The Contemporary Emerging Culture of Ndi-Aririo As Against Ndi-Ogbenye in Igboland a Critical Analysis

THE CONTEMPORARY EMERGING CULTURE OF NDI-ARIRIO AS AGAINST NDI-OGBENYE IN IGBOLAND A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jude I. Onebunne

Abstract In Igboland, the concept of community is very unique and basic. The crux of this idea of communal living is implicated on the help and service we render to each other especially Ndi Ogbenye as a result of communalistic responsibility which we owe as we participate in the community well expressed in the principles of communalism. The idea of community is therefore based on the critical appreciation of belongingness as the African Metaphysics of To Be that necessitates community sharing thereby making the idea of begging and Ndi Aririo (beggars) foreign and odious. Ndi- Ogbenye (the poor) in the Igbo worldview are people perceived as the responsibility of the entire community. They are seen as Ndi-Ogbe-N’enye (let the community provide). This practice was used by the Igbo people to foster love, unity, communitarianism and communalism against different forms individualism. Ndi-Aririo on the hand are simply and properly understood as beggar who depend solely on others for survival and can be seen as the opposite of Ndi Ogbenye because of the total dependence on the community for everything. This paper critically analyses the contemporary influence of ndi-aririo which has affected the formal understanding of ndi-ogbenye in contemporary Igbo land. This study is a concerted effort to identify, articulate and highlight the existence, the causes and effects of Ndi-aririo as against Ndi-Ogbenye in Igboland. The paper concludes that for proper participation in any communialistic society, ndi-ogbenye as a concrete and existential part of belongingness in the community of human is an acceptable concept in the Igbo African society, while ndi-aririo are complete thorns in the flesh and therefore should be criticized. Keywords: Ndi-Ogbenye, Ndi-Aririo, Igbo, poverty

Introduction The concept of Ogbenye in the Igboland is as old as the tribe itself. It is an age-long practice used in assisting and fostering love, peace, unity and belongingness in the Igbo community. Suffice to say that the concept of Ogbenye in Igboland has been used over the years to maintain the extended family line. This is because, this practice was used among the Igbo people to render help and provide for their brothers’ widows and other relatives who are not up to the level of the others in the family. Through this means, we encountered families covering up for families such that none went begging or borrowing. As a tribe that appreciated and extolled communalism, it has therefore

Nnamdi Azikiwe Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 10 (2), 2018 been a general belief among the Igbo people that all fingers are not equal and that life can be well lived when we cover up for others. Through this means, the Igbo society has been sustained and enriched more through the extended family system.

Ndi-Ogbenye etymologically comes from the three Igbo words: “Ndi” which represents, the people, the family, and by this the extended family, “Ogbe” meaning community, clan, kinsmen and “Enye” which is the act of giving. Ndi-Ogbenye therefore means “Ndi-Ogbe-n’enye” which can be transliterated as those who are sustained through the help of the community. On the other hand, Ndi-aririo is a concept that represents a set of people who depend, pester and acts as parasites to the community. This group of people depend solely on the community without making any input in the sustenance of the community. This complete and total dependency is totally unacceptable because no Igbo person is seen as a beggar but can be given alms when he has nothing. In the contemporary Igbo society, the reverse is now the case. Ndi-aririo has dominated Ndi-Ogbenye thereby defeating the general belief that an average Igbo person is industrious, independent and smart. Sadly, the concept of “Ogbe-n’ enye” has been hijacked by Ndi-Aririo which is a total contradiction from Ndi-Ogbenye. Ndi-Aririo is seen as thorns in the flesh in the community. They depend totally on the community for survival while making no effort to become independent themselves. They neither contribute anything even their time, energy nor assist those who have enough during the harvest period. More so, what is been given to them is often squandered immediately without savings or making plans to invest what have been given to them. Ironically, Ndi-aririo easily fern annoyance when what they request for is not given to them as though they share ownership with the rightful owners. They see the alms rendered to them as rights instead of privileges; hence, they deserve whatever they ask for. Ndi-aririo is the destroyers of law and order. They equally breed disunity in the community. This is because; they sow not but want to reap bountifully. They are oft en greedy, selfish and are never contended with what is been given to them. Ndi- Aririo also sees those who refuse to give them as enemies, wicked and heartless forgetting that they had not played their roles well. This new trend of Ndi-aririo as against the long established practice of “Ndi-Ogbe-n’enye” is the onus of this paper laying critical emphasis on the negative impacts of having Ndi-Aririo in our communities which include; producing people with tainted images who are equally seen as weaklings, distorters’ of law and order, breakdown of cultural norms and communal unity among members of the community and breeding a lazy generation. The Igbo People The Igbo people are located in the South-eastern part of Nigeria and are one of the most highly populated groups in the Southern Nigeria. Their culture is diverse in nature. A lot of this diversity stems from the fact that the Igbos are divided into Eastern and Mid-western region by the Niger River. While trying to trace the origin of the Igbo people, Nwala (1985) observes that: The Igbo form one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria. Like their neighbours, they belong to the Negro 37

Onebunne The Contemporary Emerging Culture of Ndi Aririo … race in Africa, and speak a language that belongs to the Kwa group of languages found in west and central Africa. Their language is Igbo with many local dialects (p.15). Culturally, the Igbos accord a lot of respects to the male head of the family, and also to the elderly. It is ingrained in children from an early age to always respect their elders. In Igbo land, one’s social status is depends largely on wealth and sometimes the number of titles one has been able to acquire. The Igbo people classify members of their community into three groups; the “nnukwu mmadu” who are the rich, the “dimkpa” who are the middle class and sometimes warriors and the “Ogbenye” who occupy the lowest social strata. This classification is vastly similar to most classifications around the world. Also, Igbo people hold birth and death at a very high esteem. When a child is born in Igbo culture, the members of that particular community throw a naming ceremony with the umbilical cord of the child buried under a tree approved by the mother. This tree that harbours the umbilical cord of the child is believed to grow in accordance with how successful the child becomes. Death on the other hand is equally used for commemoration as opposed to the time of sadness. The Igbo people also use music to the foster unity and communalism in the communities. This was performed during hunting expeditions, moonlight tales, naming ceremonies, death ceremonies and festivals. Music added beauty and colour to virtually every occasion the Igbo people perform. With the help of various handmade instruments such as “opi” (flute), “ubo-akwala,” udu” (a pot-like instrument) among others. Ndi-Ogbenye in Igbo Worldview Ndi-Ogbenye is an Igbo concept which is loosely translated as “Ndi-Ogbe-N’enye.” Ogbenye is a word in Igbo language which means the poor. Ogbenye is a powerful concept in Igbo land used to sustain the unity and preserve the peoples’ cultural identity. Cultural identity is built through “the sharing of common history or common culture, common pride in the past, and in some, the sharing of a common passion. These societal bonds fruitfully achieved through one of the strategies which provides for the poor and incapacitated can help to stabilize communities and ease the psychological, economic and even social unrest that may arise if these Ogbenyes are not taken care of. For instance, the Mexico PPA notes the paradox that while indigenous communities of Oaxaca have the least materially, they are happy and less fearful than non-indigenous poor people because they have a range of “traditional communitarian institutions which provide them support in times of need.” This practice was highly appreciated by Igbos in the pre-colonial era. Through this means they had people that attended to the aged, widows and widowers, and the physically challenged. Young people were advised by their parents to fetch water and firewood for the aged and through this means, Igbo communities were sustained with the haves living side by side with the have-nots. Cultural identity is maintained through rituals, celebrations, and festivals and poor people frequently mention participation in these events. The significance of this cannot be overstated: for many poor people, social solidarity is one of the most

Nnamdi Azikiwe Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 10 (2), 2018 important assets available to them. To maintain this solidarity and the emotional and physical security it provides, people are willing to make considerable sacrifices and will readily divest themselves of a wide range of material assets to ensure that these social bonds are preserved. This was equally seen in Igbo communities where those that are wealthier than others provided thing used to organize festivals and ritual. Ndi- Ogbenye were only charged with the responsibility of helping in the preparation of such events. Women for instance assisted in cooking, fetching water while the men did the major errands. To this effect, all were seen to be important and indispensible as everyone had one role or the other to play. Ndi-ogbenye sometimes borrows money or farm produce from the wealthier once which they often use to start up something. Achebe in Things Fall Apart portrayed this attribute of the rich helping the poor to get established through the character of Okonkwo and Nwakibie. Nwakibie was wealthy man known in the whole of Umuofia. He had barns filled with yams and other farm produce. Okonkwo as a young man whose father was regarded as a weakling and an Efuruefu pleaded with Nwakibie to borrow seed yams and start his own farm. Through this means, Okonkwo was able to rise to the position of the wealthy class in the society. Ndi-ogbenye in the Igbo world view are not seen as totally independent but are seen as people who need a little assistance to rise to the expected demands of the community. Concept of Ndi-Aririo It is a known fact that cities across the world are confronted with diverse and complex problems which have socio-economic and physical implications for city dwellers. These problems as experienced by cities of less developed countries are enormous and multidimensional in nature. One obvious manifestation of these problems, especially in Igbo land and other parts of Nigeria, is Aririo; that is the act of asking people for money, food, clothes or other items (Jelili, 2006). Aririo as a concept is a social menace which has a negative implication not only for economies of the cities, socio- physical environment but also for the people involved. Ndi-Aririo is an Igbo concept loosely translated as “Beggars.” According to Egeonu (1988), the increasing population of beggars in Nigerian cities constitutes an eyesore or environmental nuisance and health hazards, particularly those carrying infectious and contagious diseases. Kennedy and Fitzpatrick (2001) define begging simply as asking passers-by for money in a public place. However, this definition is not comprehensive enough to reflect all activities of the beggars. For instance, beggars may approach people not necessarily for money alone but also for food, clothes etc and this activity may not necessarily take place in public places, it may take place anywhere. The definition of begging as provided by Wikipedia (2009) presents begging as requesting some-thing in a supplicating manner with the implication that a person who is begging will suffer emotional, psychological and or physical harm. Fawole, Ogunkan and Omoruan (2011) underlines a more recent type of begging now trending in Igbo land and Nigeria as a whole is the perpetually sick ones; these ones always suffer from diseases, like cancerous growths on visible parts of their bodies, which they wear like a badge of honour. At most strategic roads, many with some form of diseases are carried and put at the centre of the road with men and women with people some of who are family members that beg on their behalf. Some are even 39

Onebunne The Contemporary Emerging Culture of Ndi Aririo … controlled by godfathers who are entitled to a ‘cut’ of their money in return for ‘protection’. The godfathers are also responsible for costuming i.e. fake wounds on appropriate parts of your body; for the lame, wheelchairs, wheelbarrows or skateboards; for the blind, they assign a child to lead you around and collect the day’s earnings. In the observation of Esan (2009), some beggars use insults, profanity, or veiled threats in aggressive panhandling. The Caucasian colour beggars from Chad and Niger Republic who now dominate most part Nigeria and even the Eastern part go as far as intimidating their targeted donors into giving alms by “clinging” unto them This act of begging has found its root even in the Public service in Nigeria. Today each office you go into either at the federal, state or local government level, there are Nigerians who indulge in one form of begging and the other. It is fast becoming an embarrassment across the country when on approaching a supposed security officer; he politely asks what you have for the boys. It is either they are poorly paid or they are not satisfied with what they are doing. A situation like this cannot bring the best out of these men on uniform or in sensitive position in the country. Every office you enter in the country today, someone somewhere will expect you to perform before you leave and if you fail to, they will boldly ask, ‘Oga, what do you have for the boys?’ this is an unethical behaviour of most men of Immigration, Police and other agencies at the front desk. They do not care about the image of the country not to talk of their own self-respect and dignity which has been thrown to the wind and sold for a pot of porridge. Sadly enough, those in authority do not care nor take notice of this abnormally. At most road junctions across the country where you have policemen as well as other agencies on duty, some are more interested in begging. Those who fail to pay their offering as it is popularly called are often times subjected to rigorous and excruciating search and maltreatment. Aririo as Prayer to God Aririo as prayer is a form of entreaty made from an inferior being to a superior being. Igbo people before the coming of Christianity had their traditional gods who were believed to provide, protect and solve their problems. It was equally believed that there was nothing that one ask from these gods as long as those thing were just that were not granted them. To this effect, prayers were offered to each god responsible for solving a particular problem. There was the god of fertility, the god that healed sicknesses, god of procreation, god of vindication among others. Each of these gods were seen to have played their respective roles. The Igbos having seen these gods as all knowing made prayers and supplications to them at one point in time or the other.

However, with the coming of Christianity, most people shifted their reliance and prayers from such gods as Afijioku, Okuku, Agbara, etc to the Christian God known in Igbo as “Chineke” or “Chukwu.” They therefore, made constant prayers in form of appreciation, seeking forgiveness and making request to God. They rely on God to provide, protect, and support at every given time. Furthermore, aririo is a form of prayer which indicates total submission, reliance and trust on a supreme and spiritual being which the Igbo people do not joke with. Also, begging in this aspect is not seen

Nnamdi Azikiwe Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 10 (2), 2018 as wrong and unwelcomed because the people do not relax and watch God perform all the jobs for them but provide an avenue through which their gods acted upon. Aririo as Begging Another aspect of Aririo is that of soliciting help from man. Broun (2010) said begging is an anti-social behaviour observed in almost all nations of the world especially in developing nations. It involves asking for what the beggar does not have. This is however the aspect that this study tries to criticize as a trendy lifestyle which does not represent the true Igbo concept of seeking helps. Aririo made to man is seen as an act of laziness and dependency. Aririo in this aspect may range from house to house begging to street begging. House to house begging is a situation whereby someone goes to the house of either a fellow kinsman or stranger to seek help either in food items, clothing, money or even other forms of favour. On the other hand, street begging entails coming out to the street, often times in a highly populated area to beg. Street begging in the opinion of Wikipedia (2010) is a practice whereby a person obtains money, food, shelter or other things from people he/she encounter in public place by request without return. From Chukwulobe (2011) street begging is seen as an act of stopping people on the street to beg for assistance which could either be in the form of giving money or food. It often occurs for the purpose of securing a material benefit, generally for a gift donation or charitable donation (John, 2010). From Balogun (2012) A street beggar is a person who relies on the financial graces of strangers without providing food or services in return, though it is just as much work as a wage job. Begging can come in different forms: Active Begging: These types of beggars move from place to place with soliciting money, gifts. They move from house to house, worship places, markets, and even in the motor parks with the accompaniment of a family member. Passive Begging: This type involve in person either sitting or standing in one place with songs or receptacle entreating donations. Passive begging is the contemporary way of begging where we have beggars at a situated spot in the community. People come there to offer help to them. Aggressive Begging: This technique is one which harsh words and intimidations are used in soliciting help. These categories of beggars are often the lazy once that in most cases are healthy but choose to beg. They are usually very greedy and never contented with what is being given to them. In lonely place, these set of beggars can rob or harass someone who has come to render help to them. It is an extreme form of begging where people use force to beg. Why the Existence of Ndi-Ogbenye and Ndi-Aririo There are personality traits in man that can compel or hinder him from begging. These personality traits was summarized by Sigmund Freud in his tripartite theory where he highlighted the reasons people acted the way they did. These three traits are “id,” “ego” and “superego.” The “id” is the primitive and instinctive component of personality. It consists of all the inherited (i.e., biological) components of personality present at birth, including the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), the 41

Onebunne The Contemporary Emerging Culture of Ndi Aririo … aggressive (death) instinct, even the desire to either accept to beg or not. The “id” is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts. The personality of the newborn child is all “id” and only later does it develop an ego and super-ego. The “id” remains infantile in its function throughout a person’s life and does not change with time or experience, as it is not in touch with the external world. The id is not affected by reality, logic or the everyday world, as it operates within the unconscious or subconscious part of the mind. The “id” operates on the pleasure principle (Freud, 1920) which is the idea that every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences. When the “id” achieves its demands, we experience pleasure and when it is denied we experience ‘displeasure’ or tension. According to Freud (1923), the ego is “that part of the “id” which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world.” (p.25)

The ego develops to mediate between the unrealistic “id” and the external real world. It is the decision-making component of personality. Ideally, the ego works by reason, whereas the id is chaotic and unreasonable. The ego operates according to the reality principle, working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society. The ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave. The ego is concerned with devising a realistic strategy to obtain pleasure. The ego has no concept of right or wrong; something is good simply if it achieves its end of satisfying without causing harm to itself or the id. Often the ego is weak relative to the headstrong id, and the best the ego can do is stay on, pointing the id in the right direction and claiming some credit at the end as if the action were its own (Freud, 1923, p.15). If the ego fails in its attempt to use the reality principle, and anxiety is experienced, unconscious defence mechanisms are employed, to help ward off unpleasant feelings (i.e., anxiety) or make good things feel better for the individual. The ego engages in secondary process thinking, which is rational, realistic, and orientated towards problem-solving. If a plan of action does not work, then it is thought through again until a solution is found. This is known as reality testing and enables the person to control their impulses and demonstrate self-control, via mastery of the ego. The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. It develops around the age of 3 – 5 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression, stealing and other social vices. It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection. The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to the id's demands, the superego may make the person feel bad through guilt. The ideal self (or ego-ideal) is an imaginary picture of how you ought to be, and represents career aspirations, how to treat other people, and how to behave as a member of society.

Nnamdi Azikiwe Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 10 (2), 2018 This tripartite theory of Freud has a role to play when discussing why people fail. That is why in the Igbo society, while some people such as ndi-ogbenye, earn honest means, ndi-aririo who depend only on what their society can do for them and not what they can do for their society keep being torn in the flesh of the society where they are found. Some people who have high ego, subjecting themselves to begging is always a difficult thing. In the cultural Igbo world view, it is believed that Igbos are not beggars but can seek alms from time to time. More so, many people are propelled to beg for cultural, economic and social reasons and even religious reasons. Culturally, in Igbo communities, it is a culture that people do not eat alone but leave some for the less privileged. This is why we have the people known as “ndi-ogbe- n’enye.” They survive with the help of philanthropies who derive pleasure in assisting other. In the Igbo community, when one goes to the farm to harvest any farm produce, he is not expected to harvest everything but to intentionally reserve some for the ndi- ogbenye. Socially, it is an age-long belief that all fingers are not equal. This is why in more advanced nations where we have the bourgeoisie and proletariat existing side by side. The Proletariats who are a class of wage labourers employed by the bourgeoisie to produce goods and services—and the bourgeoisie—the ruling class that owns the means of production and extract their wealth through appropriation of the surplus product (profit) produced by the proletariat. This proletariat which is a recognized concept in more advanced world can be likened to ndi-ogbenye. This is because, they get their pays at the end of the labour and through this they are able to sustain themselves. Economically, it is equally true that there are people who are richer than others. These people in the Igbo society are the once who are expected to help the poor or less privileged. The pre-colonial Igbo community had men who donated foodstuffs, huts, barns, and cowries to the widows, widowers, aged, and orphans. Through these freewill donations, they were able to remain at the level their “chi” has destined them to remain. Religiously, Igbo people had always been charged by their gods to render help to the needy especially the aged and orphans. This is why, no one harvest entirely what he cultivated. A portion must deliberately be left for “ndi ikpa-ubi” who are people that ransack the farms after harvest season. Those who have many seed and cash crops makes room also for the provision of Ndi-Ogbenye. Coming to the Christian God, there are also commands to provide for the needy and poor. It is a command to bring in first fruit harvests to the house of the Lord so that there will be meat in the store house. The store house is by extension a place where the needy and the servants of God feed from. We equally have famine, drought and lack of finance to start up can propel one to beg. Some people who were living in abundance have been reduced to ndi-ogbenye because of one natural or man-made disaster or the other. Lack of money to procure land and other farm products has also left a good number of people at the level of “ogbenyeness.”

Onebunne The Contemporary Emerging Culture of Ndi Aririo … The Concept of Communalism in the Igbo Worldview Asouzu (2013) presents the reality of Igbo sense of complementarity in his Ibuanyidanda philosophy. He argued for the lack of self-sufficiency of an individual to attend to his barrages of needs. Rather individuals find more meaning in life within the community of interdependency, collectivism and mutual coexistence. In his words: The individual is not self sufficient but has many needs which he cannot supply to himself. Hence, human beings agreed to submit voluntarily to a system and were bound to live in unison and solidarity. Through deep experiences as creatures, human beings realized their insufficiency and dependency. They discovered that they need each other to live a contented life. These experiences of life gave recourse to the idea of complementarities as a measure to survive the challenges posed by other vicissitudes of life. Inter dependency, inter-relationship, collectivism and mutual coexistence form the basis for Igbo life pattern. (Asouzu 2013, p.403) Igbo communalism is primarily portrayed in living together and sharing things in common. This is the bedrock and the result of the wonderful relationship prevalent in the Igbo- African community as well as the purpose of the existence of the Igbo community in particular and of the Africans in general. This is in line with Asouzu’s development of the philosophy of “Ibuanyidanda” philosophy as an authentic traditional Igbo life pattern which has survived till today. “The concept Ibuanyidanda is drawn from the Igbo language and has as its nearest English equivalent the idea complementarity in the sense of “njikọka” (togetherness is greatest) “Igwebụike” (strength in togetherness)” (Asouzu, 2007, p.11). Communalism implies good spirit and preservation of age-long belief of love, unity and oneness. To this point, the concept of Ogbenye as the preservation of communal spirit means that it is the responsibility of the “ogbe” (village) to “nye” (give) “ndi na enweghi” (those who do not have). This is in line with Asouzu (2007) assertion that: The community constitutes the point of orientation for almost all human activities and determines human life even if these societies were committed to the insight of mutual complementary relationship between units within any given framework, we see them tending towards extreme measures in view of undermining this commitment (P.350) From the above, it is seen that what actually energizes communalism are the concepts of extended family (Ime-nne) kindred (Umunna) village (Ogbe) and clan, because at these levels, people live together and share responsibilities. This is because, the Igbo

Nnamdi Azikiwe Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 10 (2), 2018 society is communal and not collectivistic. Igbo people lay more emphasis on communal relationship among members of the family, community, village and clan than on the autonomy of members; as one is not considered separated but a member of a mystical body where he can only live life in full. Communalism urges all to be their brothers’ keepers. Communalism further breeds other concepts like “Uwa ezu- oke” the world is incomplete and “Onweghi onye ozuru” meaning nobody is perfect necessitates collectivism in the life of an Igbo person Without complementarity, human life would be unbearable isolated struggles that easily lead to self abandonment. We can now understand why the traditional Igbo never cease to sound the clarion call to complementarity and solidarity in times of crisis (Asouzu, 2007, P.105)

This assertion by Asouzu means that the Igbo people live their lives complementing one another. Hence, the concept of “EBUB” egbe gbere, ugo ebere loosely translated as “live and let’s live” and “Ubuntu” meaning “I am because we are.” According to Nze (1989) “the relationship existing between the society and the individual in a communalistic society is analogous to that existing between a mother and her embryo, each is connected with the other through the Umbilical cord (p.4). This means is that the individual cannot detach himself from the community. Thus, as he and strives to gratify his personal needs and expand his abilities, he sees all his efforts and aspirations as aimed at maintaining, preserving and sustaining his relationship with other members of the community of which he is a part of. Communalism is fraternal in the sense that it symbolizes a form of life of a people whose different members are held together by some parental link. Nobody can detach himself from his community because the community is the vehicle through which all activities are accomplished. Hence, solitary individual is an absurdity in Igbo communalism.

Ogbenye as an Extension of the Philosophy of Belongingness According to Onebunne (2018) “Belongingness is a fundamental quality in understanding being. No being can be understood in terms of its completeness but in relation to other beings” (p.31). It is the human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group; be it family, friends, co-workers, a religious group and cultural group. The Igbo community holds the concept of belongingness so highly that they coined expression like, “onye aghala nwanneya” meaning, no one should forsake his brother, “igwe bu ike,” “mmadu bu ibe ya” among others. Ndi-ogbenye as a recognized concept among the Igbo people was established as a result of the desire to assimilate all into one autonomous community; one do not have to live alone and there is a general belief that our actions have impact either positively or negatively on others. Hence, there is mandate to live rightly and justly. Through the philosophy of belongingness, Igbo people feel indebted to another. That is the major reason ndi-ogbenye is an acceptable concept among the people.

Onebunne The Contemporary Emerging Culture of Ndi Aririo … Ndi-Ogbenye as against Ndi-Aririo As noted above, ndi-ogbenye are people who live out their lives through the help of the community. They depend on the “ogbe” community, village or clan where they find themselves for survival. Ndi-ogbenye equally give to their community. They assisted the haves in domestic chores, farm work and transporting goods from the farm to the house and market. Culturally, Igbo people are not known to be beggars but givers, not borrowers but lenders. The idea of giving in pre-colonial Igbo land was a means through which the people shared their common interest and exhibited not sympathy but empathy to the have-nots. Ndi-Ogbenye was never criticized but their presence were appreciated in the community. The sense of Ogbenyeness in the traditional Igbo society was never a lack but people who had rights in the wealth of the community. This is because of the general belief that all fingers are not equal and to sustain the community, there has always been need for complementality of the haves and the have-not. Ndi-Ogbenye assisted in helping the people that had during the planting season to cultivate and transport farm produce from the barns and houses to the farm thereby, making active members of the labour force. They equally repeated same during the harvest period. Families who experienced bountiful harvest employed the services of Ndi-Ogbenye in harvesting, transporting or dressing the farm produce. By the close of the day, they were given enough to feed their immediate families and live well. During harvest season, people do not harvest all in the farm but leave some for Ndi-Ogbenye and this gave room to the acceptable concept of “Ikpa- ji,” “Ikpa-ukpaka,” and all forms of “Ihe ana-akpakpa.”

Culturally, it is not regarded as a sin, a crime or stealing if a fellow kinsman goes into the farm which has previously been harvested by the rightful owners to take the remnants of what is left in the farm which will feed him at that particular time. Most of the time, farm produce were generally collected from those whose crops may have yielded bountifully and distributed to Ndi-Ogbenye. But this concept has been replaced to ndi-aririo; a group of people in the family who depend solely on the family or community for survival. The difference between these two concepts is that while ndi-ogbenye contribute to the community where they find themselves, ndi- aririo do not. Ndi-aririo believe in receiving and not giving and often times are never contented with what is given to them. Aririo has serious implication for the city and national economy as beggars are not economically productive in any way since they contribute nothing to the economy. It leads not only to social relegation of the city but also to that of beggars who are also stigmatized. Ndi-Aririo constitutes a social threat to the Igbo communities and the Nigeria nation as a whole. This is because, an average Igbo person is not meant beg but perceive as an independent. In the contemporary Nigerian society and in the South-eastern part of the Nigeria, Ndi- Aririo portray a bad image to outsiders or strangers. Some criminals hid under the guise of “onye aririo” to perpetuate their evil deeds. They are at times used as instruments by mischief makers, who use them to vandalize public properties and utilities built with nation’s resources. The nefarious activities of those fake beggars such as criminals, area boys” and thugs constitute one of the sources of civil unrest to the city dwellers. To this end, ndi-aririo are liabilities to the community where they are found but the ndi-ogbenye are productive parts of the family and community. 46

Nnamdi Azikiwe Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 10 (2), 2018

Conclusion Aririo (begging) is not an acceptable concept for any family, clan or community that want to survive and more forward. This is because, ndi-aririo are parasites and contribute nothing to the growth of the community unlike ndi-ogbenye who live complementing the efforts of the haves through their assistance and willingness to perform any duty allocated to them as long as such tasks is moral and ethical. The influx and total reliance of ndi-aririo over ndi-ogbenye has slowed the growth and development that most Igbo communities would have experienced and left them at a level of profligacy and parsimony. This new trend must be frowned at and not allowed to persist and all who have hidden under the influence of “ogbenye” to perpetuate evil, disorder and breed contempt in the Igbo community.

Recommendations To reduce the influx of ndi-aririo and encourage ndi-ogbenye, the following recommendations: 1. People should be empowered and not only give them food that will satisfy their immediate needs. 2. Igbo people need to return to the period when they bore one another’s burden and were one another’s keeper 3. Igbo people should return to their communal ways of life. 4. The Igbo people should equally extol the spirit of belongingness.

Jude I. Onebunne Department of Education Foundation School of Education Federal College of Education (Tech) Umunze

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