Why The Igbo Nation Is Returning To Odinala na Omenala

The Ìgbò society, with her accompanying civilization, has in the last 200 years witnessed five (5) major revolutions - all being a chain of attempts to resist the religio-political advancement of imperialism into our society and worldview. The aggressive return of the young generation of Ndị Ìgbò to Odinala na Omenala, as a tool for cultural, economic, spiritual, metaphysical, and social emancipation, is only but the fifth in this chain of connected revolutions, powered by Mmadụ (humans) na Mmụọ (spirits). However, before I go ahead to discuss what Odinala is and why Ndị Ìgbò are rediscovering their spiritual blueprint and returning to Odinala, let me first take you on a brief journey to where it all started and how we found ourselves here as Ndị Ị̀gbò. The first revolution that Ndị Ìgbò undertook in the past 200 years, was our bold resistance to the invasion of our society by the Europeans (British, etc.) overlords, implemented by the British Mission, a team of merchants and missionaries, who came to our shores with the grand plan of dismantling the systems that held our society together. This was a clear invasion with one goal in mind - to dominate and exploit the Ìgbò in perpetuity. The landing of the first two steamboats in 1841 at Aboh, and in 1857 at Onicha, would set the tone for the conflicts, that provoked our ancestors, and gave rise to the first revolution - a plethora of resistance movements and wars, of which the Ekumeku and Aro warriors were notable in fighting to preserve the commerce, culture, traditions, political structures, and indigenous spirituality of the Ìgbò nation. The second revolution, which Ndị Ìgbò undertook to reclaim our then-threatened sovereignty, was the protests and campaigns to eject the British Colonial Government from our land between 1914 and 1960. These protests would culminate in what later became Nigeria's independence. Although the fight for Nigeria’s independence was not only an Ìgbò affair, Ndị Ìgbò played an essential role in the fight for independence, which would later guarantee Ndị Ìgbò a spot on the list of races hated by the British. Events such as the Aba Women's War/Riot, which protested the heavy-handed taxation of Ndị Ìgbò by the colonial officers, sent a rippling shock around the world, registering the Ìgbò displeasure with Imperialism and inspiring the Ìgbò society to demand an end to the enslavement that we faced in our lands. The other notable character who galvanized Ndi Ìgbò in this second wave of our revolution was Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik Of Africa), a leading figure in the Independence Movement. Being a prominent Ìgbò man, and also one of the leaders of the revolution who kicked out the British from our shores added impetus to the already agitated Ìgbò consciousness, spreading the spirit of 'emancipation' to all corners of Ìgbò land. The 3rd wave of the Ìgbò revolution, which I consider to be the most politically relevant to the journey of the Ìgbò civilization in the last 2 centuries, is the Biafran Genocide, in which Ndị Ìgbò collectively demanded a separate nation away from Nigeria and her Imperialist affiliations and curses. For 3 years (plus), Ndị Ìgbò revolted against Nigeria and the Imperialist governments of Britain, together with their allies. This was no mere military revolution. It was an economic, social, cultural, and spiritual one, whose sole aim was preserving the Ìgbò society, whose foundations were laid on the philosophies and principles found in Odinala na Omenala, as a way of life of our noble people. This third wave of revolution would continue after the so-called 'Nigeria Civil War,' and would have Ndị Ìgbò rising from the ashes of the genocide, with nothing but 20 pounds (for those who had money in Nigerian banks) and sheer determination, to embark on an economic revolution, which pulled almost all of the Ìgbò nation out of poverty in about 20-40years. This period of the 3rd revolution had Ndị Ìgbò standing firm on the ancient philosophies of our ancestors, such as "Onye aghana nwanne ya," which was evident in the Ìgbò Apprenticeship System, and "Aka aja aja na ebute ọnụ mmanu," which led Ndị Ìgbò aiming for and achieving excellence in all of their endeavors globally till date.