Latest News In Nigeria, Nigeria might not get better

Latest News In Nigeria, Nigeria might not get better.

Disparity and ethnic discrimination in Nigeria might just never stop. The phenomenon has been the age-long reason why Nigeria has failed to meet global development expectations through generations. What is not surprising about this situation is that every ethnic group feels cheated or not favored by the others. What is surprising, however, is that most ethnic groups have not yet realized that there just might never be a peaceful or successful Nigeria unless we learn to judge people as individuals and not collectively as a group. Generations of Anglophones have, over the years, campaigned against racial discrimination and segregation from the white folks to blacks. What is ironic about this is that discrimination is relatively dominant in Africa, and somewhat checked among the westerners. While white men of today hide their discrimination with a measure of civility and a patronizing façade of courtesy, a case study has proven that Nigeria and most African nations are replete with loud and demonstrated, although most times underlying, tribal hate which often culminates into a catalog of rifts and riot, of misjudgment and sometimes, if not all the time, ignored social crimes.

Nigeria, just like its sister states, has failed in achieving equality and unity among its diverse peoples. The people refuse to accept another tribe's own ways and excuse their shortcomings and this is the reason why we might never have a unity or commonness of purpose, hence the retarded rate of development of our dear country. The tribal hate, like a slow smoke, has arisen insidiously and become a mindset, almost a culture and is accepted and encouraged and most times, overstated. For instance, it has become normal for an Igbo man to call a Yoruba man dirty. It feels appropriate for an Hausa man to perceive an Igbo man as dubious, and it is acceptable for the Yorubas to feel insecure when with an Hausa or Igbo man. While these issues have been neglected and overlooked from time immemorial, they have grown and made it impossible for Nigerians to keep an open mind while dealing with people from other tribes. For instance, it is very typical of an Igbo man to assume that an Hausa man, by virtue of his ethnicity, has limited intelligence.

These misunderstandings have trailed Nigerians, over the years, and have been used to dispossess certain cultures and malign some ethnicities. Considering the rate at which these default opinions have eaten deep into our society, it is almost impossible to initiate a reform without first of all tracing the issue back to its root and with specific references and illustrations.

A famous Nigerian writer once said that it is impossible to engage properly with a person or a people without engaging properly with all the stories about them. So, in light of this, I feel it is impossible to get to the root of this issue without engaging with the behavioral pattern of these ethnic groups. So below are the well researched reasons why different tribes in Nigeria react the way they do towards one another.

The Hausas

This group occupies the northern parts of Nigeria which is rife with harsh intemperate and extreme weather conditions. The cold seasons come like plagues, drying up every moisture in the atmosphere and the wet seasons, if any, approach rather tardily, with scanty rains and fast wind. The general season in these parts is hot, extremely hot such that flies and different tropical insects thrive there. The north is characterized by scanty and low vegetation, a few grasslands and deserts. The people in these parts are farmers. They deal on food crops and livestock. Most Hausas are nomadic herdsmen, rearing cattle and sheep. The dominating religion in these parts is Islam, so most Hausas, a huge number of them, are Muslims.

The average Hausa man is a simple man, not taking life and ambitions too seriously, working hard for each day’s meal and not expecting too much from life. He generally marries more than four wives and most of these women are married at alarmingly tender age, (10-16). They see very little need for education and do not feel too proud to do menial jobs. Most of the gatemen, cobblers, hawkers and butchers are from this tribe. They take life the way they see it and are generally honest; although most Yorubas and Igbos will argue that Hausa leaders have not been quite thrifty with national funds (Gen. Abacha and co.), but a good number of the average Hausas are honest.

Hausas are impatient with other religions, are quite inclined not to truly take time and understand them. Many Christians who live in the north always have to look over their shoulders. Hausas have been known not to show mercy when killing Christians. Despite this, Hausas are people who love serenity and are contented with very little. They have been known to always lend a helping hand to people who lack. It is said that if an Hausa man has just a loaf of bread, he is willing to share it with ten of his brothers. Perhaps, this is the main reason why they do not like the Igbos in particular. As the Igbo people are very ambitious, not contented with little and always desiring education, better and improved standard of living – that sort of thing. The Igbos have been known to produce intellectuals and superstars more than any other tribe. This, maybe, is the main reason the Hausas find them rather intolerable.

I once spoke to an Hausa gateman in one of the hostels in Imo state university and he told me that they, (the Hausas) are not as privileged as the Igbos with reasons that, the Igbos went to school, had good weather and monogamous homes where parents attend to their needs; he said the Igbos are pampered. He further went on to shed light on how the Igbos are ambitious, full of talents and freedom to pursue their goals, not inhibited by any tradition or religion. He called these privileges and I had to ask him if it was God who made all these possible for the Igbos or if it was by their making. He replied that it was their making and went ahead to ask me why they were so ambitious. Why won’t the Igbo people just let things be? Must they always pursue every dream they have? These were the last questions he asked me. Another person, a student, once told me that Igbos are greedy, always striving to outdo other tribes, particularly the Hausas in everything. He described the Igbos as domineering. So perhaps, these are the reasons why the Hausas do not always accommodate the Igbos.

            The Yorubas

They occupy the western parts. These are the parts to first receive white men and civilization into Nigeria, because their parts are bordered by Atlantic Ocean and other big rivers. They had the first schools, churches roads e.t.c. and when Nigeria became a country; their parts harbored its first capital. So they were civilized way before any other tribe in Nigeria. They are generally more passive than any other tribe when it comes to riots and wars. They are quiet and fun-loving people. A Yoruba man does not joke with his party. Their women often have black skins with an authentic smoothness and African allure. The Yorubas like education, entertainment, anything that makes them happy. They have no beef with Hausas, because Hausas let things be, but they do not totally accept the ambitiousness of the Igbos. However, they never get violent in expressing this. As long as their gbedu is not tampered with, you have no problem with the Yorubas.

The Yorubas might not be the best at certain things but they do enjoy competition. Whenever there is any form of rivalry in entertainment industry, there must be a Yoruba person involved. Other tribes complain that Yoruba people are boastful. In Nollywood, Yoruba actors like Omotola always prove difficult to work with. This might not be a deliberate action, but people say that it is in the nature of Yoruba people to assume they know best, perhaps, this is why the talented actress finds it difficult to conform to instructions. Also, in the music industry, there is always constant rivalry involving Yoruba artistes like Wiz kid, Davido and D’banj.

I think the Yorubas are misunderstood. They are expressive people who, no doubt, love to show off. But this might not mean that they are necessarily proud or braggadocios as perceived.

The Igbos

The Igbos are the most interesting and complex group in Nigeria. They are driven by one thing, the zeal to succeed, to hold their head high; to stand their own. They occupy the eastern region and boast of the most beautiful and naturally light skinned women in the nation.

The Igbos have no tolerance for failure. They generally put in their best efforts in whatever they do and generally come out the best. Legends in various fields that have come from Nigeria are mostly Igbos. The Igbos boast of beauty queens like Oluchi and Munachi, athletes like Kanu Nwankwo, Glory Ayozie and Chioma Ajunwa; intellectuals like Chinua Achebe, Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, Chimamanda Adichie; actors like Genevieve Nnaji; singers like P square and personalities like Ngozi Okonjo Iweala. Generally, Igbos have been known to make Nigeria proud as their success is often based on pure and natural talents which make them stand out among their counterparts. This is why success seems to fall into their arms. Igbos who become famous, unlike other stars, retain their fame and remain relevant because of their natural talents. They can be distinguished from a sea of other people who do the same thing. That is why a producer like don jazzy can make Forbes list of 40 most influential people in Africa. This is also why people like Onyeka Owenu have remained viable over time.

The Igbos are inventive and creative. Maybe that is why they produce the best writers in Africa. It was a group of Igbo people who started what is now known as Nollywood in 1993. It was an Igbo woman who first published a book in Africa, pioneers in legal system like Oputa are Igbos. It was an Igbo who championed the independence of Nigeria. The most famous artists in Nigeria, such as Ben Enwowu, are Igbo. Igbos have the ability to create something big out of nothing, to thrive and succeed despite bad government and the economy. That is why a retarded town like Aba, is one of the chief producing towns in Nigeria. Igbos do not go into anything with the aim of competing with people, but with the aim of succeeding, maybe that is why they often do.        

The Igbo man has no patience for failure. If they do not succeed in a particular area, they swiftly move to another until they have achieved something. They do not give up. The Igbo man would do anything to give his child a bright future, which is why they even migrate illegally to many foreign lands with a view of meeting this end. However, their nature makes them misjudge other ethnic groups. An Igbo person does not see a reason why he will fail so laughably at anything. Even bloggers from Igbo recreate blogging into something serious, as serious as Linda Ikeji’s blog. This is why they get shocked when they see the calm and not-too-ambitious spirits of the other tribes. This is why they get shocked by other tribes and this is why the other tribes misunderstand them. An Igbo man does not understand why someone could settle for gateman when he can be the landlord. They do not understand why you will write an exam not not be the best.

The Igbos do not agree with nonchalance and laziness. They have a problem with mediocrity and half measures. This makes them the envy of other tribes, or maybe it is the fact that they always rub it in that stimulates the hatred. An Igbo boy once said to me, “When we go to Hausa and Yoruba lands, we become landlords and they end up becoming our gatemen, and when they come down here, they also become our gatemen. Why wouldn’t they become frustrated and angry with us?” now he had said this for the sake of humor and the Yoruba and Hausa people around there had turned on him verbally.

The Igbos are generally peaceful. They do not care for violence because it doesn’t pay. They do not care for anything that doesn’t pay.

Understanding the differences in the mindsets of these peoples would be the only way Nigeria can reunite and become what has eluded it for years; reach goals that have been deprived it as a result of disunity. Until we all understand that every tribe has its shortcomings and lifestyle, until we learn to indulge and tolerate one another, Nigeria will still be a mess and the possibility of advancing will still be very slim.

Chidera Duru,

The Author of THE SOUND OF WAR.

Uba Alex,

Editor in chief, Ubaliveinfo.blogspot.com.