THE ROLE OF OFO IN PRE-COLONIAL IGBO

Traditional Igbo political system is rooted in the very structure of Igbo society itself which exhibited democratic orientations, individualistic achievement, motivation, egalitarian tendencies and lack of hierarchical centralisation. With all, these the system has a high degree of coherence beneath the apparent anarchy and a  high degree of solidarity and stability beneath the apparent picture of compartmentalizion. The Igbo socio-political system like other pre-colonial societies has been adequate for coping with most of their problems especially in respect to settling of personal and group disputes, the mobilization of community resources for communal purposes, the taking decisions as to peace and war with neighbouring people etc. Political stability did not necessarily mean the absence of conflicts but there were in existence, effective mechanisms and institutions for effective resolving the conflicts.

Before and after the advent of the British people the Igbo played many distinguished roles in the formation of means and standards. One of the ultimate sources of political authority and sometimes of political decisions was the day-to-day use of Ofo (ancestral cult staff) as the physical medium for the invocation of the powers of "Ani" (Earth goddess), and the ancestors. The Ofo was one of the powerful instruments of unification which bound all the societies in Igboland. Its role in the traditional politics of Igbo society cannot be overemphasised. Being one of the uniting forces wielding the various levels together, the Ofo tried to avoid tyranny and excessive utilization of power. This implied that there was no authoritarianism.

The concept of Ofo in traditional Igbo society has remained basically the same. It is a revered symbol by virtue of the belief that it is a representative of the ancestors. However, despite the rich cultures of the Igbo as exemplified by the Ofo institution, western influence to a large extent has eroded its traditional values. Inspite of this western influence, Ofo institution is still a strong uniting force in the Igbo traditional set up. Therefore, contrary to the Eurocentric views that Western influence destroyed most of the Igbo cultural values, it did not prevent many traditionalists from practicing their faith.