IGWEBUIKE PHILOSOPHY, NATIVE PASTORATE PROGRAMME AND CONTEMPORARY NEO-COLONIALISM
Abstract
The question of selfhood and national integration call for a reflection on how various ideologies as well as groups have contributed in giving Nigerian state the shape it has today, not only as a multi-ethnic nation rich in both human and natural endowments, but as a sovereign independent state. Such important reflection brings to the fore such ideology like the Igwebuike philosophy of the pre-colonial Africa, which played a key role in the realization of the Native Pastorate Programme, developed towards the end of the nineteenth century within the ecclesiastical circle but which was a significant instrument in the hands of Nigerian educated Christians for the realization of their political goals and national integration. The significance of this reflection lies in its inspiration for effective response to contemporary neo-colonialism in Nigeria. This novel idea is the contribution of this study to scholarship. The study advocates that in the present struggle against neo-colonialism and the quest for more sustainable development in Nigeria, attention must not be lost of what such an ideology as Igwebuike can offer in the actualization of this noble course. Neo-colonialism came and precipitated a social disintegration with its attendant economic dependency, living the people in the hands of neo-colonial exploiters and their black accomplices. However, a united effort can still be the principle for sustainable development and national integration. This is the principle that Igwebuike stands for and which contributed in no small measure in the pursuit of the 19th century Native Pastorate Programme and the eventual evolution of modern Nigeria