24022021 - Banditry designed to 9 destroy Nigeria — GOVS

26 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2021
VOL. 2 NO. 71
Why the first son is accorded
high respect in Igboland
— Monarchs, Igbo leaders
By Anayo Okoli, Vincent
Ujumadu, Chidi Nkwopara,
Ugochukwu Alaribe,
Nwabueze Okonkwo,
Chinenye Ozor, Chinedu
Adonu, Chinonso Alozie,
Ikechukwu Odu &
Steve Oko
ENUGU—IN Igboland, the
first son is generally
accorded high recognition and
respect by the family. He also
wields enormous traditional
powers in the family’s decisionmaking.
Whether he is rich or
poor, his opinion is always
sought and respected by
members of the family. This age
long tradition has not changed
and may not likely change in the
near future. Question is; what is
special in first sons of Igbo
families?
According to the revered
monarch of Abriba ancient
kingdom, Enachioken Abriba,
Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu (iv), Igbo
accord high recognition to the
first son because he is the
family’s first hope for continuity.
The first son, he said, is the first
proof of his father’s strength and
symbol of hope for the family’s
continuity, hence, the special
place he occupies in the family.
This strong position, he
explained, stems from the
tradition and common mentality
among the Igbo that male
children are sine-qua-non for
the family lineage to be
maintained.
“The first son is the first male
blood of the man; his alter ego,”
the monarch explained, "and he
is considered the heir apparent
of the family. Besides,because
male children unlike their female
siblings carry on the family’s
name, it becomes necessary that
the first son who is also the
evidence of the progenitor’s
manhood, is highly revered.
“Ndigbo have the culture that
female children will eventually
be married off; so any family
without a male child is seen to
have gone into extinction. That
is why the first son has much
respect”, the monarch said, but
however, noted that some first
sons tend to get carried away by
their coveted position while some
act irresponsibly.
He noted that such
unbecoming attitude is not
enough to deprive them of their
birthright as doing so is not
without some consequences.
The Enachioken also cited a
case in his kingdom where a
certain wealthy subject who
trained his first son abroad and
upon graduation, he returned to
•He is the family’s first hope for continuity — Enachioken Abriba
•First son has same authority as his father — Igwe Ekere
•A Jewish tradition, confirms Igbo connection to Jews — Ezekwesiri
•He enjoys special privileges in the family — Eze Nwabeke
•He represents the father, whether dead or alive — Igwe Ukuta
•Plays prominent role in family, upon father's death — Lawyer
•A group of Igbo entertainers.
the country and he assisted him
to secure a lucrative job but
unfortunately, that man’s son
was later got involved in stealing
of the firm’s property, a situation
that landed him in jail.
“In those days when there was
bucket latrine, the boy, from
prison, would carry bucket of
faeces past their house and the
father who felt disgraced,
stripped him of his right as the
first son. But till today, that family
has not known peace.”
In the opinion of the traditional
ruler of the Iggah Ancient
Kingdom in Isi-Uzo Uwani Local
Government Area of Enugu
State, Igwe Herbert Ukuta, the
respect being accorded every
first son in Igbo families is
because he represents the father,
whether dead or alive.
According to Igwe Ukuta,
because the daughters of the
family would be married off
eventually, only the first son
bears the family symbol with or
without the father of the house.
“The culture has been there
from time immemorial. In Igbo
tradition, he inherits whatever
the father left for the siblings. It
is left for the first son, whether
he is a good or a bad one to be
in unity with the siblings,
especially after the death of the
father.
“Sometimes, the first son can
be the last born of the family but
the sisters still nurture him and
accord him huge respect in Igbo
tradition,” the monarch said.
The Chairman, Abia State
Council of Traditional Rulers,
Eze Ndubuisi Nwabeke, agreed
that it is the tradition of the Igbo
people for the first son of the
family to enjoy special privileges
and explained that enjoyment of
the special privileges has
nothing to do with whether he
is rich or poor.
According to him, most
families treasure the training of
Ndigbo have
the culture that
female children
will eventually
be married off;
so, any family
without a male
child is seen to
have gone into
extinction
the first son because he is
expected to take care of the family
on the retirement of his parents.
The respected monarch noted
that such special privileges
include the fact that the family
cannot take any major decision
without the consent of the first
son and taking over the control
of the family when his father
dies. “It is a known fact that in
Igboland, high recognition and
respect is accorded the first son
of the family. He is accorded this
respect not minding his financial
and social status, wealthy or
poor.
“The family cannot take any
major decision without seeking
the opinion of the first son. Most
times, a father may want to
dispose of his property but the
buyer of such property will like
to get the approval of the first
son because if he didn’t get the
approval, there may be
problems. In most cases, you
can’t buy a property from a
family without the consent of the
first son. Such transactions are
invalid until the first son
appends his signature. It is a
tradition in Igboland that in the
absence of the father of the
family, the first son takes over
the administration of the family.
He is expected to take care of
the mother and assist his
siblings.”
•An Igbo first son.
Eze Nwabeke further
explained that on the sharing of
the family’s wealth on the death
of the father, the first son gets
ther largest share.
“At the demise of the father, the
traditional system of sharing the
father’s property allocates
bigger shares to the first son. The
father while alive takes time to
show the first son his property,
his money in the bank and even
his liabilities. The father also tells
his first son his life story.
Whenever his father dies, the
first son is answerable to the
kinsmen on the burial plans and
other issues pertaining to the
sharing of the father’s assets and
liabilities. So, the first son enjoys
special privileges in the family.
It is a revered and time-tested
tradition in Igboland,” Eze
Nwabeke declared.
In his contribution, the
traditional ruler of Amandim Olo
in Ezeagu Local Government
Area of Enugu State, Igwe
Hayford Agana agrees that the
first son plays vital roles in the
administration of his late father’s
property. The position under the
customary law of succession in
Igboland, according to him, is
that the first surviving son takes
over the leadership of the family
when the father dies.
Igwe Agana, however, noted
that in Olo heterogeneous
cultural affinity, the first son does
not enjoy all the property without
responsibilities.
He is responsible for the
upkeep of the spouses of his late
father in a polygamous family.
He also takes care of the needs
of the younger ones from the
inherited property which he
cannot shy away from.
The paramount ruler of
Isuochi, Eze Godson Ezekwesiri
links the special recognition of
the first son to Jewish tradition
which he said lends credence to
the theory that Igbo have their
roots in the Jewish tradition.
According to him, birthright is a
serious matter even in the Bible
as seen between Jacob and Esau
following the animosity by Esau
against Jacob for taking over
his birthright. The monarch said
the first son is also revered in
Igbo tradition because the
responsibilities of his father
squarely fall on him upon the
death of his father.
According to him, the first sons
sometime deny themselves of
certain pleasures and
opportunities in their bid to cater
for the family or ensure their
siblings are reasonably trained.
He cautioned that under no
circumstance should the first son
be robbed of his birthright.
According to him, the first son
even if he happens to be the last
born of the family, should be
accorded his rights and
privileges.
“The first son indisputably
inherits the father’ s Obi
(ancestral compound), his gun
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