I have been privileged to be in the midst of people of other ethnic groups when they discuss about the Igbos. They seem to be unanimous in their belief that Igbos are boastful or proud, arrogant and disrespectful. Is this actually the truth? Is there any Nigerian tribe that is not boastful and proud? Hausa Fulanis are always boastful about the fact that they have ruled Nigeria almost all the years she became independent and will continue to dominate in the political scene. One was boastful the other day when he said Nigeria would only be restructured when they decide, that we southerners can only make a noise about restructuring. Which other tribe do Yorubas regard as educated and intelligent apart from themselves? They claim to have the largest number of professors, lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc and so other tribes are illiterates. Tivs are so proud because they say they are warriors. Niger Deltans are also proud because according to them they feed Nigeria and therefore will hold Nigeria to ransom anytime they like. Other tribes have what they believe make them unique and therefore boast about them. Should Igbos then be exempted? They shouldn’t be. They see themselves as people who survived against all odds and will continue to survive wherever they go and even surpass the locals. They also claim to be very good in buying and selling which other tribes have confirmed. It is therefore not wrong of them if they boast just like other ethnic groups do.

Now let’s talk about the two remaining negative attributes leveled against them. Igbos have an ideal expressed in their popular saying: Biri ka m biri literarily meaning Live your life and allow me to live mine. This ideal has no respect for age or social status even if you are a king or whatever. You cannot treat someone badly and expect not to be publicly castigated or even embarrassed. Biri ka m biri more or less implies that there must be justice and equity, no partiality. A friend of mine told me a story about an incident that took place in his village. A certain woman came to quarrel with his mother and he was incidentally present when she came. He asked the woman what the problem was and she narrated her story. He now asked his mother if what the woman said was true. His mother couldn’t properly defend herself. In the presence of the aggrieved woman and other people gathered, he rebuked the mother. To people of other tribes, my friend committed a grave act of disrespect against his mother; they will never publicly embarrass an elder even if he or she is guilty. Nobody from the Southwestern side will ever publicly rebuke an elder, talk less a parent. It is also a taboo for them to publicly rebuke an indigene when he wrongs a non indigene. They call it a show of respect. Northerners also never do that. In Igboland, maltreat an innocent non Igbo and expect people to cover up for you. You would count yourself lucky if they didn’t beat you up. Which other better way can a victim be pacified if not by publicly condemning the aggressor and exonerating the victim? This public show of impartiality will definitely act as a deterrent. When an elder understands that he wouldn’t be protected if he does wrong, he will think twice before fomenting trouble. The Bible tells us to respect elders but they elders should not provoke the young, they should always do the right thing.

With this belief in ‘I will fight for my right because people will judge the case and exonerate me, no partiality’ already embedded in the typical Igboman's mind he travels outside his region and mingles with other tribes expecting them to act like his people, then trouble starts. He forgets that these are people who do not believe an elder should be rebuked whether he does right or wrong, you should not fight for your right against him or her. If you do, you are arrogant and disrespectful.

The major reason an Igboman will stand up against you or show you ‘disrespect’ is if you cheat him either in his business or at home. I was once a tenant in a house in Ondo State where the landlady supplied light to the next compound without the consent of her tenants. When the bill came, we shared it among ourselves whereas the landlady pocketed the money she collected from the neighbouring house. When I observed the wire that entered the next compound, I informed my co- tenants who were furious because we were paying other people’s bills. When I led them to confront the landlady, she challenged us by saying she was the landlady and therefore free to supply light to whosoever she wished. To my utter dismay, my co-tenants in order to show they were ‘respectful’ recoiled into their shells. They were all begging her, E ma binu iya meaning Mama, please don’t be offended. On the other hand, they kept murmuring when they left her presence. Although I was called Eniyan buruku, Oloshi (An evil and stupid fellow), I fought until payments from those people were added to ours to pay our bills. Indeed I was seen as an arrogant person for challenging an elder, I should have just shut up.

Definitely in African as well as in Igbo culture, it is a taboo to insult or disrespect elders and this is practiced throughout Igboland. It doesn’t however mean that challenging an elder when he or she does wrong amounts to disrespecting him or her. We are not a herd of cattle which follows the leader wherever it is heading to whether astray or not, we confront him. That is not a show of disrespect. 'Igbo enwe eze' is a popular saying in Igboland and means Igbos don’t have a king. It doesn’t mean we don’t have leaders. The fact is that we don’t follow them blindly, we challenge them whenever they misbehave, they must lead uprightly

I also want the other ethnic groups to remember that traditions and cultures differ. We Igbos don’t prostrate to greet elders. Standing, we shake them with two hands but shake with one if the person is younger. This is our tradition and also should be put into consideration when criticizing Igbos for being disrespectful. There was a story about a young Igbo girl who grew up in Yoruba land where people prostrate or kneel down to greet elders. She visited home and whenever she saw an elder, she knelt down to greet him or her. People began to look at her, wondering if she has a mental problem. If we had put this fact into consideration, there wouldn’t have been a misunderstanding between the Akure monarch and the Igbo chief. Just the same way, we shouldn’t expect Prince Charles or any foreign dignitary for example to prostrate before a Nigerian monarch if he visits because it is not part of their culture

If other Nigerian tribes will practice Biri ka m biri, Nigeria will be a better place where justice prevails without fear or favour. We all want to go and enjoy in the whitemen’s countries because they built their societies on justice and equity. Over there, their leaders and prominent men are punished without fear or favour whenever they misbehaved whether young, old, ruler, celebrity or whatever. They don’t show favouritism or bias

In conclusion, I want other ethnic groups to know that Igbos are the most peaceful people to stay with in Nigeria. Don’t cheat an Igbo man and you will enjoy his stay with you

nigeria is suffering from igbophobia,both minority and majority,nothing more,if after the disastrous uncivil war that destroyed everything,poverty policy of giving them 20 pounds,visible marginalization which,buhari govt has taken to another level,pull them down sydrome,igbos survived and recover faster than expected, and still surviving

Watch as Almajiri and Afonja D**m*** will invade this thread