Which of the following characteristics was absent in the pre-colonial administration of the Igbos?
Answer Details
The characteristic that was absent in the pre-colonial administration of the Igbos is a hierarchical and centralized administration. The pre-colonial Igbo society was organized in a more decentralized way, with various autonomous communities and clans having their own leaders and decision-making processes. The Igbo people believed in consultations and consensus-building, where decisions were made by the community as a whole through discussions and debates. The traditional rulers and chiefs played important roles in the administration, but they were not absolute rulers and their powers were checked by various institutions and mechanisms, such as age-grades, secret societies, and the council of elders. The Igbo people also had a rich mixture of spiritual and temporal roles, where religious and spiritual symbols were intertwined with the political and social structures of the society. Therefore, the absence of a hierarchical and centralized administration was a key characteristic of the pre-colonial Igbo administration.