irvingia: BY AZUKA ONWUKA

It is difficult to say if Igbo and Yoruba are friends or enemies or merely tolerating each other. On the surface, they seem to be friends, because you rarely hear of any clashes or killings between the two in over 100 years. People from the two ethnic groups work together, live together, laugh together, worship together, and play together. Everything seems all right. Nobody wants to be seen as publicly making any comment seen as tribalistic or intolerant.

But if you look deeper, there seems to be something you cannot truly place a finger on. It’s like a volcano waiting for the least provocation to
erupt. It only needs an excerpt from Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country to be made public, or for Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos to
“deport” some Igbo to Onitsha for hell to be let loose. Commentators immediately line up behind their ethnic groups, releasing venom against the
other side. Luckily, such altercations usually end in words and not in violent acts.

But on Nigerian online sites like the punchng.com and others, where commentators can use anonymous names, such fights are a daily affair,
and they always get embarrassingly nasty. At such times, combatants throw caution to the wind and rake up gut-wrenching jibes dripping of hate and bordering on insanity. You wonder if the purveyors of such vitriol would feel at ease afterwards interacting with someone from the ethnic group they have maligned so viciously. Some see it as fun, but many don’t. They see it as a war that must be won at all costs.

Regrettably, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, whose direct and indirect action and
inaction sowed the seed of hate and distrust between the Igbo and the Yoruba, have died without uprooting that dangerous plant or even
denying it water and nutrients. Therefore, till this day, the Igbo and Yoruba still enjoy shooting at each other with accusations of betrayal,
expansionism, hate, ingratitude, greed, as well as trying to prove that each ethnic group is superior to the other.

And it seems the contest for superiority is at the root of that frosty relationship. The Igbo and Yoruba are unarguably the most competitive in
Nigeria. They are the ethnic groups that easily and forcefully ask for the removal of quota system in all national life. They believe that if things are done on merit, they will excel. The Igbo think that the Yoruba are the major competitors they have in Nigeria, while the Yoruba think that the Igbo are the key competitors they have in Nigeria. This shows in almost all spheres of life. The Yoruba had a head-start in western education
because the British colonialists and missionaries arrived on their land first. The Igbo, who resisted and rejected the British initially, eventually
accepted them and thereby began a sprint to catch up with the Yoruba. And they succeeded.

Whatever the Igbo achieve, the Yoruba have an answer to it, and whatever the Yoruba achieve the Igbo have a response. So, if you have a Wole Soyinka from the South-West winning the first Nobel Prize for Literature in Africa, you have a Chinua Achebe from the South-East holding the record of the most popular and most-selling literary writer in Africa. If you have a Rangers International Football Club of Enugu shaking the
Nigerian football scene in the 1970s and early 80s, you have the Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan shining brightly at the same period. If
Rashidi Yekini is noted for scoring Nigeria’s first World Cup goal and being Nigeria’s all-time highest goal scorer, then Nwankwo Kanu boasts of
being Nigeria’s most decorated footballer, while Austin Jay-Jay Okocha flaunts his status as Nigeria’s most glamorous and mesmerising
footballer. If Genevieve Nnaji boasts of being named by Oprah Winfrey in 2009 among the most popular people in the world, Omotola Jalade-
Ekeinde will show off her name in TIME magazine’s most influential people of 2013. If P-Square and Flavour think they rock the music scene, D’Banj and Davido smash the charts.

So, in all areas of life, the Igbo and the Yoruba are competing, and in the process boosting the nation’s economy and bringing glory to the nation.
Yet, some inferiority-complex-afflicted people who feel threatened within each of the ethnic groups look for every excuse to spread hate among the two peoples. My close study of the Igbo and the Yoruba makes me see them as the Germans and the French of Nigeria respectively. Even the Igbo language is like the German language in many respects. In German and Igbo, there are no silent words. Excluding a few words in Germans which are sounded differently from the way the English sound theirs (like “j” which is pronounced like “y,” “w” which is pronounced as “v,” etc), whatever you say in both languages is what you write. For example, the “g” is always pronounced /g/ in Igbo and German and
never as “j.” “Danke” and “obante” are pronounced as written.

But in French and Yoruba, what you say may be different from how you write it. Some letters are either silent or semi-silent. For example, the
Yoruba and the French would pronounce “san” as if it were “saw,” or “son,” but the Igbo and Germans would pronounce it /san/: exactly the
way it is spelt. Also, the “h” is usually silent or glossed over in French and Yoruba: Hospital or Kehinde. The Igbo and the German are bullish and
technology-minded. They have fought and lost wars but staged successful comebacks in a short time. Conversely, the Yoruba and the French are subtle and supercilious, with good administrative skills, regaling in their years of history and culture. A country that has such two success-driven ethnic groups should be at a great advantage. The Yoruba have been great hosts to the Igbo; and the Igbo have reciprocated by contributing immensely to the building of Yoruba land, especially Lagos State, including buying swamps at a high price and turning such places to residential or commercial estates. The sleepiness of Lagos during the Christmas-New Year period, when the Igbo usually travel home en masse, bears testimony to their contribution to making Lagos lively.

Just like the French always wish they could cut the Germans to size, so do the Yoruba to the Igbo, but it will never work. And just as the Germans always try to flaunt their success at the French, so do the Igbo do to the Yoruba, but it is completely pointless. The Yoruba can never be like the Igbo, and the Igbo can never be like the Yoruba. There is nothing the Yoruba can do to suppress the Igbo neither is there anything the Igbo can do to suppress the Yoruba. Both of them can actually succeed without the other, but working closely together will be very beneficial to each of them as well as the nation. The younger generations are forging greater ties, despite the baggage of enmity the older
generations handed over to them. Working together, attending church together and living together seem to have increased the rate of marriage between the two people. Most Sundays when I look at the church bulletin, I see increasing higher number of banns of marriage between Yoruba and Igbo people. These days, it is common to see women whose names are Temilade Amadi or Ngozi Adesanya because of marriage. The ethnic barriers are being broken, even though ethnic jingoists continue to spread hate. Such hate speech and thoughts need to be stopped, for ethnic bloodshed or xenophobia does not burst out in one day.

Since the older generations are passing away without bringing these two great ethnic groups together, the onus is on those born after the Civil
War to consciously take steps to bring the two ethnic groups together for their own good and for the good of the nation. It is high time this Tom and Jerry relationship between the two ethnic groups ended, for the good of both and the nation at large.

http://www.punchng.com/opinion/tom-and-jerry-relationship-between-igbo-and-yoruba/

OrlandoOwoh: One thing is certain, if Yoruba want to break away, they won't need to even fire a gun shot.

paranorman:
badt guy.. This ur map ehn, na die.. We still need those people for food o. Can we boast of large scale farmin here in the south?! We too official in this part jare.. Their topograpy and climate suits agriculture kinda.. So we still neeed'em!

GVA: In as much as you all claim there is no discord between the Yoruba and Ibo race, the term "Omo Ibo" and "Ajaokuta ma mu omi"is the most derogatory piece if shot ive ever heard. It is surprising to note that there is no Omo Hausa , Omo Calabar, Omo Edo.
The yorubas are very learned , that i accepted but they are soo cowardly, that is why their young men cant leave their home towns in such of greener pastures. Incase you have not noticed the average ibo man in the west understand yoruba. He makes an effort to understand it, how many Yoruba men have you seen that can speak ibo. The numbers speak for themselves.

Nevertheless, in 2014 some of us are still liberal, which explains why i have sisters married to Yoruba men.

MidaxPhoenix: The hidden truth is that the igbos felt betrayed by the yorubas, the igbos have always seen the yorubas as the brothers across the niger but the civil war changed the course of thinking.

An average Igbo respects a yoruba for his intellectual prowess while the yorubas respect the igbos for entrepreneurial skills... a case of mutual respect and admiration and the igbos felt betrayed by the tribe they respect so much during the civil war..

The yorubas owe the Igbo an apology, and the igbos should learn to move on but our leaders profit from the discord, hence cannot facilitate a true reconciliation..

The two tribes complement each others,

What the igbos lack, the yorubas have in abundance and vice versa so we find it easy to co-habit.

We, yorubas are lazy, rely solely on intellectual skills as ingrained in our culture but the igbos believes in the sweat of hardwork..

The yorubas will say- I no fit do that work o! And the igbos will say - make we try am now.

Yoruba schools to become bureaucrat but the igbos schools to become refined businessmen..

During my nysc in enugu, I was privilege to teach tutorials in advanced calculus, real and numerical analysis in ESUT and IMT, the shout of ''Chike obi'' and awolowo rents the air as I give them the short cuts to solving questions.

Gba be theorem I call it...

All I can do is feel good when we finish lectures and my students give me business cards and telling me to come to their shops in ogbeite..

And igbos marvel at the yorubas mathematical skills....

Enters a store, Nna nyem this, 120, that 235, those 340.

Give him 1000 naira, Nna grabs calculator..


But the market woman in lagos selling wares, she will retort....305 ni change yin.

The igbos don't have time to calculate money, they make it in abundance and leave the yorubas to calculate.

The igbos control the economy, the yorubas regulate it..

Nigeria is truly blessed.

Cubeet: While the Hausas destroys the economy

mainman7: These diametrically demented cacophonous toilet tissues called igbos always ululating about the Great Yorubas. Nya miri Gwongworos! Ojukwu, your acclaimed igbo lord and the greatest igbo of all time was a coward just like every other igbo and he took to his heels dressed as a female (What an height of cowardice!). The fact that igbos are fools is highly substantiated and corroborated by the fact that someone that deceived millions of igbos into being slaughtered like chickens in Biafran war (who himself ran away dressed like a woman) was being celebrated when he came back. Also during Abacha regime of tyranny, coward Ojukwu kept his mouth shut throughout. He only found his voice again when OBJ became the president. Before they left, the Colonial British Army rightly observed, that the Yorubas are the most militarily intelligent in Nigeria, especially when it comes to developing disastrously destructive military strategies. "Brain is better than brawn" Biafra was actually initially winning the war (igbos read your own history) until the Great Awolowo(a typical Yoruba Man), the ununiformed General, stepped in on the side of Nigeria and came up with the intelligent military strategy that gave Nigeria Victory over Biafra. "In warfare it's all fair". You know that Hausas only hear go! Just give the military order, they'll carry it out to the letter. Even long after Biafra had surrendered, the killing of igbos continued untill Awolowo, the greatest Nigerian Generalissimo of all time, intervened again and told the Military to allow the remaining igbos to be alive. So, you senseless igbo mofos still have the to thank the Yorubas today, understand?! "Next time you see a Yoruba man, duff your hat and bow before him!"

Blockus: OP,

I find this thread offensive to ndi Igbos.

We dont have any relationship whatsoever with the Yorubas.

They have proven to be untrust worthy since the beginning of time. They are two faced, back-stabbing and maliciously wicked and have demonstrated it time and time again. Lets not forget that the genocidal aspect of the civil war where food and medical supply were cut off from the East was not suggested by the Northerners but by a Yoruba man. Lets not even forget that there would not have been a war per se if the Yorubas had stuck to their end of the bargain from the Aburi accord held in Ghana.

The Yorubas are not trust worthy at all and thats the root of our problems in Nigeria. Atleast the Hausas have shown us where they stand from the very beginning.

I do however agree with the OPS comparison of the Igbos to the Germans and the Yorubas to the French, seeing as the Germans are innovative and brave at war and the French are cowardly and docile in general.

SurePresident:

I'm still amazed by this ^. Indeed, very amazing!

waternogetenemy: OP u are very stewpid for associating igbos with yaribas, we are not twins and will never be. I want to hear more about igbos with better tribes like the ibibios not those saboteur.

filiks:

I am Igbo but I must say that you have a sound mind.

That said, history is always biased. Because people(humans) write history. So emotions come in.

All our so called "past heroes" were only pursuing their personal interests. Apart from "maybe" Ojukwu, who had a large heart(but only large enough to love the Igbos) - considering the fact that he came from wealth but decided to serve - the rest never thought of anyone else but themselves. I still fault Ojukwu though for leading my people to that war, considering the fact that he had accurate knowledge what equipments/weapons available to both Nigeria and Biafra.

tonychristopher:

MidaxPhoenix: The hidden truth is that the igbos felt betrayed by the yorubas, the igbos have always seen the yorubas as the brothers across the niger but the civil war changed the course of thinking.

An average Igbo respects a yoruba for his intellectual prowess while the yorubas respect the igbos for entrepreneurial skills... a case of mutual respect and admiration and the igbos felt betrayed by the tribe they respect so much during the civil war..

The yorubas owe the Igbo an apology, and the igbos should learn to move on but our leaders profit from the discord, hence cannot facilitate a true reconciliation..

The two tribes complement each others,

What the igbos lack, the yorubas have in abundance and vice versa so we find it easy to co-habit.

We, yorubas are lazy, rely solely on intellectual skills as ingrained in our culture but the igbos believes in the sweat of hardwork..

The yorubas will say- I no fit do that work o! And the igbos will say - make we try am now.

Yoruba schools to become bureaucrat but the igbos schools to become refined businessmen..

During my nysc in enugu, I was privilege to teach tutorials in advanced calculus, real and numerical analysis in ESUT and IMT, the shout of ''Chike obi'' and awolowo rents the air as I give them the short cuts to solving questions.

Gba be theorem I call it...

All I can do is feel good when we finish lectures and my students give me business cards and telling me to come to their shops in ogbeite..

And igbos marvel at the yorubas mathematical skills....

Enters a store, Nna nyem this, 120, that 235, those 340.

Give him 1000 naira, Nna grabs calculator..


But the market woman in lagos selling wares, she will retort....305 ni change yin.

The igbos don't have time to calculate money, they make it in abundance and leave the yorubas to calculate.

The igbos control the economy, the yorubas regulate it.. Nigeria is truly blessed.

Blockus: OP,

I find this thread offensive to ndi Igbos.

We dont have any relationship whatsoever with the Yorubas.

They have proven to be untrust worthy since the beginning of time. They are two faced, back-stabbing and maliciously wicked and have demonstrated it time and time again. Lets not forget that the genocidal aspect of the civil war where food and medical supply were cut off from the East was not suggested by the Northerners but by a Yoruba man. Lets not even forget that there would not have been a war per se if the Yorubas had stuck to their end of the bargain from the Aburi accord held in Ghana.

The Yorubas are not trust worthy at all and thats the root of our problems in Nigeria. Atleast the Hausas have shown us where they stand from the very beginning.

I do however agree with the OPS comparison of the Igbos to the Germans and the Yorubas to the French, seeing as the Germans are innovative and brave at war and the French are cowardly and docile in general.

otitookoro: It is an insult to the integrity of the Yorubas to be compared with the igbos.the igbos are nothing but thieves and hypocrite who always ascribe good things to themselves as the writer (who invariably is an igbo) proved.igbos are nothing to the yourbas and they have not made any economical viable course in yoruba land.rather they came in search of greener pasture which was lacking in their land.the bastard tribe have no morals or imbibed values from their culture.we had rich and wealthy yoruba traders across our land before civil war broke.it common sense that you can thrive to be anything in the land of your sojourn i.e you will not mind to do any dirty work to survive and that is exactly what the igbos are doing in yoruba land.Tell me what is the population of yorubas in igbo land compared to the igbo village boy s that migrated to south west.you will agree with me that nigerians that travel overseas engaged themselves in all kind of menial job which they will readily not do in Nigeria.Igbos are making money by fraud.they pirate drugs,food,wine,clothings, and just anything to make money at the expense of peoples benefit or the bgood of the society and you call that ENTREPRENEURSHIP? No sir, it is nothing but "fraudulent ship".Igbo land has nothing to offer other parts of the country,that was why other tribe hardly migrate to their land.And if they do what is their population compared to the wandering igbos in their land.Igbo tribe can do anything for money including killing their parents just to live a flamboyant life.baby factory,armed robbery,fake food/drugs etc all emanated from their land yet they ascribe God to all thier evil.In education they are catching up but they can never meet up with the yoruba.It is indolent people that have no intelligence up in their brains that pirate people work and engaged in bad business to make money.their origin is so controversial;today you will hear isreal,tmr germeny,next tmr egypt! HABA Igbos! you are the most hypocritical race God has blessed nigeria with.please go back to your land the yorubas do not need you rather you are the ones that ned the yoruba to survive.recently,an igbo man said if nigeria should disintegrate,the igbo will suffer most because they have to start to rebuild their land out of nothing.bloody bastard and defeated race.the yorubas own no apology to igbos or any other tribe.a simply war strategy master minded the the great Awo deflated the egos of combined Zik.Ojukwu & co put together.they were vanquished and yoruba land came to their rescue yet they all open their stinking mouth to insult the integrity if their host. ALWAYS UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS.Your race is cursed.Fashola was ready to demostrate to you that igbos are nothing that was why he commenced the relocation of the igbos to their barren land before your miserable thieves leaders cry out or else you have gone into extinction.

iwonbaoko: We definitely DO NOT NEED Ibos for anything.

devour129: I can bet you haven't eaten a proper meal today .bro go and eat cos a hungry man is an angry ,sad and pathetic man .after having that meal dust up your cv n go find a job.

sirwilly1: This post is interesting. But you know what? GERMANS ALWAYS WIN.

oluamid: Nigerians....... *sigh*

If Nigeria is in Europe then we will hold all Germans responsible for the racism of Hitler.

The comparison of Yoruba to France and Igbo to Germany is very wrong.

The writer is merely trying to use our emotions to get us to agree with him by over-generalizing. The relationship between the two tribes is different from the German-French relationship. No two Yoruba men are the same and the same can be said of two Igbo men.

Don't forget, there are other tribes in the country.