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They argue about his worth; they debate his work; but the people chant one name - Iheọma! Iheọma! Iheọma! Iheọma!

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Introduction

“Iheọma adịghị onye ọsọ,” meaning “No one rejects goodness.” It is one of the simplest truths in Igbo philosophy: a truth sung, danced, and passed from generation to generation.

This truth was immortalized by The Oriental Brothers International Band, the legendary highlife group that emerged in the early 1970s, just after the Nigerian‑Biafran War. Their music became a cultural balm for a people rebuilding from trauma. Through rhythm, proverbs, and communal storytelling, they reminded the Igbo nation, and Nigeria at large, that dignity, hope, and goodness were still worth striving for.

In their song, they proclaim:

  • Toyota Motor: who would reject it?
  • Mercedes Benz: who would refuse it?
  • Honda 175: who would say no?
  • If your father were a king: would you dislike it?
  • If your brother prospered: would you not rejoice?

The message is simple and universal: Goodness is desirable. Goodness is human. Goodness is for everyone. Yet in today’s Nigeria, this simple truth is turned upside down.

Goodness a Privilege?

Across the nation, ordinary people are denied the very things that make life liveable:

  • steady electricity
  • affordable food
  • functioning hospitals
  • safe roads
  • quality education
  • security
  • economic opportunity

These are not luxuries. They are iheọma, the basic goodness every human being deserves.

But instead of ensuring that goodness flows to the many, Nigeria’s political class often behaves as though goodness belongs only to the few. Public resources become private inheritance. Policies are shaped not by the common good but by personal gain. The people are asked to endure hardship while leaders enjoy the very comforts they fail to provide. It is a painful contradiction: A nation where goodness exists but is hoarded.

The Governor - Goodness Made Tangible

A different kind of leadership emerges when a governor treats public service as stewardship rather than spectacle. His work is demanding not because he seeks difficulty, but because he refuses shortcuts. He sees goodness where others see obstacles, recognizes dignity where others see statistics, and touches goodness in the quiet, unglamorous decisions that shape daily life. His days stretch long, his tasks multiply, yet he moves with a grounded conviction that governance is measured not by noise but by quiet transformation. In a region where hope has often been stretched thin, he insists on weaving it back together through consistent, tangible acts that remind his people that goodness is not a myth but practice, a light tended through patient, persistent work so that others may experience it fully.

The Oriental Brothers: A Cultural Compass Pointing Toward Shared Goodness

To understand the weight of this contradiction, one must return to the Oriental Brothers themselves.

Formed in the aftermath of war, the band became a symbol of Igbo resilience. Their music carried the emotional labour of a people rebuilding identity, community, and hope. They sang not from comfort, but from the ashes of loss, insisting that goodness was still possible, still necessary, still meant for all.

Their message was not abstract philosophy. It was lived experience. It was cultural truth. It was a reminder that even in suffering, the human spirit longs for fairness, dignity, and shared wellbeing.

So, when they sang “Iheọma adịghị onye ọsọ,” they were not merely praising material comfort. They were affirming a worldview: Goodness is a communal right, not a privilege for the powerful.

The Song’s Prayer: “Chi anyị zọba anyị”

The song also carries a deep spiritual plea:

  • “Chi anyị zọba anyị n’elu ụwa” meaning: God, save us in this world.
  • “K’anyi yọba Olisa Onyenweanyị” meaning: Let us bow before the Creator.

This prayer resonates painfully today. Nigerians pray not because they lack ambition or resilience, but because the structures meant to support their wellbeing often collapse around them.

The people pray because:

  • they work hard yet remain poor
  • they vote yet remain unheard
  • they hope yet remain disappointed

The song’s prayer becomes a national lament: Why must goodness be a miracle instead of a right?

The Irony of “Would You Refuse a Toyota?”

The Oriental Brothers used humour to make a profound point: No one rejects good things.

But in Nigeria today, the irony is sharp:

  • Leaders ride in convoys while citizens trek long distances.
  • Leaders receive world‑class healthcare while hospitals lack basic supplies.
  • Leaders enjoy stable power while communities live in darkness.
  • Leaders send their children abroad while public schools’ decay.

The question becomes: Why do those who already have so much deny the people even the smallest share of goodness?

Iheọma as a Social Contract

In Igbo worldview, iheọma is not merely material comfort. It is justice, fairness, and communal wellbeing. It is the belief that society thrives when goodness circulates, not when it is locked away.

A government that withholds goodness breaks the social contract. A nation that normalizes suffering betrays its own people. A leadership that treats public welfare as charity misunderstands its purpose. Nigeria’s crisis is not the absence of goodness; it is the mismanagement of it.

Reclaiming the Meaning of Goodness

To reclaim iheọma, Nigerians must insist on:

  • transparent governance
  • equitable distribution of resources
  • accountability
  • policies that prioritize human dignity
  • leadership that understands service, not entitlement

Goodness should not be a privilege. Goodness should not be a miracle. Goodness should not be a favour from those in power. Goodness is a right.

Conclusion

The Oriental Brothers ended their song with repeated chants of “Iheọma! Iheọma! Iheọma!”
It is almost as if they were reminding the world:

Goodness is meant to be abundant.
Goodness is meant to be shared.
Goodness is meant for everyone.

But Nigeria’s political reality often says otherwise.

This article becomes a call to return to the wisdom of the song; to build a nation where goodness is not hoarded, weaponized, or politicized, but allowed to flow freely to every citizen.

Because truly, “Iheọma adịghị onye ọsọ.” Nobody rejects goodness, except those who deny it to others. Then, politicians say ‘GOODNESS’ is no Good; senators say he’s REPAINTING the roads; but the people CHANT: Iheọma! Iheọma! Iheọma! Iheọma! 

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