Extended family: A social security system?

His mother wants to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. His parents badly need a new car. Her brother doesn’t do very much and can’t pay his own rent. His sister’s husband was just laid off by his bank a year ago, they have no savings at all but school fees are due and a new baby is on the way. He hasn’t addressed his family’s immediate needs and says there is no money for a family vacation this year, yet he is writing a cheque to fund all this.

Her father will buy her a brand new car since all he can afford is a “tokunboh;” she is not accustomed to second hand cars. Her parents will upgrade her to business class because that is what she is used to – he can’t expect her to travel economy? Her mother buys the grand children expensive gifts and his can’t afford to match that kind of spending which always makes his family look like the “poorer relations”.

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What is social security?

Social security is a term that refers to personal financial assistance, in its various forms. This is in many countries, a field of social welfare and insurance from which people receive services or benefits in return for contributions to an insurance scheme. It is a governments’ responsibility to provide for the basic welfare of the most vulnerable members of the society such as the very young, the elderly and the infirm. The objective is to ensure a threshold subsistence level below which any worker who has paid into a program cannot fall.

Where the vast majority of workers are employed in the informal sector, it is nearly impossible for them to be covered by any formal government based system, as these are designed to target formal sector workers. Even where a formal mechanism has been introduced to provide free basic medical care for the elderly in some Nigerian states, only a small part of the population is actually covered and the quality of that care is often called to question.

The extended family

The extended family, which is usually made up of several generations of people who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption, is the very foundation of Nigerian social life. This family group consists of not only a nuclear family made up of parents and their children, but embraces siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even more distant relatives.

In the absence of a formal and effective social security system, the extended family system (EFS) has evolved into a homegrown version of a more formal welfare system. Through this basic economic unit, individuals are able to build networks and pool resources beyond their own to meet pressing needs such as the education of children and the general welfare of their relatives.

The EFS is based on principles of togetherness and reciprocity and involves obligations on members to be supportive of one another in times of need. This form of mutual co-operation has had a huge impact on the life of most Nigerians and indeed much of the emerging world. Almost everyone, in one way or another, is a beneficiary of a system that plays a role in the care of children and the aged, with assistance at weddings and funerals, the funding of education, supporting business ventures, providing shelter in the city and so on.

Even where one cannot shoulder all the financial responsibility, and often it is not all about money, one can still show some concern by contributing in other ways to ease the burden on a relative. One can provide encouragement and mentorship to struggling members who have shown potential. Some of the extraordinary talent in our communities just needs a little attention for it to blossom. With the difficult economic situation in most Nigerian homes, it is not easy to stand by if you are in a position to at least render some help.

In an ideal world, the extended family provides essential financial and emotional support. When the financial burden is shared, the burden on individuals is reduced. Often however, some family members begin to see it as their right to be provided for by more able members, and they fail to strive to work hard or contribute in any way. This sense of entitlement can lead to tension and resentment due to the complex relationships that exist, with varied earning powers within the family, unhealthy rivalry and competition. This can lead to conflict and the breakdown of family ties where issues are not resolved.

Is the extended family system weakening?

Today, Nigerian society has witnessed significant changes in the extended family system. As a result of urbanization, modernization, globalization and other socio economic factors, we see a gradual dilution of the EFS. Many families are caught between the traditional family system that is characterized by strong family cohesion and group orientation, and the modern system, which is individualistic, and the nuclear family appears to be gradually playing a dominant role.

It is of note that Nigerians in Diaspora continue to send money home to help relatives to meet pressing needs; this demonstrates that in spite of the fact that these Nigerians are living and working within the nuclear family setting more common in the Western world, there is still the strong pull and unity of the extended family system in the support of relations far away.

Until an organized and effective welfare and social security system is in place, the extended family system will continue to play a crucial role in the social welfare of its members. At the same time, it is clear that as socioeconomic conditions, cultural values and technology, continue to evolve, so too will the face and structure of the extended family in contemporary society. In whatever form it takes, let us try to protect it.

-Nimi Akinkugbe (nakinkugbe@punchng.com)


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