CHIEF MACDONALD ENWERE
In Igbo lexicology, ‘Egbugbungala’ is a classical metaphorical expression descriptive of a flexible lifestyle with unstable character disposition and attitudinal flight and trajectory which does not depict a real Igboman.
In the Igbo precolonial era, character flexibility and attitudinal flight were used to describe men of low ebb and low moral fibre by our great grandfathers. Igbo cosmology has proved that a real Igboman is an embodiment of self-respect and character prestidigitation with positive moral conduct. Igboman is known for contented self-worth and stable moral principles. In Igbo literature, such people are called DIMKPA. Traditionally speaking, Dimkpa is a man of great value with the aura of intuition, perfectionism, and influence.
On prefatory note, politics of Egbugbungala” is gradually and unfortunately stepping into our political praxis – politics of instability and flexibility. The early noise cracking the political airwaves in the state about governorship aspirations and ambition is indeed nothing but a dangerous trend with a premeditated twist of stiring the mulky waters. It points to grass desperation of convoluted twist.
Any governorship aspiration that is not rooted in objectivity , sincerity of purpose, and positive bargaining of collective interest is an anchorage of futility. Time to dazzle the people with the artistry of deceptive rendition and sweetcoated jingoism has gone because ndimo “emeepela anya” . It won’t be business as usual. The era of egbugbungala politics has gone. Ndimo cannot afford to be deceived by people with unstable and flexible character flight who are jumping left right and center coalescing, and setting up all manner of groups with different nomenclatural coinage only to ambush the political future of the state.
These are transactional Egbugbungala politicians with merchantalistic proclivities. They are untrustworthy and unreliable. Their politics is that of stomach infrastructure, politics of “ratu-ratu.” Egbugbungala politics is very caustic and poisonous.
Like the proverbial man with a swollen scrotum who went to the gathering of his kinsmen one early morning tying a piece of wrapper without wearing anything inside. After a while in the gathering, he forcefully removed his wrapper in front of his kinsmen with his right leg raised up. Later, he turned back and asked his kinsmen whether they saw anything. One blind man close to him, turned back and replied him saying “enwere onye na enweghi anya.” Meaning – that there is no one here that has no eyes!. This is a classical display of Egbugbungala.
But this time, we must say what we saw. There is no need to hide it or to keep quiet. We must tell ndimo the truth they must know. Political merchants and looping masqueraders can not dictate the pace for ndimo anymore because ‘uwa emepeela anya’. We must beware of Egbugbungala politicians in the state because ‘echi di ime’.
– Chief MacDonald Enwere is the publisher of Bold Magazine and chairman of BoldMedia Group.