RESILIENCE AND THE ELEMENT OF IKENGA IN IGBO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Abstract

Igbo people are among the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria. Like other tribes, they are very industrious and adventurous. There is no part of Nigeria and beyond one can go without seeing Igbo people doing remarkably well.  The entrepreneurial mindset of Igbo people gives them courage to venture into any kind of business without fear of liquidation. Their determination to survive inspite of all odd attracts jealousy from their fellow competitors; the jealousy generated age long resentments. Even in the face of attacks, an average Igbo man is not deterred from pursuing his ambition. It is against this backdrop that this research is carried out to examine the secret behind the Igbo entrepreneurial spirit laying cursory emphasis on Ikenga, the Igbo god of strength and individual achievement. Dignity of labour theory is the theoretical framework adopted for the study to ascertain the place of work among the Igbo people of Southeast Nigeria. The study adopted sociological method. Results indicate that Ikenga, which is the Igbo god of individual strength and success, is the rationale behind Igbo entrepreneurial resilience. The study concludes that if the Igbo entrepreneurial spirit of Ikenga will be imbibed by the society at large, life of dependence will be minimized or entirely eliminated. The paper therefore recommends that since Igbo people are known to be highly enterprising, government should build a veritable ground to assist them financially to further beef up the economy of Nigeria.