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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.
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