Inheritance in Igbo contemporary society: Socio economic implications

Abstract

Inheritance is the process of receiving or acquiring the property of a dead person. Every community and tribe has its peculiar system of inheritance. The scope of inheritance is very wide. It includes property and political inheritance like chieftaincy titles and positions of importance in the society. The study is limited to property inheritance. The manner people inherit property of their dead relatives in recent times has caused a lot of problems which many a time lead to violence, litigation and loss of life. The purpose of this study is to highlight the ways of inheritance in the olden days and how it is being practised today. Data for the study are collected from texts and interviews. It was discovered that in the olden days, people had an organized and accepted system of inheritance (though not written) with the result that they did not experience much problem and misunderstanding in sharing and acquiring the property of a dead relation. Today, the story is quite different. People struggle and quarrel over the property of their dead ones. It is discovered that greed and neglect for laid down rules of inheritance are not followed, some mischievous elders mislead the younger ones for some selfish benefits. Money seems to be all and all; hence the wealthy ones intimidate the poor and snatch their property from them. Recommendations are made on how to address problems emanating from inheritance to avert the conflicts and make for peaceful coexistence.