Initially when I decided to write something today, I had a totally different thing in mind to talk about. But suddenly that changed, because I realised that in order to write fully on that topic, I must first write on this.
Being Igbo, what does this Mean?
Well,the Igbos are one tribe in Nigeria which have been misunderstood for a very long time. I don’t know about the entire history of the Igbos, but Here’s what I can tell you based on the little knowledge I’ve gathered from stories told by parents and strangers, as well as books and videos about the struggles of Ndi Igbo.
We all know the one thing people associate Igbo people with more than anything, no one else but our dear sister “Money”.
You see, when people talk about Igbo Men and women, everyone is quick to throw stones of morality and slavery to paper notes, like a crown worn by the Igbos.
MONEY IS NOT AN IDENTITY.
The love of money if we’re being honest with ourselves, is not a Tribe thing. It’s a multicultural character which is deeply ingrained in different tribal systems.
And it’s quite unfortunate that the narrative of Money being the Identity of the Igbos is still being propagated. However it’s up to the present generation to change such shallow narrative.
Because the Identity of the Igbo Man is so much more than Paper notes.
Being Igbo, you learn how to survive. Locally we call it “Hussle”. It is quite rare to see an Igbo Man that’s lazy or doesn’t have that spirit of struggling or working hard to make ends meet.
Ndi Igbo are the most Industrious of all the tribes in Nigeria. They thrive wherever they’re found, and this attitude towards life is what singles them out from the crowd.
Have you ever sat down to wonder why do people even say “Igbo people too like money ehh” Why do they use tones that display a certain type of displeasure or judgement? Why don’t they say Ah! Yoruba people love money more than anything, Or hausa people and money are like five and six?
Well I’ll tell you why. It’s the same reason we say Westerners love pepper, but you’ll be surprised at the number of western families that aren’t a fan of the flowering plant.
It’s the same reason we look down on the Northerners due to our belief of a majority being illiterates, but no one talks about the number of those who are actually Educated. It’s also the same reason when the term “Fraud” comes up, your first guess is “it has to be an Igbo person”.
These are all Narratives that have been Alive long before we were born, they are things we’ve grown up listening to. We are quick to question so many things, sometimes even God. But why don’t we ever question these narratives? What stops us from creating one that’s better? One that the next generation would be grateful for?
We need to understand that there is no Tribe of saints. Even in some nuclear families, there are black sheeps. Talk more of a whole ethnic group. There are Igbos invested in fraud and rituals just as there are Yorubas, Hausas, Ibibios, Idomas, Tivs etc who are also fraudsters.
How come the media doesn’t mention tribe when these other ethnic groups are involved? Why is it that the presence of an Igbo Man in a fraudulent act makes up a better news heading than the crime itself?
Inside their Minds 