CHANGES AND CONTINUITIES IN THE INTERGROUP RELATIONS AMONG THE PEOPLE OF THE IMO RIVER BASIN UP TO 1970

Abstract

From the earliest times, there existed harmonious intergroup relations among the people of the Imo River Basin. This cordiality continued until the early 1970s when the exigencies of the civil war and the bequeathed colonial structure sowed the seed of discord among the people of this region. This paper submits that the interjection of colonialism and the civil war disrupted the good neighbourliness that existed in the Imo River Basin. The study attempts to examine factors that once united the region that made it strong and cohesive in pre-colonial time. Such factors include common ancestry, language similarities, intermarriages, trade etc. It is believed that a consolidation of the ties that once bound this region would engender positive development and make them relevant in the present political dispensation. The methodology employed in this work is basically analysis of extant literature and oral tradition. The findings of this research points to the urgent need for the people of this region to redefine their philosophy and consolidate their region as this would make them compete favourably with their counterparts in the north and west.