I had studiously refrained from lending a voice to this subject discussion, not for lack of interest, but a colossal waste of intellectual energy on a topic encapsulated with misguided idolatry which is not tethered to human advancement. However, snippets of responses and on some occasions, a full rejoinder keeps finding my mailbox (appreciated), therefore, joining the fray became inescapable.
It has become transparently obvious that some of the rejoinders to the originating write-up by Mr. Ikeogu have no semblances in response to the writer’s content and in some cases, regurgitation of urban legends perpetuated through our homeland from past generations without a colonoscopy-type examination for accuracy. The concerned rejoinders are the ones from the title holders that are loathsome to Mr. Ikeogu’s write-up and to be expected but disappointingly so. These are people who could be championing reform ideas to the title-taking process. In my humble opinion, and I surmise it as follows, it’s either a lack of reading comprehension which may be undoubted or a spur/tertiary rejoinder via an outraged rejoinder to Mr. Ikeogu’s treatise. I was inclined to settle with the latter but paused as the misdirection of the rejoinders may be deficient on both counts. As it is commonly stated, “If the only tool in the tool bag is a hammer, everything else becomes a nail.” Since the originating write-up had shone a ray of light to the lavish process of title-taking in Onicha, some people became enraged for touching the third rail of Onicha’s socio-political strata and as such tried to make him a persona non grata in their limited world view.
Mr. Ikeogu did not include a scintilla of negative assessment on Ozo as an institution itself, just the lavishness towards title attainment which could be recalibrated, not eliminated, for a robust outlook for generations to come.
The article which was purporting to show lavishness was not limited only to title-taking but also inclusive of funerals and weddings. How is it that none of the rejoinders have defended the lavishness in funerals and weddings which were part of Mr. Ikeogu’s treatise but have strained themselves defending lavishness in title-taking? What about the negative health effect of alcoholism on the masses due to the social lavishness as Mr. Ikeogu intimated? Where are the pushbacks?
First, kudos, and a mightily one to Mr. Ikeogu for the well-reasoned and written treatise which was aptly constructed less nuanced, articulated with crisp penmanship and without ambiguity on his desire for a well-functioning homeland (Onicha) in-spite of his critical examination. The cited figures in his article notwithstanding, the theme of his article about lavishness was on target and did hit a bull’s eye with incontrovertible wrap to debunk. One who is quibbling on the accuracy of the cited figures, or a flawed study window is merely providing a purposeful distraction.
As a diasporan, some of the rejoinders from fellow diasporans have been instructive in showing their levels of ignorance on public policy and the socio-economic components of the host countries. Some have analogized the lavish title-taking as a non-compulsory tax-like distribution of wealth without a full scope of understanding on micro and macro-economic theories/models. In accordance with economists, wealth distribution is based on a wealth vertical transfer slide from the rich to the poor and not a circular distribution between rich/affluent as is the title-taking process. Others have intimated that the lavishness of title-taking could be a quasi-employment opportunity. Although there is an element of truth regarding employment opportunities, it is only based on the consumption sector of the economic output and completely lacks the production sector which is the engine of a sustained economic growth and stability of a region. Some of the rejoinders have laid the failure of this economic malfeasance on the government and appropriately so, however, since capital formation for economic opportunities and human advancements are scarce and diasporans have demonstrated its availability, why not consider Mr. Ikeogu’s idea of redirecting some of the lavish resources towards human advancement.
The rejoinder that spurred my reaction was that of Nnabuenyi Uwechia which has now elicited a full-frontal endorsement of Orimili Kwentoh with an avowed displeasure of any fraternal member having a different point of view/opinion. Nnabuenyi is an independent thinker and I have a deep respect and admiration for his intellectual acumen as well as being an accomplished professional.
However, he seemed to have tied one-half of the cell synapses of his highly intellectual brain capacity behind his back to appease his fellow titleholders. He clearly identified the importance of endowment and introduced a few examples of such deeds in well-written passages as an element of a giveback to one’s alma mater for apparent opportunity to others. As his rejoinder kept weaving in and out of eloquence, he skated around lavishness regarding title-taking and had only implicit references. Instead, he erroneously analogized lavishness of title-taking to such socially based apparatuses such as country club memberships and aficionados in the United States.
Speaking only about country club memberships, which are exorbitant both in the initial entry fee and monthly dues as he correctly intimated, and in some cases, some country clubs are far more expensive than what he had even indicated. Such a splashing of wealth just for membership would be categorized as the top of Mount Everest of lavishness to a far-away observer. Not too fast, the fulcrum and the overarching interests for such expenditures by these uber-rich members have multiplicity of benefits. At the top of their membership benefits is a labyrinth of business connections and opportunities which may not be accessible through open sources or having an early jump on business opportunities. As these country clubs have an array of recreational facilities ranging from swimming pools to tennis courts, the second important benefit is also the social commingling of their families through recreational events for future connections amongst their children or grandchildren. How about those wonderful recommendation letters for their kids for elite university admissions? Also, underneath these enormous expenditures are tax deduction capabilities of their membership fee/dues which although are not permissible as a business expense in the Tax code but could be cleverly worked into a capital expenditure and deducted. So much for lavishness when tax accountants exist!! The ancillary benefits of these country clubs to the local economies are plentiful, ranging from stable employment opportunities to tax-revenue base.
In rebutting Mr. Ikeogu’s marginal opinion regarding underage initiates pending maturity and establishing self-worth, Nnabuenyi rather amplified the importance of underage initiates as a special attribute of Onicha people in the early introduction of her children into the footsteps of their fathers and a beacon for Onicha people. Nnabuenyi couldn’t have been more wrong about that as if the young adults of non-title status are bereft of the cultural pathway unless a title holder. As a thought experiment and with a utopian backdrop, what will Onicha look like if all the young adults are title holders? A stable and lasting society/community is never built from top-down, refer to the feudal system and its demise. How many of Nnabuenyi’s generational compatriots were young title holders while he was growing up in Onitsha? There were none during my time unless I missed it.
These young initiates are Marriott Hotel ballroom diasporan-culturists and upon the earthly exit of their fathers will be tagged in Onicha with the Spanish vernacular equivalent of a “gringo.” Wealth can proverbially lift a young adult to the top of the cultural structure, but the slender support will not withstand the adverse wind forces of culture.
The early introduction of young adults into the cultural pathway are, but not limited to, are as follows:
• Village square clean-up on a Saturday morning (extinct now) with the penalty of a no-show young adult being the confiscation of their mother’s cooking utensil
• An active participation in a village musical troupe.
• Grave-digging for a village-departed soul.
• Overnight masquerade initiation as a fraternal step to manhood and other ancillary events.
These are some of the pathways a young adult embraces and immerses in the culture, matures into a culturist stalwart, and thereby, commands respect among his peers.
In closing, Mr. Ikeogu should be celebrated for the gem in his article and maybe, just maybe, Agbalanze should confer on him an honorary membership title of Ofulu-Uzo, just saying.
As the construction of the social-separating wall continues to rise in height and delineates the community as class-based, the socio-economic ruination would have been completed with diasporans’ complicity. Also, as the pool of potential and aspiring title takers in the diaspora continues to shrink by virtue of simple arithmetic and the gyration of the currency exchange rate becoming less palatable, belt-tightening on the ensconced title holders in Onicha would usher a different economic reality for the community at large.
Or, maybe, funeral and wedding extravaganzas would accelerate for make-ups as the former is fast becoming a diasporan responsibility to bury the dead through monetary contributions to be splashed in Onicha.
Now, if you haven’t had the opportunity to read Mr. Ikeogu’s treatise or may have read it but lacked comprehension or have known about it through a secondary source, please read it for posterity.
Ike Onwuazor
