ABSTRACT
Security threat has become a prevalent attribute of Ukwa-Ngwa land in Abia state, Nigeria. Many factors are responsible for the challenges and different strategies have been adopted by both the government and the people over the years to arrest the situation. This study is an attempt to investigate the impact of education and values on security challenges in Ukwa-Ngwa land between the period of 1991 and 2011.The purpose of the study was to ascertain the impact of education and values on the security challenges facing Ukwa-Ngwa land. Descriptive survey design was employed by the researcher to investigate on the impact of education and values on security challenges in Ukwa-Ngwa land. To collect data for the study six research questions were used to elicit information from eight hundred and seven (807) respondents comprising seventy- four (74) traditional rulers, four hundred and ninety-three (493) public secondary school teachers, and one hundred and twenty (120) religious leaders and parents respectively. Simple random sampling was used to select four (4) local government areas involved in the study. The traditional rulers and secondary school teachers were selected using simple random sampling also, while volunteer sampling was used to select the religious leaders and parents respectively. The instrument for data collection was a researcher developed questionnaire titled “Education, values and impact on security questionnaire” (EVISEQ) which contains fourty-nine (49) items. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that education and values did not have much positive impact on security within the period of study. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Insecurity has gradually become a prominent issue in the contemporary Nigerian state. The country is immersed in confusion as acts of violence are now characteristic features of the society. Despite claims to be on top of the security situation by the government of the day, security of lives and property has continued to elude Nigeria. According to Otto and Ukpere, (2012) security refers to protection against crisis, threats or injury. Security is a vital infrastructure upon which other infrastructures are built.
There is no section of Nigerian society that is violence free and Ukwa-Ngwa land in Abia state is not exceptional. Ukwa-Ngwa land, the once serene and hospitable environment, was thrown into chaotic state of insecurity of lives and property which crumbled economic, social, and religious activities. According to Nwamara, (2009) Aba and other parts of Ukwa-Ngwa land was haven for tourist and entertainment buffs in the 1940s and 1950s. He further stated that the trend continued after the Nigerian civil war in the 1970s till in the 1980s. However, the peaceful atmosphere experienced in the area took a different dimension in the 1990s especially in between 1997 and 1998. Human Rights Watch and Centre for Law Enforcement Education (HRW/CLEEN) (2002), Jones (2008) and Ukoha, Henri-Ukoha and Emole (2012) stated that there was high level of insecurity in Aba and its environs by a group of hoodlums known as the mafias in the late 1990s.
The Mafias went about killing and robbing people of their belongings. While these were happening, (HRW/CLEEN) (2002), Jones (2008) and Ukoha, Henri-Ukoha and Emole (2012) observed that the police force, saddled with responsibility to maintain law and order, was found incompetent of handling the situation. In their argument, the lack of willpower by men of Nigerian police increased the tempo of criminal activities, led to loss of confidence in the security agency, and a spontaneous revulsion by traders at Ariaria Shoe Plaza, Aba to take care of their security themselves. That act by the traders marked the advent of the vigilante group, widely known as Bakassi Boys.
Bakassi was ruthless and barbaric in her activities, and ended up creating more problems for the society than it was established to solve. It took brutality to its peak, thereby introducing the culture of bloodshed with impunity into the system. According to Harnischfeger, (2003) the activities of Bakassi was a clear case of gross human rights abuses. Whereas the individual as affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (1948) has certain inalienable rights, which include right to life, liberty and security of person, right to a fair and public hearing, freedom from degrading treatment, arbitrary arrest and detention, Bakassi Boys did not have any respect for the rights and dignity of man. The HRW/CLEEN further stated that the group went as far as meddling in the areas of social and political control. Similarly, Onah (2005: 299) reported that they “enforced debt payment, chastised women who strayed in marriage and harassed the critics and opponents of their respective governors”.
There was no system of organized justice in their actions. Cases abound where people were arrested arbitrarily. Suspected criminals were tortured, mutilated, decapitated, and the victims burnt in public. As expected, these disreputable acts affected the psyche of the people. It made them to lose their sense of humanity, especially the younger generation, and dealt a heavy blow on the value system of Ukwa-Ngwa society.
The security threat in Ukwa-Ngwa land resurfaced sometime in the year 2008 in a more dreadful way. The area was affected by incessant armed robbery, abductions, rape, wanton destruction of lives and property, and all sorts of social vices. Ukwa-Ngwa land was once again made a perfect example of communities under siege. There was no class of human existence that did not feel the holocaust. The wave of insecurity according to Ukoha, Henri-Ukoha and Emole (2012) was brought to national limelight with the abduction of four Executive Committee Members of the Nigerian Union of Journalist, and the abduction of fifteen pupils of Abayi International School, Aba in July and September 2010 respectively. The abduction of these pupils attracted widespread condemnation which forced markets, banks, hospitals, and schools to shut down. The situation in effect made federal government to deploy the military in the area to help bring the situation under control.
Looking at the havoc committed over the years in Ukwa-Ngwa land, one would wonder if the people have values at all. If they have, what values do they profess? Values contribute immensely in shaping the behavior of a people. It distinguishes one community from another. According to Amaele in Halima (2011) values are standards of conduct endorsed and maintained by a society. Similarly, Okafor (2006) asserted that values are fundamental to all human societies, in human activities and actions. Values are of different hierarchy. There are spiritual values, human values, economic values, social values and political values as enunciated by Nkokelonye, (2005).
The people of traditional Ukwa-Ngwa have qualitative value system. One of the distinct traditional Ukwa- Ngwa values as stated by Nwaguru (1973) is resilience. This can be seen in the Aba women riot of 1929; a courageous protest against taxes imposed by British officials, the 1943 fracas between traders and soldiers and their role in the 1949 Coal Miners Shooting Riot. The people received the Europeans in the 1850s with open arms; signifying hospitality. This value of hospitality persists till date as the area, especially Aba, harbours people from virtually all the communities in Igboland today and people from other tribes without any molestation. Other traditional values of Ukwa-Ngwa, which are observable in other traditional Igbo communities, include dignity of labour, liberty, filial piety, honesty, responsibility, knowledge, modesty, freedom of expression, respect for elders, respect for life and property, faith in spiritual beings, among other values, Nwaguru maintained.
The values mentioned above were instrumental in shaping the behavior of traditional Ukwa-Ngwa society. They helped maintain cordial relationship among the people; a condition sine qua non for controlling security challenges in human existence. Like in every other Igbo community, the contact with the Europeans and the subsequent colonization got these values twisted. In addition to the European influence on Ukwa-Ngwa values, the thirty months Nigerian civil war also did more harm to the values of the people as the area was badly hit.
Education is vital in shaping and maintaining the values of a people. It is the life wire of every society. Nkokelonye (2005) perceived education, as the process of bringing the individual in agreement with past, present and future civilization; with civilization as the art of living in harmony, and transmitting to the individual the moral content of that civilization and methods of self control. He further noted that education can be used to reform the society; and the best education is that which trains the character of its citizens. Education is the greatest force for positive change. In line with this, Alawa & Osinem (2009) observed that education brings about permanent change in behaviour gained through activity, training or observation.
The people of traditional Ukwa- Ngwa are known to be lovers of education, and education had great impact on their lives. This according to Nwaguru (1973) can be attested to by the huge investment made, and success recorded in the field of education, through different educational programmes. There was education accountability in traditional Ukwa-Ngwa society. According to Nakpodia and Okiemute, (2011) education accountability implies investing on education, and having returns on such investment. Nwaguru posited that Ukwa-Ngwa produced the first Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Jaja Nwachukwu, who also served as federal minister at different capacities with some other Ukwa-Ngwa sons like Ubani Ukoma. Furthermore, education helped traditional Ukwa-Ngwa society to maintain her core values, which played crucial roles in checkmating violent behaviors among the people.
