Vunderkind
Social Member
“Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no ‘Nigerians’ in the same sense as there are ‘English,’ ‘Welsh,’ or ‘French.’ The word ‘Nigerian’ is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria and those who do not.” - Obafemi Awolowo.
In Nigerian's recently-concluded presidential elections - and as in every other electoral process before that - tribalism featured heavily in the voting process. Tribal sentiments are almost so set in stone that it is possible to predict the outcome of an election before it is conducted (this, in regard to the demarcation of regions, and not the actual voters' numbers.) The minority tribes are swept up in the whirlwind caused by the major tribes: Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. At the end of the day, everybody seeks to support their 'own,' their 'brother,' their ethnic group on the gilded seats of power.
We are a tribal people. Let's face it. The nepotist sentiment runs so deep in our veins that we hardly notice it. I recently moved into a new apartment and I, yet to set up my kitchen, had ventured out that evening in search of an eating spot. The okada man I asked for directions to a good restaurant greeted me with the most peculiar response:
"I know one place, but na so-so Yoruba people full there," he said in a tongue I think is Igbo. My reaction was incredulous - I probably said "what?"- and he mistook it for outrage at having to dine with so many Yorubas in one place.
The man nodded vigorously and said, "Na so, oh. Anyway, I fit take you go another place, but na for night..."
This man, of course, is probably a hard-working, honest and devout citizen to whom tribal prejudice came as a second nature, but he describes the average Nigerian. For a people who live in the same geographical space, we are quite picky about the people we accept into our circle, prejudging them based on history. This is a people who have no qualms calling all Edo women prostitutes (or witches), all igbos thieves, Yorubas disloyal, Hausas violent, and Niger-Deltans kidnappers.
Nigeria's civil war (a fancy name for the gruesome slaughter that was the Biafra war) is still fresh in the memory as the people who witnessed it are still key players in the country today and it affects our decision-making to this very day. However, even in less dramatic blocks, tribalism is still the cog in the wheel of progress, from the apex positions to the selection of something as, say, a house-help ('I can never allow a Calabar girl to sweep my house!').
It has always been a fascinating exercise, for me, the idle speculation of the number of job applicants who have had their CVs rejected because someone in the chain of command 'just can't stand' people from (insert tribe of choice.)
The Boko Haram battle itself, indeed, is considered a religious war wrapped in the all-too-familiar war of tribal witch-hunting.
Beautiful Country, Ugly People
When America submitted a report that Nigeria would cease to be a cohesive nation by 2015, the public outrage in Nigeria was noteworthy. Nigerians wondered, furiously, what right the USA had to predict the demise of 'the greatest black nation in Africa.' It was reminiscent of the 'do you know who I am?' Nigerian pride.
However, the predictions were made on the ideological chasms of the Nigerian people, and while Nigeria may not be breaking up any time soon, it doesn't make those ugly Nigerian traits any less disconcerting.
During the elections, a young man took to Twitter to call for genocide against the igbo tribe because they had shown support for the incumbent president. The images below show his words - horrifying words, calling for the deaths of igbo people.
That's not what's really shocking - any idiot with an internet connection can spew whatsoever garbage that presents itself to his brain, but what was more disturbing was that there were people who actually agreed with him. I read several tweets from other people calling for the deaths (or, at least, 'excommunication') of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria. It made me wonder - when these people buy tomatoes from their local igbo trader, do they experience that mute Jihadist rage ('death on Igbos! You vile piece of tomato-selling scum!')? And if so, does it not speak of an underlying mental problem?
That Twitter account is not the only one; you only need to tune in to your local TV station, listen to 30 minutes of political-speak to observe highly-placed leaders make tribal faux-pas after faux-pas without breaking stride, and somehow they get away with it because the polity as a whole has become numb to such things.
As Lagos state gears towards its governorship elections ThisDay newspaper has published a story about the oba of Lagos threatening to kill Igbo people in Lagos if they do not vote for Ambode, and once again, a painfully large number of people are in sync with this message of hate.
If Nigeria is going to fall, it is not because of an American conspiracy to take us down; it will be because we have too many ugly people running around.
Written by Justin Irabor
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