IGBOZURUOKE FORUM

Sometime in 2004, a garrulous bus conductor was having a field day; he was mocking the Igbo woman’s gait. This happened as the bus (the molue type that plied Oshodi/ Orile route then) stopped for some Igbo women returning from their monthly meeting to board the bus.

As the bus slowed down some of them scampered in, while others couldn’t and the bus had to come to a halt for the rest to board. This enraged the conductor who incidentally was an Igbo. He raged and described Igbo women as lazy, sluggish and weak to even raise their legs and jump into a bus.

“See these Igbo women, you will marry them with big amount enough to buy a bus for transport and they cannot do anything,” he said. In his bustle, he simply generalized and was anxious to compare Igbo women with their Yoruba counterpart. Equally, he failed to consider if the wrapper the women adorned, encumbered their movement or if any of them was new in Lagos and does not know how to quickly jump into a Molue bus.

Incidentally, another Igbo has just made the same generalized comment. In a twitter pronouncement, media personality, Nobel Igwe, announced that Igbo women are lazy and do not measure up with their Yoruba counterparts in terms of endeavours and achievements.

I bent backwards to narrate the incident of 2004 as a tip, and as a past outburst that has coincided with a recent one. In Nobel Igwe’s tirade, he not only accused them of being slothful but went on to portray them as lousy females who are only good at seeking inheritance and waiting for the demise of their spouses so that they would come into his wealth and retire as Ori Aku. Ori Aku, in Igbo language is one who settles down to enjoy.

Why I cannot stand in for Igbo women or completely debunk Igwe’s assertions, I am of the opinion, however, that the bus conductor and Mr. Igwe are dilettantes in this matter and have only resulted to generalization.

In the first place comparing an Igbo and a Yoruba woman in terms of endeavours and achievements without taking cognizance of the atmosphere they are associated with can be problematic. The culture and ideologies that mould these two are miles apart. While the Yoruba lady is free to compete and contest with her male counterparts in almost every sphere of endeavour, the Igbo lady is encumbered by the strict culture and ideologies of Ndi Igbo

For example, in most Igbo communities, including mine, it was a taboo in the past for an Igbo woman to prize or purchase a piece of meat in the open market.  If she does, it means she had no males where she comes from or resides. When that is not the case, she would be chastised and made to provide a hen and other condiments as a penalty. In the same vein, she would only rear or own fowls, goats; she cannot own cows. In cultivation, no woman owns, cultivates or harvest yams—Igbo chief crop

If a woman in Igbo land is sighted at a native doctor’s place without a male companion, all hell broke loose.  Before now, women are not allowed to traverse most community squares let alone dwell at such places, unless by summons or on special occasions. The reason for this is because of the Igbo abhorrence to the female menstrual circle that all Igbo ritualistic acts are averse to.

I have just mentioned these few limitations as an indication. If you juxtapose the Igbo culture and how it collaborates with its female, to that of the Yoruba, you will understand why one cannot literally say the Igbo woman is lazy.

In Yoruba land, a woman competes with the male in the activities of an abattoir; she is free to do as she deems fit and is a more frequent customer to the native doctors’ covens than even their male counterpart. In Yoruba land, a woman can virtually do anything or aspire to be anything. Certainly, the training and culture an Igbo lady is imbued with directs her steps and engagements.  While a few may be lazy or lousy, just as we have in other climes, generally, Igbo ladies are industrious, fighting fit and resourceful.

On the other hand, some wealthy Igbo men prefer their wives to just stay around take care of the home and enjoy the wealth and privileges they provide. Would you blame those in this category if they become slothful? Before long, such wealthy Igbo men,  usually sponsor  their prospective wives to train and become  what was then called ‘Mrs’ under the tutelage of prominent wives of teachers, clergy men civil servants. These categories of wives were groomed to be super housewives who stay at home, irrespective of their educational qualifications or prowess. In those days the homes of these housewives that swan with numerous house helps in addition, were temples of lounging and overindulged housewives who know nothing than lazy about and wait for their husbands to return. This culture still exists in some Efik and Ibibio communities today.

The positions of Igbo women in Nigeria even debunk this assertion. The Super falcons of Nigeria, is made up of fifty percent of Igbo ladies. The first female Olympic Gold Medalist in Nigeria is an Igbo lady. Linda Ikeji , who is an acclaimed female African blogger and others like her reveals successes in the young cadre as they excel in their chosen endeavours.   Furthermore, Igbo ladies in other businesses are committed, steadfast and known to have produced good results. In the same way, the likes of Justice Chioma Odili, Okonji-Iwuala and many others are Igbo women; so it becomes improbable to comprehend the lazy concept on Igbo women by anyone.

The Igbo cherish their daughters and wives and would do everything to enhance and protect them. Unfortunately, their neighbours who do not understand this character have the perception that because the Igbo pay heavy bride price, they have no option than to protect what has cost them so much. This is a wrong perception because; the huge bride price is part and parcel of an Igbo marriage system that has engendered a solid and enduring companionship since overtime. For example, divorce rate in Igbo marriage remains one of the least in the world Also, battering, lack of care for wife, children and abandonment by husbands are uncommon.

In Igbo land, a man who could not take proper care of his spouse and children is despised by the Umunna. Consequently, a wife who is bestowed with such care must be submissive and observe a culture that caters for her and her household.

For this reason, Igbo ladies who must observe certain norms are also expected to   behave along a stipulated guideline. Since the Igbo cherish their females and like to keep them in check, they debar them from many things. So, when an Igbo lady pause, while others move, or when she retreats at a point, she may be pandering to prejudices her progenitors placed on her path as a means of passage for a proper womanhood.

On inheritance, the quest, by a few Igbo ladies to enjoy this and had even gone to court to challenge the status quo, is detestable. The fact that some greedy and overzealous brothers or uncles of these ladies are abusing this tenet should not encourage an Igbo to challenge a fundamental principle in Igbo metaphysics.  It is regrettable some depraved kinsmen have hid under this tenet to perpetrate evil against widows and female children in negation to what the rules that govern this practice enunciates.

Since this issue of Igbo inheritance is not within the scope of this article, I will advise victims of any miss-application to seek proper interpretation of this canon as it affects her community from proper sources. However, it will be inadvisable to look towards the conventional court for an adjudication on this issue; the reason being that, if a conventional court, as when the Supreme Court of Nigeria, in a ruling, declared that Igbo female children are entitled to inheritance, it has not settle the case and will never settle the case

In fact, that ruling could be said to have ended up as an exercise in futility, as no Igbo community would be prepared to implement it. If Ndi Igbo allow their long-tested and revered tradition to be whimsically, upturned by conventional courts that base their verdicts on the Nigerian constitution, the Igbo will fail to subsist.  Allowing Igbo daughters to inherit their father’s property will be tantamount to a declaration that Igbo women should practice a dual autochthonous heritage in which a daughter who has been giving out in marriage will still have the right her male siblings enjoy in her father’s compound like the Yoruba, Efik etc.

Igbo culture, like that of the Hebrew, is unique and patriarchal in nature. Here, inheritance is strictly by primogeniture (inheritance by males).

Agreed that some daughters are resourceful and had being the ones that caters for the family when their male siblings engage in prodigality that still does not qualify such females to inherit ancestral property.

If a father decides to appreciate his daughter with a property, he should do that while living by giving her a property that doesn’t qualify as an inheritance or connected to the family’s ancestral possession.

What is playing out today are concerted efforts by some so-called- educated and liberated Igbo ladies and their male bootlickers to smuggle Yoruba, Efik etc., custom to Igbo land through the back door. Undoubtedly, the Igbo culture provides valves for every incident; any aggrieved person should explore it

Boniface Alanwoko, an Igbo activist, writes from Lagos

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