THE PRINCIPLE OF EGBE BERE, UGO BERE AS IGBO CONTRIBUTION TO HARMONIOUS CO-EXISTENCE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Values are essential for shaping not only the personality of individuals but they also serve as bedrock for achieving integral and sustainable development in any country. In a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria, multi-culturalism promises to be a store house of values for national growth and progress. Harnessing the richness of cultural principles provides the best ideas that will lead to the required quality of development plans that will extensively impact the lives of the citizenry in the key sectors of societal living- political, economic, educational and religious. The end-product of it all is social harmony, which ensures peaceful co-existence. This article advocates the Igbo principle of Egbe bere, Ugo bere (live and let live) as an inestimable socio-cultural value which the Nigerian multi-ethnic country needs: as Igbo contribution to enhancing unity in diversity in the country.