By Uche Nworah (Ezeudo)
I have a different view to the arguments of those who have been online bashing family members and friends who sent gifts, sprayed money and showed love to the Iyiegbu family of Oba, Anambra State, as they buried their matriarch, Late Ezinne Uche Iyiegbu.
I am of the view that you can’t tell a man how to spend his legitimately earned money. Moreso, it’s impossible to prevent people showing appreciation to Chief Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, a man they love, someone who has one way or the other impacted their lives and businesses. Even those that he hasn’t personally impacted sought to identify with him as it has become aspirational to do so.
After all, Ndigbo say that ‘Onye Fee Eze, Eze Eru Ya’.
What’s important here is that the present generation have since zeroed in on the Obi Cubanas of this world as role models, and not your typical Igbo business man of old such as Ibeto, Iwuanyanwu, Coscharis etc.
It will appear that the present set of young Igbo billionaires have a different mindset, they seem to network better, invest a lot on building goodwill through helping others, socialise better, have a freer mindset, are less competitive with each other, and are more cooperative with each other.
They celebrate and support each other more, tend to patronise each other’s businesses unlike the older generation of Igbo business men who one may argue had a ‘Somu ga abu Eze’ mindset.
This is progress for me, and a huge generational mindset shift.
One could see some demonstration of ‘rebellion’ during their social outings. They seem to use such to ‘show the system’, the Nigerian system that has always through negative policies sought to hold the Igboman down. It’s as if they are saying to the flawed system, ‘FCUK YOU’, You can’t hold us down.
It is important also not to lose the wider lesson of their behaviour on young Igbo men and women. I see through their behaviours virtues of hardwork, enterprise and above all brotherhood. These we should cherish and promote, rather than condemnation.
Let me sign out with the trending Igbo universal mantra, ‘Nwanne jee chuba ego’.
I am proudly Igbo.
• Dr. Norah is the Managing Director, Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), uchenworah@yahoo.com