Our African, especially Igbo, forefathers were pragmatists. This means that they were mainly concerned with what would give the best result as they solved the problems that they were faced with.

Most oracles you find in Africa especially in Igboland, were installed from the outside to solve one problem or another. The people were not interested in knowing where they came from but rather in their efficiency and efficacy.
It was therefore common that oracles or deities were abandoned when judged to be ineffective.
It is interesting to note that it was in the same spirit that most of our people welcomed the church in their villages.
Some invited the church because of the education of their children, which would help their children get white-collar jobs.
Some welcomed the church in order to build up their political allies and strength.
Some others invited the church so that they could provide them with healthcare services.
Visit the National Archives in Enugu, and you will marvel at the number of letters written by various communities in Igboland requesting the missionaries to come and build schools or settle in their villages.
Our forefathers were always concerned with solving their problems practically. They were pragmatists.
Their traditional, cultural, and religious observations were for a purpose. They were for solving problems. They were all geared towards promoting peace, health, security, and the lives of their people.
That should also be our concern today. Our forefathers did not waste their time fighting any belief, religion, deity, or Oracle. Anyone they thought was no longer serving its purpose was simply abandoned.
Nothing takes a people backwards like a religious or belief war/ quarrels among brothers. It is not worth the time and energy.
It once happened in Germany when brothers were k!lling brothers in the name of beliefs. To date, it remains their most shameful history.
How can we unite? How can we make sure that majority are carried along? How can we rid everyone of poverty, insecurity, sickness, and ignorance?
That is a meaningful and pragmatic way of going back to our roots. Our root is igwe bu ike and onye aghala nwanne ya. It is not gossip and unnecessary arguments and quarrels.
Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu