Umuaka Convention: Austin Agbahiwe delivers a lecture of the century.

Title: Individual Collectivism Not Isolationism: The Panacea for Unity, Development and Greatness.

Background: Today, more than twenty three years after most of the greater percentage of former constituents of Umuaka were created as autonomous communities (during Achike Udenwa’s regime), we have not made quantitative progress collectively as a people and as separate individual autonomous communities in all known developmental key performance indices. This is generic with the exception of Obinwanne Umuaka community born in 2019 during the last days of Rochas Okorocha’s regime as the governor of Imo state. In more concrete terms, the collective assets, which in economics are referred to as fundamental fixed capital formations, put in place by our fathers are crumbling down and we are quarrelling over who controls. More worrisome is the fact that almost all the individual communities as they are presently constituted are in shambles as a result of leadership tussles in one form or the other. The effect being that in spite of notable personal developmental strides, no form of sustainable unity, peace and development has ever been witnessed in any of these our geopolitical ecosystem. In our respective autonomous communities, we cannot even sit down together, discuss and agree on credible institutions and criteria for choosing our leaders, given the importance of leadership in driving the visions of a people. The struggle for life survival for our people tends to be rooted in who will be able to outwit each other and be seen as a local champion influencing the way things should be.

It is against this backdrop that our people are realizing that we are not making collective progress as a people because we are not united. The level of disunity in the respective autonomous communities add credence to this. But in today’s global interdependent world, where synergy is crucial and a common denominator, we have no choice than to be united if we are to move forward as a people, otherwise we should forget about sustained development and peace.

It is on record that most progressive communities in Igboland like Mbaise, Arochukwu, Nkwerre, Oguta, Mbieri and Awo-Omama, etc, have through the internalization of the “individual-collectivism” concept among themselves created and sustained wider economic associations, well-netted political solidarity and even a pronounced desire for a new political, social and economic order. But what do we see in Umuaka? Nothing other than a community busy and consciously working towards the absolute disintegration of our fatherland especially with immense “individual-isolationism’’ songs coming from most of the autonomous communities in various forms.

What actually are the problems? How did we get to where we are today? Where do we go from this ugly trend? Are there hopes? What roles are expected from our people in the diaspora especially Umu Umuaka bina America, where most of our first class human resources are residing?

Conceptualizations & Applications

According to Artificial Intelligence (AI, 2025), Individual-collectivism concept, of a people, refers to the socioeconomic and politico cultural dimension that explores the balance between autonomous interests and collective well-being, while individual-isolationism sees autonomous communities prioritizing personal interests over collective well-being.

In the context of autonomous communities living in the same ecosystem, like Umuaka, isolationism-collectivism can manifest in different ways:

Isolationist Approach

• Prioritizing autonomous interests: Communities might focus on their own economic, social, or environmental goals, potentially leading to competition and conflicts with neighboring communities.

• Autonomy and self-governance: Each community might prioritize its own decision-making processes and governance structures, potentially leading to diverse approaches to resource management and environmental stewardship.

Collectivist Approach

• Shared goals and cooperation: Communities might prioritize collective well-being, cooperation, and mutual benefit, leading to collaborative efforts in resource management, environmental issues, and social development.

• Interdependence and shared responsibility: Communities might recognize their interconnectedness and shared responsibility for the ecosystem’s health, leading to joint initiatives and collective problem-solving.

Implications for Umuaka Nation

• Resource management: Isolationist approaches might lead to over-exploitation of resources, while collectivist approaches might promote sustainable resource management and shared benefits.

• Cultural conservation: Collectivist approaches might foster joint conservation efforts, while isolationistic approaches might lead to conflicting priorities and cultural and moral values degradation.

• Social development: Collectivist approaches might promote social cohesion and mutual support, while isolationistic approaches might lead to social isolation and decreased cooperation.

Overall, in our context as Umuaka people, living in the same ecosystem, finding a balance between individual interests and collective well-being is crucial for promoting sustainable development, social harmony and overall wellbeing.

How Did We Get This Far?

Since the demise of some of our great heroes among whom were; Ben Opara, (Akajiaku), Dennis Nwokedi, D.O Nwokebu, Mathias Amadike, Herbert Dikeocha, Luke Ahanotu, Francis Oguike, Geofrey Agwubuo, (Young Okongwu), Sam Udeagwu (Oshimiri), Dr JOL Ezeala (Egbendu), Dr Tony Nganwuchu etc, not much in terms of infrastructural developments have been witnessed in our communities. We cannot even maintain the assets they left for us, yet Umuaka communities can boast of more wealthy sons and daughters today, than there was during our predecessors. We do not even have the needed peace not to talk of loving each other. Rather in the face of the misconceptions of autonomous creations, we are all busy fighting for who will be the leader and who will not as if we are all going to live forever on earth. Our people are busy struggling for vanity and ego-related issues. What a shame! It’s a disturbing situation that we as Umuaka people wasted several years quarreling among ourselves on even less topical issues like which name to answer (NjabaSouth, old Umuaka, Akah Ebeiri, Akah, etc) collectively, in spite of our respective autonomous nomenclature, as if jettisoning our father’s name will give us an impactful outlook. Time has proven us wrong!

And down here in America our people were infected with the home virus at various times struggling with a name to answer (recalls the atmosphere that heralded Akah National Convention held in New Jersey, where I delivered a key note address in May 26, 2012), centering mainly on which group should produce the leadership, forgetting absolutely that their actions fuel the total confusions at home.

How many of the autonomous communities have been able to organize themselves in such a way as to begin to address the issue of having the needed infrastructures like secondary schools, daily markets, hospitals/health centres, motor parks, etc that are basic infrastructures that any autonomous community must have? Or are we still wishfully hoping after over twenty three years that because we have an autonomous status, the government is bound to provide these infrastructures? For where?

If so, that would be a mere wishful illusion, for even when we were one autonomous community, the government was unable to provide those infrastructures for us. That we have them was due to the collective efforts of the then entire 10 villages, and the trend is not likely to be different, especially with the worsening global crises that is affecting both government and individuals. In reality, as the world continues to develop and seek better standard of living, there will be continous tremendous pressure on the finances of government, and unless communities embrace unity there will not be the needed atmosphere for people to pool resources together for the betterment of themselves. If Umu Umuaka bina America fails to take the lead, just as akin to what President Trump is doing to ensure that nations of the world better their people in concrete terms, their umbrella organization, (Umuaka National Union) will merely become what economists call, “a cooperative association”, with the mission of bettering their individual members welfares.

Down in our state, the Mbaises are everywhere. They influence issues in our state, with so many of them in government, ministries, etc. There is no doubting the fact that an Amakor, Uba, Umuele, etc man for example, may have to wait for ages at Amah JK in Owerri if he waits for a taxi to convey him home from there without mentioning Umuaka. And yet, when you are in Owerri, a town less than 20 km from Umuaka, and you ask an Amiyi, Ibele, Amakor, Umuele, Achara, etc man where he is from, he will quickly tell you that he is from Umuaka. He will not mention that he is from say Ibele Njabasouth. I therefore ask our people, which name is more important; the one an individual is called or the one he answers to? I therefore appeal to our people in their respective autonomous communities today, to go back to the drawing board, strategize, form structures which is the bedrock of democracy and institutionalize how to live peacefully as a community as that will transcend to a better overall peace and unity needed to develop our communities and make Umuaka great.

A situation in Amazano where all the various constituting zones of Umuele have not accepted their present Eze and are in court, contesting position does not show unity and it is a trend that can make reconciliations and trusts difficult. A situation where the entire zones in Ibele cannot sit together since being an autonomy 23 years ago, to fashion out an acceptable workable ezeship institution, instead a group of people want to enslave others by adopting a hereditary ezeship model in today’s 21st century is an aberration and a threat to peace that can precipitate to long legal battles in future. That Amiyi people fought and burned down individual hard-earned assets because of autonomous leadership makes mockery of brotherhood spirit, even as the youths a couple of years back decided to take back their community and are working assiduously towards generic peace and unity. That Achara cannot agree to front one Eze at least for a tenor given the realities of today’s world is saddening and heart breaking. That Ugbele-Akah cannot call a spade a spade and move on with an accepted leader smacks of an unquantifiable ill-feeling. That Amakor, saddled with lengthy legal battles, has not yet made up their mind on whom their Eze should be, is a disturbing trend. That the Isiozi people are always in the eyes of the storm agreeing and disagreeing with their Eze is an unhealthy phenomenon, etc. From the forgoing, you can discern that our problems are deep down. Where do all these leave us –isolationism, sectionalism, pull-down-syndrome and character assassination of prominent citizens of each of the communities. People forget that after you kill your great warriors in domestic fight, and your real and true enemies invade your home, you regret your action and bite your fingernails endlessly, but the deed had already been done.

A nation or a community can only function well with defined institutions agreed upon and rules implemented by the people for themselves. That is the secret of the great nations and communities all over the world. Go and ask ndi America, ndi Britain, ndi India etc, and down here, ndi Mbaise, ndi Nkwerre, ndi Ibadan, ndi Ijebu, ndi Onitsha, etc. Let`s think long-term!

What Roles Can Umu Umuaka bina America Play?

Umu Umuaka bina America in the good old days were so organized that their influences on how issues ahome were determined were legendary. I recall that it was you that organized the elections that ushered in the government of Dr Mazi Ojiaku as the President-General of Umuaka Development Union (UDU) in the early 90s.

What of your immense contributions to the electrification of Umuaka and the provision of equipments in the community hospital, etc?

But today, what do we see? Without discounting the progress you have made since the New Jersey 2012 convention and the subsequent ones, you guys should take the centre stage. Why? Most of our very best in human resources development are living in this part of the earth. And expectedly the impact ahome in all circumstances should be felt at all times. Take back your enviable power of influence and our communities at home will be better for it. For in the words of late Chief Luke Ahanotu, 1958, “Individuals ordinarily are made wise and relevant to the society not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”

Why is this so? This is topical because home is where our heart is. I see the optimism and enthusiasm in all of us here today for this unique gathering of Umuaka people and so many other patriotic sons and daughters of Akahland who could not be here physically because of one constraint or the other.

From where we are coming from, is this vision for unity, oneness, love among ourselves, peace and development going to be easy to realize? No, it won`t. Will the task be difficult? Yes it will. Will it be demanding? Yes, it will. Will some people misunderstand and even laugh at you? Yes they will. Will it cost you money and time? Yes it will. But are you going to succeed in your collective resolve to re-write history and uplift our communities? Yes, you will.

As you achieve this, use you might and influence to ensure that a virile socio-cultural Akah Government is also put in place at home where each of the ten autonomous communities of Akahland will have equal voting rights and on representatives basis. We are flexing too much muscle at home on issues that are not supposed to be, while the outside world is fast moving and people are taking positions and advantages. Most of the problems confronting us as a people cannot be resolved by isolationism.

Conclusion: Umuaka nation has a great future! Good thinking, good agenda, just as good strategic planning results in the making of a powerful and respectful people. Therefore, let us all be involved in the issues that will continue to widen the path of peace and unity on the only geographical wide world that we can lay claim to as our own and continue to embellish the virtues of those ideals further. Let`s be passionate about them. Let`s put life in those ideals. Let`s run with them. We will surely achieve enviable results. Our people need us. We need to put concrete unity plans into action. Our people are tired of quarrels, divisions, talks and promises without any thing to show for same. We can no longer wait until things are better for us for there are no better times in reality. I therefore charge Umu Umuaka bina America to take up the challenge and provide the needed leadership as they have done in the past. I recall all your inputs and influences in the then good days of old Umuaka in all perspectives. You can do it again even with much ease in today’s internet and global-village world.

Finally, we need freedom. But the only true freedom we have is the freedom to make a choice. However in life, each choice of ours has consequences and it is incumbent on us to live with the consequences of our choices. Do we make a choice for a better Akah today or remain in our shelves throwing missiles at each other from a distance and apportioning blames, in a world where talks are cheap and actions difficult? In the words of one of the greatest leaders of Umuaka that ever lived, Chief Dennis Nwokedi (1993), “The greatest personalities that ever existed have been those who united human beings and put them on the road toward co-operation, unity of purpose, effectiveness and peace. Those whom the people have held highest have helped to unite and not severe interconnectedness. They have not been the destroyers of differences but the harmonizers of differences.”

The choice is ours, and the moment is now!

Umuaka kwenu! Ekenekwa mu unu!! May God bless Umuaka!!!

Austin Agbahiwe, (B.Sc (Business), MBA (Banking & Finance), M.Sc (Economics),

MBA (Marketing), Ph.D. (Finance), Dip. (Agric.), Mcib, Mcis) is a former Assistant General Manager at First Bank of Nigeria & former member of the Imo State University Governing Council. He currently works for American Cancer Hospital, Nigeria. He delivered this lecture at the Umuaka National Convention held at Los Angeles, United States of America, 30th August, 2025.