Some Igbo people don’t know the difference between Omenala, Ọdịbendị, Ọdịnala, and Ewumewu.
Although they are closely related, they are not the same.
1. Omenala (Culture)
The general way of life of a people, their language, food, clothing, beliefs, customs, and social practices.
2. Ọdịbendị (Custom)
The distinctive customs and practices that give a community or group its unique identity.
3. Ọdịnala / Ọdịnanị (Tradition)
Ancestral beliefs, values, and practices passed down through generations.
4. Ewumewu (Institutions)
The social institutions and communal practices that organise and strengthen society, including age grades, festivals, assemblies, and ceremonies.
Together, they reflect the depth, richness, and organisation of Igbo society.
Understanding them is an important step towards preserving our heritage.
"He Has Put a Knife on the Things That Held Us Together" – Chinua Achebe on Colonialism and Division
"It is already too late, said Obierika sadly. Our own men and our son's have joined the ranks of the stranger. They have joined his religion and they help to uphold his government. If we should try to drive out the white men in Umuofia we should find it easy. There are only two of them. But what of our own people who are following their way and have been given power. They would go to Umuru and bring the soldiers, and we would be like Abame".
He paused for a long time and then said 'I told you on my last visit to Mbanta how they hanged Aneto.'
What happened to that piece of land in dispute? asked Okonkwo.
The white man's Court has decided that it should belong to Nnama's family who had given much money to the White Man's messengers and interpreter.
"Does the white man understand our custom about land? How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when your own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on things that held us together and we have fallen apart."
(From the book "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe)
The South East is making a choice.
We will double down on eliminating illiteracy.
Every child who cannot read, write and reason represents lost potential for our economy, our security and our future.
We are studying the education systems that consistently produce some of the world’s strongest learning outcomes, including Singapore and China.
We are no longer educating children just to survive.
We are educating them to compete globally and lead.
That is the future we are building.
Until Nigeria declares war against corruption in education with the same seriousness we discuss politics every day, we will keep producing graduates who hold certificates but cannot build a nation.
This is a national security issue.
A country full of certificates and yet companies keep saying that they can’t find qualified people.
This was the pregnant woman in severe labour pain at Uwani General Hospital that prompted Joy Ezeugwu to make a video describing the deplorable state of the hospital.
No oxygen, no water, no fatal monitoring check for babies and no light. Mosquitoes were everywhere. The option they had was to keep praying.
The doctor finally came at 7am the next day and told them to buy fuel of N4000 for emergency CS.
The doctor said the woman that had it been the baby was a boy child, he would have died, because boys can’t withstand prolong labour.
After delivery, the mosquito coil was kept beside the baby to inhale the rubbish. The place was not fumigated at all.
Joy former school administrator Ifeyinwa Peace Okwudo told Joy that the woman’s condition or the hospital’s condition is non of her business. That other students were in the same hospital. Why was it Joy that the devil sent to destroy her school.
We can’t keep living this way. We are human beings and not animals.
Thank you Joy for standing up for what is right.
Yesterday, the one and only Flavour N’abania @2niteFlavour (Ijele of Africa) graced my stage while I was performing Ego na Nwaanyị Remix at @toscana_culture
A truly special moment❤️🙏
May God bless 042.
May God bless Ijele.
May God bless Toscana.
Germany didn’t become an industrial powerhouse by sending everyone to university.
They built something smarter.
It’s called Ausbildung, a structured apprenticeship system where young people earn while they learn inside real companies.
A 17-year-old in Germany can train to become:
• a mechatronics engineer
• an industrial technician
• an automotive systems expert
• a precision machinist
• a medical equipment technician
They are paid during training.
They graduate with globally respected skills.
And many of them end up earning more than university graduates.
Over 50% of German youth pass through this system.
Now look at Nigeria.
We push everyone into universities.
Millions graduate every year.
But the country is still importing basic technical expertise.
We have degrees but we don’t have enough skills.
This is why we are studying the German Ausbildung model closely to implement in the South East.
Because the South East must lead Africa’s skills revolution.
Imagine a structured apprenticeship system across Aba, Nnewi, Onitsha, Enugu and beyond where young people can train to become:
• industrial fabricators
• automotive engineers
• robotics technicians
• electronics specialists
• renewable energy installers
• precision manufacturing experts
Training will happen inside real companies.
With structured certification, modern tools and clear career paths.
Not the informal “Igba Boy” system, but a world-class apprenticeship ecosystem.
The South East already has the largest concentration of indigenous manufacturers and traders in Africa.
What we need now is structure, technology, and certification.
If Germany can power Europe’s manufacturing through apprenticeships, there is no reason the South East cannot power Africa’s industrial future.
The next generation of millionaires in Africa will not only be software founders.
Many will be master craftsmen, engineers, and industrial builders.
And when Africa finally fixes its skills crisis, history may remember that the revolution started in the South East.