By Abujah Racheal , News Agency of Nigeria(NAN)
Nigeria is a heterogeneous society with hundreds of different ethnic groups. The first step for Nigerians to really succeed in the 21st century is to put an end to tribalism and unite.
There can’t be any form of significant progress, in a country if the people are suspicious of each other based on their stereotypes and historical resentment. There is no point being a tribalist in this era. Maybe there were historical reasons for xenophobia, but these days none of the problems in Nigeria exist because of one particular ethnic group.
The Nigerian political parties are made up of governors and presidents from all the main ethnic groups and only a handful have had benevolent intentions for the country. To understand why such a diverse group of people are part of one country, we have to look at the history.
Nigeria as we know it is relatively new and it was the British who drew the borders of the country during their colonial rule in the early 20th century. During the creation of Nigeria, many different ethnic groups were joined together, each with their own culture, languages and beliefs.
Since then Nigeria inter-ethnic relations have been turbulent to say the least, with civil war and power struggles between ethnic groups causing violence and frustration among the people. Stereotypes about different tribes persist and are handed down through generations. Youths have been warned by their relatives to not marry outside their ethnic group, youths have heard negative generalisations about the Yoruba, Igbo people and the Hausas.
Tribalism or ethnicity remains a potent tool used by politicians to sustain their continued stay in power even though they govern poorly and are arrogantly corrupt and mostly inept. We are all guilty of this as they have continued to place emphasis on power rotation and zoning...Therefore, they take turns in helping themselves with our national coffers.
Nigerians remain blindfolded by their irrational commitment to ethno-religious sentiments even though their supposed representative hardly ever represent their interest or deliver on improving the quality of their lives.
The North remains the poorest part of the country even though they have had a larger share of political leadership since the inception of our existence as a nation. This is not only true in the North but also in other parts of the country. Let's not choose our leaders on the basis of their origin...but on their capacity to lead.
The tribalism and religious intolerance ravaging Nigeria are the evil orchestrations of the political class to hold on to power and divert the attention of the gullible, unreasonable and dis united masses away from their follies and foibles. Tribalism is more pronounced in Nigeria than any other African country. It is always difficult to make meaningful progress in a society that is characterized by ethnicity and sectionalism; chaos, unrest, insecurity, vandalism,... reign in such society. Tribalism has no place in modern societies. I am afraid that if we (Nigeria as a country) continue to crown ethnicity in her affairs, the story would not be interesting.
Nigerians now use tribalism to determine who they support politically instead of focusing on manifesto & delivery. Religion, tribalism, nepotism, etc are some of our major problems hindering our steady progress as a nation to greater heights. If we‘re ready to purge ourselves of these vices the better for this country, the youths are the most unwise of them all because the leaders use divide and rule methods on them .There's nothing like one Nigeria rather than a tribe and religious affair our real enemy in Nigeria is the often the corrupt elite.
There is an inexcusable divide between the wealthy and poor, with not much of a grey area in between. Our infrastructure is limping along, but should be in a much better state for a country with so much potential.
The services are all but non-existent, this isn’t the fault of your Igbo neighbour or those Hausas – it’s the fault of the people who feel that they can rob the country and get away with it.
Let me add by saying that tribalism should be treated as gravely as racism. But of course that would be naive to expect that just yet, in a country like Nigeria. Nigerians should stop spreading lies and venom about fellow countrymen based on their ethnicity. Nigerians need to remember that they are all human, with the same wants and needs.
It’s important because tribalism is the reason why Nigerians have the zoning system in place, which many would argue is ineffective at producing the best leaders for Nigeria.
Tribalism is at the very core of the country’s politics and it will be a hindrance as long as it is allowed to continue. It’s time for Nigeria to become a nation and have a shared Nigerian culture, Unity in Diversity can still be portrayed in our dear country.
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