“ISEKA AKWUKWO URE” RITES IN ACHARA ISUOCHI: A PAROXETINE TO THE CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS

Abstract

Rites can be regarded as one of the realities of human existence and they usually wrought nexus between the religious, economic, cultural, political and social realities of every given society. This nexus has been an intriguing exercise within the society and academic circle. Rite being one of the socio-economic, cultural and religious practices has remained age long practices with a sustained and evolving universal phenomenon. This is an unbiased investigation into the history of the people of AcharaIsuochi in Ummunneochi Local Government Area of Abia state, the hermeneutical foundation of “isekaakwukwoure” rites and the prospects of employing itsunique values in addressing the regrettable and avoidable leadership questions in Nigeria. Unlike other rituals and rites in some sensitive and pluralized religious and cultural environments across Igbo land, “isekaakwukwoure” rites havenot received the required historic and critical attentions even with some of its strong valuable heritages as exemplified in the culture of discipline, participatory governance and accountability and promotion of brotherhood. Adopting theBandura social learningtheoryand historical survey approach, the study also tries to analyze the implications of “isekaakwukwoure” rites in serving as model for the contemporary leadership questions in Nigeria.