By Glory Solomon-Eseh
Let’s practicalize something: look into the mirror, who do you see? Do you see a Yoruba bachelor, an Igbo woman, Ijaw girl or a Fulani boy? If what you see is a person defined by ethnicity or tribe, then, something is wrong.
There is nothing wrong in being a tribal person; having a sense of belonging with people of the same origin is wonderful, however, it becomes disastrous when we diminish the values of others based on their tribes. Sadly,tribalism is now being embraced by the younger generation so much so that it has become acceptable.
Nigeria is blessed with diverse ethnic groups and different cultural heritage. This should be celebrated but tribalism has made this impossible. This cancer dominates our national discourse, restrains how we think, act and determines the things we support or oppose. How did we get here? What is our next course of action? Have we reached the point of no redemption?
“To generalize is to be an idiot.” ~ William Blake
Whilst some might list numerous ways to rid ourselves of tribalism, I believe the first step is to end generalization. It is very easy to play the blame game, as Nigerians, for every mishap in one’s life, the president is responsible. But we have done nothing to help the situation.
Solomon Eneojo recounts one of the tribal experiences he faced in Lagos, “I used to live in a tenement house with thirteen other tenants. My family was the only different tribe. We couldn’t speak our dialect without the others mocking us. It was so bad that they hated everything we did. I’m glad we left the house when we did. However, it took me a while to realize that we lack the sense of oneness in our country. We do need to deal with everyone as humans.”
Godspower Nnaweri hasn’t really experienced the harsh realities yet is certain that the statement, “I cannot be friends with people from a particular tribe because of certain hearsays” is something he has heard too well.
This is the case with Seyi who is certain that the belief that Ekiti people are naturally angry is quite absurd. He is convinced that Nigerians are used to limiting themselves to certain ideologies, some will choose to be ignorant irrespective of change.
Raya Ali, who is Yoruba and lives in Northern Nigeria also tells us how hard it was trying to convince school mates that her state of origin is Lagos. “It gets annoying because everyone I meet seems to believe that they know more about me than myself.”
With the current state of the country, I am almost certain that half of the population of Nigeria blame the Hausas for the failure of a single person. Just as we have issues in the North, also, it’s in the East and West. Hence, no particular part of the country should be blamed (solely) for the failure of our country because it is a collective effort.
Finally, I must applaud Nigerians who embark on inter-tribal marriages but let’s not stop there. You may not be tribalistic but the person beside you may just be (saying not everyone is tribalistic is also an act of generalisation; you cannot speak for everyone). Let’s remember that just as we have good people, there are also bad people but don’t be swift to blame their bad habits on their tribe – that’s very tribalistic! We would do well to stop the generalisation.
Readers, do let us know the popular myths you’ve heard about your tribe. Also, tell us how you think tribalism could be stopped. Drop your thoughts in the comment section below.
I think tribalism could be reduced or stopped if people stop blindly following stereotypes set by society. We judge each others based on these stereotypes and it only increases the gap between us.
Beautiful and enlightening. However, it must be noted that a particular tribe which is the Hausas have the larger percentage of leaders in the country.. they rule almost every helm of affairs. I am not being tribalistic but I believe the government and system has a lot of responsibilities in terms of integrating other tribes into these institutions.. we can’t all be one if we are all not getting equal treatment 😊 and also if the government is able to curb banditry and terrorism emerging from the north, other regions will be more accommodating to them and the issue of tribalism can be subdued.