KARY MULLIS IS AN “IGBO” MAN Kary Mullis is not an Igbo man by tribe. The people often regarded to as Igbo are people who are descents of south-eastern part of Nigeria. Born Kary Banks Mullis on December 28, 1944 to American parents at North Carolina, USA. He earned a B.Sc. in chemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta in 1966, did a brief business and went on to receive a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Mullis went back into business including running a bakery for 2years before he later got a job with the biotech company ‘Cetus Corporation’ as a DNA chemist where he invented and received company’s patent for his 1993 noble prize winning improvement to the PCR. He has also consulted on nucleic acid chemistry for multiple corporations. In 1992, Mullis founded a business with the intent to sell pieces of jewellery containing amplified DNA of deceased famous people like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. As of 2014, he is a researcher at the children hospital, Oakland research institute, Oakland, California. This short citation bears no connection with black Africa except if his historical descent relatedness could be pointed at the slave trade where millions of black people were captured and sold into slavery abroad. One of my favourite intellectual documentation of the legends which depicts the involvement and character of the Igbos is a poem titled ‘monimba’, a fictitious tale of a pregnant Igbo woman that committed suicide on a slave ship enroute Jamaica. The knowledge of these several legends have taxed the intellectual fibre of authorities like Prof. Catherine Acholonu to claim the Igbo origin of Olaudah Equiano (or Gustavo Vassa) and Forest Whitaker, a veteran African-American actor bestowed with the traditional title of ‘nwanne di na mba’ in Nkwerre, Imo state. The question remains how can Kary Mullis be of Igbo extraction when he doesn’t seem to be a Negro and also has no account of patrilineal reference to the suffering of slave abduction? According to a famous philosopher and mathematician, John Lennon, “nonsense is nonsense, even if it is said by a famous scientist”. But before you start thinking of how nonsensical the title of this article looks, I will like to hint you with a preface, that the aim is to cleanse the ethnic hatred and suspicion that other tribes have against the Ndigbo, by averting the many stereotypes labelled on them with a proper understanding of Igbo culture or ‘omelali’, which somewhat influences their success in all walks of life, then use an attributive identity of the Ndigbo to form a word in the English dictionary that will generalize for any successful business tycoon in the world, and finally, hopefully though, that it will be cited as a research material by another writer, writing to a university egg-head, in partial fulfilment of the requirement for a course. The Igbos is the highly marginalised people in this country due to the many stereotypes that have left suspicion in the minds of their fellow Nigerians. Their competitive spirit, thrifty nature and will-power to succeed have been misinterpreted for love of money. My cousin, Nwabuike, was denied a job with a Yoruba-owned firm because he is Igbo and the employer feels he will use his ‘Igbo sense’ to overthrow him and take control of the firm. This and many other rejection keeps occurring every day and further denying the Ndigbo a social status elevation in the Nigerian society. Nevertheless, the Igbos is one of the wealthiest tribes in the world and it is just suffice to say their success in all areas of life could be accrued to their culture. ‘Igbo enwero eze’ is a concept that explains the democratic republic of Igbo nation, which loosely translates as ‘Igbo has no kings’. Literarily, this does not mean The Igbos is anarchists as often thought of, with the potentiality of losing a social order. Unlike other tribes where kings reigned and kingship is by royal privileges and promotes class segregation on the basis of royal blood distinctiveness, In Igbo-land, clannish as they were, everybody is regarded equal and privileged. Thus, in the case of social order, it is preserved by people of all age groups regardless of class structure. Everybody is important and can take part in the decision making of their society. This makes an average Igbo man to fear no human and accounts for his courage, determination, hard-work, competitive spirit and the will-power to excel. It is noteworthy to know that all these characters are needed for a successful business venture. I have written before about why culture should not be termed static and the change nature of the Igbo culture or ‘omelali’ is a confirmatory test to this. The Igbo culture is receptive to change and modernity. In the context of business, the dynamic form of Igbo culture testifies to why Ndigbo get acclimatized to any area in the world with time, which gives them room to strategize and survive in a given area. No wonder the dictum that goes as a saying “anywhere you go and you did not find an Igbo man that means the place is not safe”. The way in which these two aspects of Igbo culture have fostered industriousness to Ndigbo in business activities cannot be over-emphasized. Hence the word “Igbo” becoming synonymously associated with business. Sam Maduka Onyishi,Ph.D., the owner of peace mass transit limited, is a successful Igbo businessman likewise the former governor of Anambra state Mr Peter Obi (Okwute Ndigbo), the brains behind Ekenedirichukwu and Ifesinachi motors, Emeka Offor, Phyno the playmaker, Chinedu Ogah and the list is endless with young crops like Abuchi Martins and Chime Chinonso Simon both of whom their entrepreneurial skills remain unparalleled, Mr spicey Meregini,whose latest Igbo rap blend with ‘Nwa-Aba’ philosophy will soon make him an iconic image of his music business, Rogers Michael Ogbu a.k.a Whiz(ard) with his so much envisaged Biotech company called ‘Whizyme Technologies’ and Oforkansi Amobi Philip (O.A.P), an unknown comrade in Class of 2013 Eminents’ greater house, whose dream of a vibrant trade union will eventually see him to be the chairman of motor spare part dealers association of Nigeria in Ondo state. Igbo people, making waves for themselves in businesses, ensuring that the civil war that brought us political marginalization do not make all Ndigbo economically recess, as was the prime target of the then Nigerian Government. It is said that success broods envy and Our success right from time has brought us ethnic hatred, suspicion and envy which I think in my little opinion will be deserted if we all see the word “Igbo” as not just on tribal sentiments, but exploit its advantageous culture-driven perspective, as a word that connotes a hardworking business-oriented person, because every Igbo man by tribe is always determined to make it. This definition will go a long way to even establish Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet, Akon, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Kary Mullis, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly (Robert Kelechi), etc as Ndigbo. On the naija front, it will also include Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Chief Razaq Okoya of Eleganza, Femi Otedola, D’banj, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Adebutu Kessington (Baba Ijebu) and others. After all, Prof. Adiele Afigbo has even at one point in time regarded the Ijebu people – a sub-group of the Yoruba tribe, whose business activities are sharp and typically un-Yoruba, as Igbo. ……………Li-Yeung Ogbuewu teaches at Demonstration Secondary School, College of Education, P.M.B 2008, Katsina-ala, Benue state.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 11:49:09 +0000
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