The Place of Ndi-Igbo in Nigeria's Social and Economic Development

Journal of Education Research and Behavioral Sciences Vol. 2(12), pp. 239-249, December, 2013 Available online at http://www.apexjournal.org ISSN 2315-8735© 2013 Apex Journal International Review The place of Ndi-Igbo in Nigeria’s social and economic development Ikechukwu D. Ikerionwu Peace and Conflicts Studies Program, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, USA. Email: [email protected] Accepted 12 November, 2013 The advent of European colonialism radically altered the Igbo consciousness and compelled them to draw upon opportunities of the ‘new order’ to meet social and economic demands. The twentieth century was a period when the Nigerian people had to come to terms with the ‘new order’ introduced by their forceful integration into the global capitalist system. New music had been introduced; new dance steps were required. This study examines how the Igbo, in response to and in spite of, these dynamics carved a distinct place for themselves in Nigeria’s social and economic development. Indeed, the nature of the place of the Igbo vis-à-vis the country’s socio-economic evolution provokes intellectual fermentation. Are they taking their place in the sun or are they hewers of wood and fetchers of water in the Nigerian super structure? What factors have shaped their development? To what extent have external dynamics shaped the Igbo socio-economic factor? What are the omens for the future? Key words: Igbo, economy, century, opportunities INTRODUCTION The Igbo economy was dominated by agriculture, trade west of the River Niger and the semi-coastal of River and local manufactures. Between the eighteenth and State. nineteenth centuries, the Aro people (whose historical origins are influenced by Ibibio and other riverine links) developments nearly became an economic hegemony IGBO ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE COLONIAL over Igbo land. This is significant because the Igbo, PERIOD unlike many other ethnic groups that make up Nigeria, were never wielded into a large empire or state Pre-colonial Igbo economy had basically three (http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/Aro_people). foundations: agriculture, trade and manufactures. The Aro were both priests and clever traders who Agriculture was the mainstay of the country’s economy. It traveled and traded extensively in Igbo and Ibibio lands. was largely subsistence in nature and everyone, Consequently, various Aro settlements were established irrespective of gender, fully participated. Yam was the and dominated the local markets. They also specialized stable crop. Initially emphases on agriculture supersede in buying and selling of slaves, whereas the coast that of trade. Ecological differences and varied vegetation communities received slaves and other commodities for were the major factors behind the development of local their vital export trade. Their trade routes in the hinterland and regional trade amongst the Igbo. The inhabitants of that the Aro controlled and monitored radiated in all northern and central Igboland, whose soils were over- directions; however, Aro’s domination did not accumulate farmed, resorted to trade. The discovery of iron ore in to a comprehensive political control. (Anene, 1979) Awka, salt in Uburu and Okposi, and lead in Abakaliki Following the British destruction of the Ibinu Ukpabi, encouraged mineral exploitation and the growth of crafts (the Aro’s central instrument of religious practices and and manufactures such as the famous blacksmithing business domination) the process that forcefully brought forges in Awka (Anene, 1979). the Igbo nation into Nigeria commenced. Today, Igbos There were commercial links between the Igbo and dominates the South-Eastern Nigeria states of Imo, Abia, their Benin, Igalla, Idoma, Ibibio and Ijaw neighbors Anambra, Enugu, and Ebonyi. These Igbo communities during the pre-Colonial Era. The Aro extended their also form sizeable minorities in Delta State that is located commercial links far and wide and thereby subsumed into 240 J. Edu. Res. Behav. Sci. Aro economic hegemony. It is a fact that the coastal factors. However, with a dynamism that characterizes the demand for slaves whetted Aro’s greed and did not work innate Igbo flexibility, they came to terms with the new successfully with the earlier trade links. world demands. During the period of the nineteenth century, the new The political economy of the Igbo had been self- developments that shaped Igbo social and economic motivated Nigerians moved from the pre-colonial evolution were outlined and projected for the next economy into the slave trade era (an epoch that century. Although the Aro successfully kept much of extended into the colonial economy). One major Igboland under its control with its dreaded Ibinu Ukpabi contribution that cannot be disputed by Africanists is the and renowned Abam mercenary-warriors, they could not fact that colonial capitalism subordinated the pre-existing withstand the forerunners of British colonial rule. Olutayo social structure within, which many people participated. highlights these developments: Unlike in the northern part of Nigeria where, according to The major crisis of the Aro oligarchy began with the Shenton, merchant capitalism did not subordinate the persistent expansion of European influence. existing social structure well enough (Shenton 1986). Christianity became established on the Niger. From the Eastern Nigeria witnessed appreciable transformation of late 1830s, the British began to sign slave trade treaties its social structure. It was within the eastern region, unlike with various communities. The establishment of British in the other parts of Nigeria that capitalism had a free consuls, first, at the Bights of Benin and Biafra, and later, hand, to do whatever it wanted. The colonial government at the Oil Rivers, after being made a protectorate under catalyzed this process immensely (Olutayo 1999). the United African Company, and so on, all contributed to Colonialism boosted the so-called legitimate trade in its weaken the religious and economic supremacy of the own interest. The Igbo communities gained relative free Aro. The people started to jettison the traditional religion access to the trade in palm produce because of the and beliefs. The establishment of consular agents also British destruction of Aro and associated interest assisted the British in abolishing human scarifies, especially with the coastal ones. The twentieth century especially through the establishment of Native Courts gave the gleam of opportunity to the Igbo entrepreneur. under MacDonald’s administration in 1891. The building Nonetheless, this process increased the number of of roads did not follow the old trade routes, and the people participating in trade, which a majority of these administrative headquarters gradually moved trade away participants were peasants, producing and trading on a from the Aro trade route network (Olutayo 1999). small scale since they had little or no access to loans and Coastal traders and some pro-British groups among the interest whereas the Aros and other coastal traders had Igbo saw economic advantages and helped the British possessed (Olutayo 1999). abolish the Aro oligarchy. This new situation gave the This situation facilitated the imposition of colonial rule Igbo hinterland producers of palm oil and allied products and the subsequent development of infrastructure to direct access to coastal traders who had dealt with the boost European commercial activity. In this new Aro middlemen. Some of these coastal traders were also dispensation, the Europeans needed indigenous agents Igbo. It also gave the Igbo access from the areas who could neither on their own export commodities nor adjacent to the North, and more coastal-bound import foreign goods. With wholesale discrimination compatriots, direct access to the Europeans. against Nigerian entrepreneurs by the banks and Over time, the Northern Igbo became more favorably effective European combinations to muscle out new disposed towards trade and alliances with the Europeans entrants into the market, it was obvious that the Igbo to the detriment of their Southern counter parts (Olutayo, were not going to find things easy in the new socio- 1999). These were just a few of the dynamics to proclaim economic dispensation. However, the new Western way Igbo entrepreneurship during the colonial period. In most of life has become the primary hope of survival and economies, the agrarian foundations were made up of achievement for the younger Igbo, and for all Nigerians. Nigerian entities and stopped the mercantilist industrial Trade replaced agriculture and manufacturing and capitalism of the colonialists. Undoubtedly, the colonial became the preferred profession alongside civil service master was motivated by self-interest but the building of for Nigerians and was noted as the quickest avenue of modern infrastructure, the development of modern integrating into the monetized economy. communication, the encouragement of growth of cash In the 1920s, 1930s and even beyond, foreign crop production, introduction of portable currency, companies like the Royal Niger Company, Miller western education, urbanization and other hallmarks of Brothers, John Holt, United African Company, G. B. integration into a capitalist and monetized system implied Ollivants, and other businesses subjugated large-scale that opportunities and challenges stood before the commercial activities. As early as 1931, a few rich Igbo Nigerian people. individuals gained foothold in the palm oil trade as agents The Igbo

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