EDITORIAL- Community Development: Why Well-Meaning People Should Assist The Government

This 1.05 kilometers road was built and financed by Chief Christian Obumneme Nwogu (Omekaodimma) as his personal contribution to the economic development of his community.

This noble achievement depicts the spirit Onye Aghana Nwanneya (Don’t leave your brother behind) that is part of the core values of Igbos. No matter where you have gone in life, remember there is a place called home. This is what drove many Igbo sons and daughters in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s to come back and contribute to the development of their communities.

In his book, The Making of an African Legend: The Biafran Story by Frederick Forsyth, he said this about the Igbos, “The secret of Biafra’s survival lies partly in the leadership of Colonel Ojukwu, but far more in the people of Biafra. Neither the leader nor the army could have fought without the total backing of the people. The support from behind has to be there before an army can do more than put up a token resistance.

Read Also: Igwe Nnewi Commissions Road In Nnewi Built by Philanthropist, Chief Christian Obumneme Nwogu

The people contributed everything they had got; poor villages took collections, rich men emptied their foreign accounts to donate dollars and pounds. Tailors made uniforms out of curtain material, cobblers turned out army boots from canvas strips. Farmers donated yams, cassava, rice, goats, chickens, and eggs. Bushmen came forward with axes and blunderbusses. Taxi drivers and Mammy-wagon owners drove troop convoys, priests and schoolteachers handed over their bicycles.”

Through community development, many hospitals, schools, churches, post offices, roads, water boreholes were built and constructed through these various initiatives. Many Igbos sons and daughters pulled their resources together to build these structures without waiting for the intervention of the government.

Regrettably, as more Igbos sons and daughters are getting richer and more influential, the spirit of Onye Aghana Nwanneya seems to be dying. Many rich people prefer to give food and clothes to the less privileged or donate some Naira to the “constituted authorities” in their communities. These cosmetics approaches are not bad, however, it doesn’t reflect a holistic approach in giving back to communities.

Read Also: Tochukwu Unachukwu Unveils Plans For Okpuno Nnewichi, Nnewi

However, community development should not be limited to building edifices for churches, renovating town halls, organizing football competitions between villages and end-of-the-year praise and prayer sessions.

The real community development should add value to the human capital. Without adding value to the human capital and focusing on churches, town halls, football competitions, a critical mass of troublesome, disempowered populace that will have nothing to contribute to the socio-economic development of Southeast.

The bare-faced truth is that the government at any level cannot do much with the little limited resources at their disposal. The current monthly allocations and Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) generated by the Southeastern states cannot give Igbos the quality of life required to thrive in this 21st century. If we are to survive and thrive, there should be an urgent need to inculcated community development as part of our ethos for nation-building.

The truth is that we are at war, we are at war with poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, crime and other vices threatening the advancement of our society. We cannot fold our hands for the government to do everything, we have to imbibe the spirit of Igwebuike (Unity is Strength) and Onye Aghana Nwanneya (Don’t leave your brother behind)