Building of houses in the village by Igbos was not always so, it became popular after the civil war
Igbos lost everything during the war and those who didn’t build a house in their village struggled to find shelter when they came home and going back after the war the houses they built in town were mostly declared abandoned properties and taken from them.
So yes, building a beautiful village house is an emotional decision for Igbos.
To the Igbos the village house is for you and your family not economics, they’re not looking for economic sense when building their dream village house, they’re after pure luxury and a holiday destination for themselves their children and even extended families
Those of you who go on holidays spend money doing it for pure luxury not for economics it’s the same thing.
Those who go to Mecca to answer Alhaji and Rome to answer JP (Jerusalem prigrims) they do it with a lot of money too, and they don’t calculate the economic cost
There are expensive properties we all own that are not really for the monetary value they can return, a village house is one of them for the Igbo people.
And most Igbos will not build that house until they can well afford more than that without affecting their businesses negatively and most build these houses across several years while you are going on your yearly summer holidays.
So No it’s not a show off, it’s an emotional investment and they’re very bit as necessary as economic investment to your well being.
No matter how humble it is the day you move from a paid rental to your own house in town or village the kind of sleep you will sleep will forever be different and restful.
There is no price tag for Safe Refuge Sanctuary and Peace of Mind for those who are willing to pay.
By Iffy Chika
