THINGS are changing and indeed, changing in a bad direction for youths in the South-East region. Unbelievably, many Igbo youths are abandoning their occupations in droves to become native doctors.
Today in many Igbo communities, the youths are fast abandoning their various religions and occupations to embrace their new-found love— native doctor practice.
These days, it is common to see shrines of various types and sizes, some fearful, built by this new generation of youthful native doctors, in many communities in the South-East region.
Perhaps, this could be one of the reasons for the increasing rate of all manner of rituals in the region. The craze to go into native doctor practice is a big surprise for residents of the South-East region.
In the past, genuine native doctors were few in communities in Igbo land and their clients came from far places to consult them.
In those days, native doctors were particularly not rich people as they only asked their clients to merely offer whatever token they felt was good in appreciation of the service rendered to them. Those were the days when native doctors were feared because of the arguably enormous powers they are believed to possess.
Today, all that has changed as native doctors are thriving. In many communities, youths who dropped out of school and those who failed in their businesses have become native doctors to make money.
It is now common to hear youths say they are learning how to become native doctors and the apprenticeship could take them as far as the South-West, India and even some countries in West and Central Africa, and could last for a couple of years.