Why the Nnewi Model Can Transform Nigeria
WHY THE NNEWI MODEL CAN TRANSFORM NIGERIA
Social matters
Azuka OnwukaJuly 29, 20161
Chicason, Coscharis, Etiaba, healthy rivalry, Ibeto, Innoson, Nigeria, Nnewi, Ojukwu, Orizu

His Royal Highness K.O.N. Orizu (Orizu III), Igwe of Nnewi
Why the Nnewi Model Can Transform Nigeria

By Azuka Onwuka

Any time Nigeria is compared to a smaller country like Ghana, some great logicians would retort that “Ghana is just as big as Lagos State,” as if the more populated a country is, the more under-developed and disorganized it should be. When such Aristotles are reminded that, except for Pakistan, the other five countries that are more populated than Nigeria – including China and India that are individually almost ten times larger than Nigeria – are ahead of Nigeria in all development indices, such people keep quiet or look for other feeble excuses.

Therefore, it will not be surprising to see such people scoff at any comparison between Nigeria and Nnewi: “a mere town in Anambra State of Nigeria.” But it is incontrovertible that attitude is far more critical to success than size.

Nigeria has perennially been “work-in-progress,” with its democracy always “nascent.” We are always changing our systems and policies, deceiving ourselves that they are the cause of our problem, like the typical poor workman that always blames his tools but never himself. Although Nnewi has some things in common with Nigeria, comparatively it has evolved a system that works for it, a system which gives it peace, stability, growth and development: luxuries which have eluded Nigeria for over 50 years.



Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu
Just like Nigerians, Nnewi people are proud people; some would say “arrogant”. There are some reasons for that. Like Nigeria, Nnewi is bigger and richer than all its neighbours. The town has produced many prominent figures. Among them is the first President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, described as the richest Nigerian of his time: a man who lent Nigeria his Rolls Royce and personal driver for the use of Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Nigeria in 1956. There is also his Oxford University-trained son, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the first military governor of Eastern Nigeria, the leader of the defunct Republic of Biafra, and a folk hero among the Igbo. Then there is Dr Nwafor Orizu, Nigeria’s third Senate President and three-month Acting President in the First Republic, as well as Dame Virgy Etiaba, Nigeria’s first female governor of a state.

There are also many business moguls and industrialists like Chief Augustine Ilodibe, founder of Ekene Dili Chukwu Transport, and Chief Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman of Innoson Motors, whose company manufactures motor vehicles in Nnewi. There are Chief Chika Alex Okafor of Chicason Group; Chief Cletus Ibeto of Ibeto Group; Dr Ajulu Uzodike of Cutix Plc; Dr Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis Group, to mention but a few. In all modesty, it is doubtful if there is another town in Nigeria that has more millionaires than Nnewi town.

However, unlike Nigeria, Nnewi is not rich because of any natural resources. There is no proof that Nnewi people are physically stronger, more intelligent, more prayerful, or more righteous than others. There is no evidence that God loves the town more than other towns. However, it is obvious that Nnewi indigenes made their town what it is by imbibing certain principles.

Like Nigeria’s ethnic groups, “the four arms of Nnewi” cherish their individual identity: Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim, and Nnewichi. But unlike Nigerians, every Nnewi son or daughter sees himself or herself first as an Nnewi indigene before laying claim to his or her part of the town. These four arms compete among themselves, quarrel, disagree and resist any attempt by any part of the town to dominate others. Yet in all the internal rivalry, there has never been any record of bloodshed between two communities in the last 100 years of modern history. To the Nnewi person, unlike to the Nigerian, life is sacrosanct.

The four arms of Nnewi are not equal in terms of land size and population. They are bigger in the descending order of Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim, and Nnewichi. In the late 1980s, three of the arms of Nnewi protested against marginalization and domination. Subsequently, each arm boycotted the events the town did together. For ten years, the unity of the town was threatened but there was no bloodshed.

That crisis led the town to adopt the rotation of all political and socio-cultural posts in the town among the four arms. So if Otolo provided the chairman of the local government area, Uruagu would provide the deputy chairman; Umudim would provide the secretary and Nnewichi would provide the member of House of Assembly. Positions that involved other towns and local government areas – like national legislative positions, governorship, presidency – were excluded from this arrangement. No arm of the town is deemed too intelligent to always provide the leaders of the town. To ensure that other parts of the town do not wait forever for their turn, each person is allowed only one term in office. Whatever magic one wants to perform in office, one has to perform it within the three or four years of one’s tenure.

But the only offices that are not open for contest are the traditional offices. Each of the four arms has a traditional head called the Obi. Since Otolo is the first arm, the Obi of Otolo is also the Igwe of Nnewi: he leads rather than rule. Within the four arms, there are also villages, and within the villages, there are umunna or big families. Each level has an obi as its traditional head. The position of every obi is hereditary by primogeniture. In the event that an obi dies without a son, his oldest brother takes over. This tradition has existed since time immemorial. Nobody schemes to become an obi or the Igwe. If the first son is guilty of bloodshed or some other taboos, he will not inherit his father’s throne. Because the throne is not open for contest, it has helped to ensure peace in the town for generations.

Most importantly, there is a great passion among the Nnewi people to develop their town and make it secure. After the 1966 pogrom against the Igbo, the Igbo lost much of their investment in almost all parts of Nigeria. The Nnewi business men decided to found a motor and motorcycle spare parts market in their town: the Nkwo Nnewi/Agbo-Edo Market. They nurtured it and it grew to attract people from different parts of the country and beyond. That was the same spirit that made Innocent Chukwuma to situate Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing plant in Nnewi despite that other bigger cities would have been more attractive for such a big venture. The owners of transport companies like Ekene Dili Chukwu Transport, Izuchukwu Transport, E.Ekesons Transport, and Orizu Motors also ensured that they have major terminuses in Nnewi. Consequently, it is easy to access the town from all parts of Nigeria.

That is the aku-luo-uno philosophy: If you have money, intelligence, or physical strength, bring it home. No matter how influential an Nnewi man is, if his impact is not felt at home, he is regarded as a nobody. The people do not wait for government to develop their town for them. Through individual and communal efforts, schools, libraries, hospitals (including the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital), scholarships, churches, pipe-borne water, electricity, and roads are provided.

In addition, one thing that helps to drive development in Nnewi is the intense but healthy rivalry that exists among the four arms of Nnewi. For example, if one arm starts a scholarship scheme for its indigenes, or paves a road, the other arms immediately want to beat that record. And whenever someone from an arm of the town is holding an elective post, other people from the other communities watch to see what impact he will make in the town. If he does not perform well, his people are continually ridiculed.

Unlike the Nigerian, the Nnewi person thinks of what he can do for his community rather than what his community can do for him. Unlike the Nigerian, the Nnewi man never ridicules his town before non-indigenes. Unlike the Nigerian, the Nnewi person is very proud of his Nnewi-ness: he proclaims his identity unapologetically wherever he is and defends his homeland always.

Undoubtedly, Nnewi is by far smaller than Nigeria, but it has evolved a system that has made it excel. Occasionally, it stumbles, but it does not fall. If Nigerians were to imbibe the Nnewi spirit by putting the nation first always, seeking peace, creating the spirit of healthy rivalry among the ethnic groups, pursuing industrialization, rewarding excellence and perpetually thinking of ways to make the nation great, Nigeria would be the envy of other nations.
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Lalasticlala!

Nice post.

ok

investnow2013:
Why the Nnewi Model Can Transform Nigeria
WHY THE NNEWI MODEL CAN TRANSFORM NIGERIA
Nnewi bu omaricha obodo.
Nnewi nwere mmadu.
Nnewi bu dubai anyi,Japan, Taiwan anyi.
Anyi enwenyi obodo ozo so so Nnewi.
ka anyi bu umuigbo mezie omaricha obodo a.

Nnewi obodo oma

if you're not from Nnewi. ....










sorry ooooo

Proudly Ada Uruagu.

Wonderful post

njideoby:
Proudly Ada Uruagu.

Adam ndewooo!!!

investnow2013:
Adam ndewooo!!!

Mgbe emewuoru ka anyi kpaa.

Nigeria is also in a healthy competition.

For instance, watch out how one aresa will counter this thread with

"Ogbomosho is the first town to host a white missionary woman".

And how

"Mercedes Benz plans to relocate their headquarters to Ogun State"

Your village model is yet to transform your villages, but you want your unproductive village model to transform Nigeria...


;DThe kind of crazy rubbish you read on NL sometimes..

If you can transform the SE first, you'll impress me. It's funny how Nnewi now wants Nigeria to copy a structure synonymous with Yorubaland. In Yorubaland, intertribes, religious tolerance and peace thrives. We may argue, but we don't attack each other because Yorubas come first before anything else. That's why the SW is the most commercialized and progressive region in Nigeria.

It's this same nature that makes flat panel heads call Yorubas cowards. It's hypocritical of our yeastern brothers to now call it a model structure.

Watch how osus will come with their "Anambra sells more vegetable than the whole Yorubaland" chestbeating.

How can you transform Nigeria when the SE is likely the least viable region for business?

How can they transform Nigeria when they're slaves to Ijaws and corrupt politicians?

How can the hate and bitterness in a typical Ibo man transform Nigeria?

Ejanla07:
if you're not from Nnewi. ....


sorry ooooo

Don't be sorry because am so proud and happy where God chose l come from!

investnow2013:
If Nigerians were to imbibe the Nnewi spirit by putting the nation first always, seeking peace, creating the spirit of healthy rivalry among the ethnic groups, pursuing industrialization, rewarding excellence and perpetually thinking of ways to make the nation great, Nigeria would be the envy of other nations.

Imbibing a spirit....this is something that is done without compunction. You do it from the bottom of your heart, without being forced.
In the Nigerian context, this is impossible. The country doesn't elicit any loyalty or patriotism in most of it's citizens. You can't show such spirit to an entity which doesn't care in the first place, whether you survive or not.
Wishful thinking is good, but in this context, that's all it is. Except for the crooks and vampires with political power, nobody gives a shyte about the country. Even the politicians really don't care, they are just in it for what they can get from it. Take the cookie away from their lips, and they become like the rest of us, the walking wounded, perpetually hoping for an elusive improvement.

TheNewIbadan:
If you can transform the SE first, you'll impress me. It's funny how Nnewi now wants Nigeria to copy a structure synonymous with Yorubaland. In Yorubaland, intertribes, religious tolerance and peace thrives. We may argue, but we don't attack each other because Yorubas come first before anything else. That's why the SW is the most commercialized and progressive region in Nigeria.

It's this same nature that makes flat panel heads call Yorubas cowards. It's hypocritical of our yeastern brothers to now call it a model structure.

Watch how osus will come with their "Anambra sells more vegetable than the whole Yorubaland" chestbeating.

How can you transform Nigeria when the SE is likely the least viable region for business?

Treacherous congenital liar from the pit of hell. Yorubas have the highest assissination in the country. SEE>

Who killed the following Bola Ige, Toyin Hamzat, Funsho Williams, Harry Marshall, Pa Alfred Rewane, Yomi Bamgbose, Gideoan Aremu and others?

You children of Afonja are gifted with spirit of lying...

TheNewIbadan:
If you can transform the SE first, you'll impress me. It's funny how Nnewi now wants Nigeria to copy a structure synonymous with Yorubaland. In Yorubaland, intertribes, religious tolerance and peace thrives. We may argue, but we don't attack each other because Yorubas come first before anything else. That's why the SW is the most commercialized and progressive region in Nigeria.

It's this same nature that makes flat panel heads call Yorubas cowards. It's hypocritical of our yeastern brothers to now call it a model structure.

Watch how osus will come with their "Anambra sells more vegetable than the whole Yorubaland" chestbeating.

How can you transform Nigeria when the SE is likely the least viable region for business?

Treacherous congenital liar from the pit of hell. Yorubas have the highest assassination in the country. SEE>

Who killed the following people: Bola Ige, Toyin Hamzat, Funsho Williams, Harry Marshall, Pa Alfred Rewane, Yomi Bamgbose, Gideoan Aremu and others?

You children of Afonja are gifted with spirit of lying...

Umudim be'anyi

My home town is less than 7mins drive from Nnewi, All written above is true..
Most Nnewi neighbors don't envy them, They get inspiration from them..
Healthy rivalry is a beautiful thing.

Viktor1983:

My home town is less than 7mins drive from Nnewi, All written above is true..
Most Nnewi neighbors don't envy them, They get inspiration from them..
Healthy rivalry is a beautiful thing.

Ojoto himself?

Ojoto nna, nwanne kedu?

I'm from nnewi, but I can't still understand the point of this thread.

NormalCodes:


Ojoto himself?

Ojoto nna, nwanne kedu?

Nwanne udo! Kedu ka ime?

Viktor1983:


Nwanne udo! Kedu ka ime?

Abig adim ezigbo okay, mbada Udo di n'obodo.

A na-akukwa??

NormalCodes:

Abig adim ezigbo okay, mbada Udo di n'obodo.
A na-akukwa??

sure..

NormalCodes:

Abig adim ezigbo okay, mbada Udo di n'obodo.
A na-akukwa??

sure..

It is not an Nnewi model, rather a YORUBA model.

Everyone of your Nnewi success role models were mentored and groomed to success in Yorubaland.

Yorubaland, not Nnewi, is the common thread in their success. No Nnewi son touches foot in Yorubaland and returns home a pauper but there are Nnewi sons who never left Nnewi and they remain unknown.

Dispute my theory if you can.

Ibo cannot make Ibo great.....your greatness come from Yoruba.



May Oduduwa Crown rule forever!

True talk Imerialyoruba, Most of the ibo rich men the OP mentioned have connection with Yorubaland, because that's where they make the bulk of their money

and same goes for other ibo rich men, I'm not talking of the flat headed into hard drugs and fraudulent businesses oo which many of them are into especially those of them abroad.

Stingman:


Treacherous congenital liar from the pit of hell. Yorubas have the highest assassination in the country. SEE>

Who killed the following people: Bola Ige, Toyin Hamzat, Funsho Williams, Harry Marshall, Pa Alfred Rewane, Yomi Bamgbose, Gideoan Aremu and others?

You children of Afonja are gifted with spirit of lying...

Look at this child of Osu ugwu hawker. Are Ibos not gifted with the spirit of slaving for corrupt politicians? Which Nnewi model should we follow when your leaders are inactive and mute when they should speak against Northern oligarchy?

my brother it is a lie , some body like , Innoson, chikason, Ekenedilichukwu, Gabros, mention but few this people never stay outside , they do their business in Nnewi and make their money in Nnewi .so stop that nonesence