RELATIONSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY

RELATIONSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY

MEANING OF A COMMUNITY
A community is a group of people who live in the same area, town or village. The people communicate or relate with one another as members of the same community. They have feelings towards one another. In every community, there are different groups of people – men, women, youths and children. There are also different types of workers in a community e.g. drivers, traders, tailors, doctors, teachers, etc. examples of communities are villages, towns, tribes, clans, and people sharing the same religion or profession e.g. Christian community (church) etc. For a community to function properly, it must have leaders.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE NAMES OF COMMUNITY LEADERS
Each community gives different titles to its leader. For example, in traditional communities, there are chiefs and council of elders as leaders. They maintain peace, law and order in their community. They identify needs in their community and embark on programs that will bring development to the community. They also settle disputes or conflicts among people according to the culture and beliefs of the people.
In the urban communities, there are elected members as chairman and executive members co-ordinating the affairs of the community. The leader of a family is called a father and that of a school is called the proprietor/proprietress/principal, etc. Also, different ethnic groups give different names to their traditional leaders. Examples:
Names Of Traditional Leaders Town (Tribe)

  1. Gwom Berom
  2. Agwom Afisare Jigawa
  3. Sarki/Emir/Sultan Hausa/Fulani
  4. Ngolong Ngas
  5. Mai/Elkanemi/Shehu Borno/Yobe
  6. Oba Yoruba/Benin
  7. Otaru Auchi
  8. Igwe/Obi Igbo
  9. Obong Efik
  10. Ovie Urobo
  11. Olu Itsekiri
  12. Amaninabo Ijaw

Other communities, like the church community, also have names for their leaders, e.g. Pope or Bishop (Roman Catholic), Primate/Archbishop or Bishop (Anglicans), Prelate or Bishop (Methodists), Bishop or Pastors (Pentecostal), etc. Also, the leaders of African Traditional Religions have names in the various ethnic groups in Nigeria.

EVALUATION:

  1. Mention the names of three traditional rulers and prominent members of the community you know.
  2. What do you understand about community?