Achebe's book,
"Things Fall Apart," depicting the important role of maternal section
of an Igbo person's life:
“…Okonkwo's gun had
exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy's heart. The confusion that
followed was without parallel in the tradition of Umuofia. Violent deaths were
frequent but nothing like this had ever happened. The only course to Okonkwo
was to flee from the clan. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman;
a man who committed it must flee from the land -- and before the cock crowed
Okonkwo and his family were fleeing to his motherland…”
In Igbo society, the Umunne supports one against Umunna (patrilineage)
even when one is affected by the spirit of the ancestors.
Position of Elders
In an Igbo community, elders are respected and
honored. All leaders act as a village head and are often approached in both
good and bad times. A leader is always expected to speak the truth and is often
required to vindicate his innocence regularly at the rite of Itu-Ogu (making a wish). This is a sign of
affirmation of innocence. The village head oftentimes is the village priest. He
maintains his prescribed status as a necessary condition for the maintenance of
his high office. Sometimes an elder is a titled person, who chairs traditional
functions in the family compound and in the village.
Bibliography
Achebe, Chinua. "Things Fall Apart," London, ENGLAND:
Heinemann, 1958.
Afigbo, Adiele E. "Prolegomena to the Study of the
Culture History of the Igbo-speaking Peoples of Nigeria", in
"West African Culture Dynamics: Archaeological and Historical
perspectives."edited by Swartz, Jr., B. K. and Dumet, Raymond E., New
York, N.Y.: Mouton Publishers, 1980.
Dike, Kenneth Onwuka. "Trade and politics in the
Niger Delta," Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1956.
Forde, Daryll and Jones, G. I. "The Ibo and
Ibibio-Speaking Peoples of South-Eastern Nigeria," London,
ENGLAND: Oxford University Press, 1955.
Isichei, Elizabeth. ""A History of the Igbo People, London,
ENGLAND: MacMillan, 1976.
Isichei, Elizabeth. "Igbo Worlds: An Anthology of
Oral Histories and Historical Descriptions," London, ENGLAND:
MacMillan, 1977.
M. le comte C. N. de Cardi. "A short description of
the natives of the Niger Coast protectorate," in West African
studies edited by Kingsley, Mary Henrietta, London : Macmillan, 1899.
Njoku, John E. Eberegbulam. "The Igbos of Nigeria:
Ancient Rites, Changes and Survival," (African Studies Volume
14), New York, N.Y.: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1990.
Okigbo, Pius. "Towards a Reconstruction of the
Political Economy of Igbo Civilization," Ahiajoku lectures,
Owerri, Nigeria: Ministry of Information, 1986.
Ojukwu, Chukemeka Odumegwu. "Because I am
involved," Ibadan : Spectrum Books Ltd., 1989.
Ottenberg, Simon. ed. "Cultures and societies of
Africa.," New York : Random House, 1960.
Perham, Margery Freda, ed. "African discovery, an
anthology of exploration," London, Faber and Faber, 1957.
