₦airaland Forum

Growing up in Nigeria used to feel like being part of a large, diverse family. In the 1980s and 1990s, and even into the early 2000s, ethnic identity was not a barrier to friendship, commerce, or community. I remember clearly how friendships cut across tribal lines. You could be Yoruba and your closest friends were Igbo, Hausa, or Tiv and no one batted an eye.

I remember following my mother to the market. She would speak just a little Hausa to the malam sellers, and without hesitation, they would heap extra goods into her bag: “Kara”, they called it. That simple cultural bridge built trust and affection. I remember traveling with an Igbo friend for his wedding in Enugu. His family welcomed me with open arms, speaking to me in Igbo as though I was one of their own. That was the Nigeria we knew; imperfect, yes, but united by shared experiences and mutual respect.

Even abroad, particularly in the UK, I noticed this unity. As Nigerians, regardless of our tribe or religion, we looked out for one another. My first job came through an Igbo brother. My Ibo friend once dedicated weeks just to teach me the Igbo language so I could feel even more at home within our community. I have a friend at Sabo, just a phone call, “Alhaji I need so and so dollars” and without hesitation, the money is already in my account. On several occasions, this man has deposited dollars into my account without receiving payment upfront.

But now, something has changed.

Today, Nigeria feels like a nation slowly unravelling at the seams. The tribal resentment is palpable. The “jara” in the market is gone. The brotherhood in the diaspora is cracking. The warm welcomes are now cautious glances laced with suspicion. Across social media, ethnic hatred is no longer subtle, it’s viral.

In the aftermath of the 2023 elections, Nigeria’s ethnic fault lines grew deeper. During the Lagos gubernatorial elections, Igbo residents were openly targeted. Voters were profiled, attacked, or intimidated simply for being Igbo. The campaign wasn’t just physical, it spread through WhatsApp groups, Twitter (now X), and Facebook posts, many filled with hate speech and tribal slurs.

A study by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in 2023 observed that social media became the new battleground for ethnic propaganda, with over 45% of misinformation on political platforms being tribal in nature. Online influencers and bots were used to deepen suspicions, inflame historical grievances, and promote dangerous stereotypes, especially during the campaigns of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party.

Who Is to Blame?
Initially, I blamed the youth. Many young Nigerians have no living memory of a Nigeria where people shared common goals regardless of ethnicity. Many didn’t witness the Nigeria where “being Nigerian” came before “being Yoruba,” “being Igbo,” or “being Hausa.” They were raised on political tribalism, religious suspicion, and economic inequality.

But after observing recent developments such as the renaming of streets in Lagos that originally bore Igbo names, I began to reconsider.

These changes, seemingly administrative, reflect something deeper: a state-backed erasure of collective memory. It signals a shift from inclusivity to exclusion. This isn't just cultural oversight, it feels like a deliberate move to assert dominance, a quiet war against national unity.

Renaming Emeka Ojukwu Road or Chukwuemeka Close is not merely about nomenclature. It’s a statement. And in a state like Lagos, which prides itself on being a commercial melting pot of Nigeria’s ethnic groups, these actions send dangerous signals.

The Role of Politicians and Elites

Nigeria’s elite class, the very people who should be promoting unity have weaponized ethnicity for political gain. From pre-independence to the current Fourth Republic, politicians have used ethnic identity as a tool to divide and conquer. During campaigns, they speak to “our people,” not “all Nigerians.” They mobilize based on ethnicity, not ideology.

Consider the 2023 elections again: social media was flooded with messages warning Yorubas not to “allow Igbos to take over Lagos.” Political parties, directly or through proxies did nothing to condemn these acts. In some cases, they encouraged it.

According to SBM Intelligence, at least 123 ethnic-based attacks were reported between February and April 2023, the highest spike in over 10 years, many of which occurred in Lagos and the South-East. This data underscores a chilling reality: the ethnic war is no longer simmering, it’s boiling.

The Social Media Problem
Platforms like Twitter (X), Facebook, and TikTok have become weapons of division. Ethnic hashtags trend frequently; #LagosIsNotNoMan’sLand, #ObiIsAChristianAgenda, #YorubaRonu, and others.

False claims are amplified. One viral video falsely claimed that Igbos were planning to "take over Yoruba land" and it garnered over 3 million views in under 48 hours. Government agencies, rather than working to fight this division often remain silent, or worse, join in.

In 2022, the Premium Times reported that the Nigerian government spent over N4.8 billion on digital surveillance tools. Yet, hate speech continues to spread with impunity.

So, who is truly to blame? The answer is layered.

The political class: fueling division to maintain power.

Government institutions: remaining silent or complicit in acts that deepen ethnic suspicion.

The Nigerian people: allowing trauma, fear, and misinformation to replace unity and reason.

The ultimate question now is this: What kind of Nigeria do we want our children to inherit?

Do we want a nation where your surname determines your right to own land, vote, or lead? Do we want our children to fear neighbors from other ethnic groups? Or do we want to return to that Nigeria, the one where you could walk into any home, market, or mosque, and be embraced simply for being human?

If we truly want to rebuild a Nigeria that works for all, we must start by re-learning to see one another not as threats, but as family; diverse, yes, but united by a shared destiny.

Unity is not automatic. It’s a product of deliberate effort, inclusive governance, and generational renewal. The Nigeria of our childhood may feel distant now, but it is not gone. It is hidden beneath the ashes of years of betrayal, lies, and mistrust. But with truth, justice, and political will, it can rise again.

As Chinua Achebe once said:
“The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.”

But perhaps, with new resolve and a common purpose, the healing can begin, not from the top, but from each one of us.

No one is to be blame because no one will take the blame but my own is that everyone should know his/her boundary.

The blame should be on Lord Lugard for trying to forge different people into one people

Of course APC is to blame. We saw all their shenanigans during the last elections, which as a Yoruba person, I can only describe as disgraceful. APC or any of their candidates do not represent us as Yoruba people. Let them campaign with their achievements or lack of achievements and leave Yoruba people alone

maiunguwar:
The blame should be on Lord Lugard for trying to forge different people into one people

Ah yes, Lord Lugard, the guy who left over 100 years ago but somehow still attends our tribal meetings, rigs our elections, and writes our hate tweets.

Funny how countries like India, Indonesia, South Africa, and even Papua New Guinea (with over 800 ethnic groups!) are managing their diversity, imperfectly, yes, but at least they're trying.

Meanwhile, we’re here blaming a long-dead British man while proudly fueling divisions with our own hands.

madridguy:
No one is to be blame because no one will take the blame but my own is that everyone should know his/her boundary.

How can we be talking about boundary and yet we want a nation.. In fact we should be campaigning against boundary and if leaders really want a prosperous country, they will truly be working against establishing boundary.. Boundary is what is dividing us..

madridguy:
No one is to be blame because no one will take the blame but my own is that everyone should know his/her boundary.

Knowing boundaries is good, but knowing when to rise above them is even better, that’s how nations grow.

Yourbas and Igbos

madridguy:
No one is to be blame because no one will take the blame but my own is that everyone should know his/her boundary.

Has boundary ever benefited you or any ordinary Nigerians?? Boundary only benefit the leaders and the worst of us.. 100yrs from now we will still be here or worst of and we will still shouting boundary.. Highest you will live is another 50yrs and yet all you care about is boundary.. God will be posted at people like you

The evil that Nnamdi Kanu did in promoting ethnicity and hatred can never be forgotten. Things were not as bad as this until he started his hate speech

Stop blaming APC for what you people created. I can bring more than 10 of this before APC.

ClearFlair:
Of course APC is to blame. We saw all their shenanigans during the last elections, which as a Yoruba person, I can only describe as disgraceful. APC or any of their candidates do not represent us as Yoruba people. Let them campaign with their achievements or lack of achievements and leave Yoruba people alone

The tribe that lost the civil war are to be blamed. They are always playing victim and crying wolf where there is none.

Nigerians need to stop being hypocrites.
You set up an organisation like ipob to be launching daily verbal attacks against Nigerians and to be daily publishing maps of peoples homelands as being part of Biafra and you are still asking this question?

Blame the tribe that always have problem anywhere they go, whether in or outside Nigeria. It did not start from today. They have always been like that from the beginning.

This is what Sir Ahmadu Bello said about them as far back as early 1960s.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_odAy4rVz8

This indirectly led to his death because they not only killed him, they killed every Nigerian leader that was not from their region, leaving all their leaders untouched.

Obiedun:
The evil that Nnamdi Kanu did in promoting ethnicity and hatred can never be forgotten. Things were not as bad as this until he started his hate speech

Nnamdi Kanu himself was late to it. It has been festering online for a few years before Nnamdi Kanu started his Radio hate.

christistruth01:
Nigerians need to stop being hypocrites.
You set up an organisation like ipob to be launching daily verbal attacks against Nigerians and to be daily publishing maps of peoples homelands as being part of Biafra and you are still asking this question?

IPOB isn't just about being Igbo, just like we have Oduduwa for Yoruba and Arewa for Hausa. But honestly, growing up, I never saw any of this. These agitations likely began because people felt deeply disenfranchised and unheard.

ElSudani:
Nnamdi Kanu himself was late to it. It has been festering online for a few years before Nnamdi Kanu started his Radio hate.

Honestly, he aggravated it.

It the late BUHARI that is to blame.

He introduced Fulani ethnic supremacy' into the Nigerian polity,all else like ipob is as a reaction to the fulani supremacy project

ClearFlair:
Of course APC is to blame. We saw all their shenanigans during the last elections, which as a Yoruba person, I can only describe as disgraceful. APC or any of their candidates do not represent us as Yoruba people. Let them campaign with their achievements or lack of achievements and leave Yoruba people alone

this was nnamdi kanu as far back as 2013

So it was APC n Tinubu that told nnamdi kanu to say all these in 2013 right?


U ibos started it, ask yourself why were we not talking about bigotry n hate when Buhari was president for 8 years?

It was simply because the fulanis didn't push back but now that yorubas are pushing back that's y we are here today.

U people can't keep bullying people n expect things to go smoothly for u, Ur greatest mistake was trying to bully yorubas like u did to fulanis

B I G O T R Y 1 0 1

pic.twitter.com/eGmZfpC4ez

— High Chief Lawrence Igbins Okoro (@HighChiefOkoro) July 30, 2025

It has to be the culprits. They like to start something they can't finish. And their case is not only in Lagos state, Go to Ghana, South Africa, India, Cambodia, it's all same story with same culprits

I have question for you before i read your junk.

Where were you all tru the 8 years of Buhari when your kinsmen insulted the HausaFulani as Almajiri n boko hara ?

If you never created threads like this back then when your tribesmen had field day raining insult n maligning other Nigerian, why are you creating them now that Yorubas are paying you back in your own coin ?!

[quote author=ibabz post=136305993][/quote]

okpouman:
It the late BUHARI that is to blame.

He introduced Fulani ethnic supremacy' into the Nigerian polity,all else like ipob is as a reaction to the fulani supremacy project

So the acclaimed educated southerners want to blame Buhari for herdsmen crisis in Southern Nigeria when he was the president.

What's the usefulness of the education of the southerners if some few illiterate herdsmen can come to their land and sack their farmers?

hegelian:
How can we be talking about boundary and yet we want a nation.. In fact we should be campaigning against boundary and if leaders really want a prosperous country, they will truly be working against establishing boundary.. Boundary is what is dividing us..

oga u people are d problem

If u can't respect people's boundaries n space u will always have problems.


The same thing u do in Nigeria that is making people angry is the same thing u do everywhere that is making them loathe Nigeria.

Ghana
South Africa
India
Thailand
Vietnam
Indonesia n co


It's the same problem over there, y is it hard for u to respect boundaries?

ibabz:
IPOB isn't just about being Igbo, just like we have Oduduwa for Yoruba and Arewa for Hausa. But honestly, growing up, I never saw any of this. These agitations likely began because people felt deeply disenfranchised and unheard.

Ipob is a terrorist organisation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZimvz1eIps

ibabz:
Knowing boundaries is good, but knowing when to rise above them is even better, that’s how nations grow.

so we should rise above boundaries by letting u lots disrespect us on our space?

Why should a grown Nigerian man need to be taught and warned before he understands that it is wrong for him to set up his own kingdom in Ghana?!!!!

A 4 year old child can easily understand it.

It is just too basic for a grown man not to know

Thundafireseun:
President Mohammed Buhari single handedly contributed 90% in the division of Nigeria with his Nepotistic character

I guess Buhari was the one that was telling nnamdi kanu to insult all tribes right on radio?

Abi u forgot t how nnamdi kanu called us derogatory names?

Our past and present leaders that refused to build a nation. Recently, it's Buhari, Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, MC Oluomo, Rabio Kwankwaso, Joe Igbokwe, Nyesom Wike and a host of ithets.

ibabz:
Knowing boundaries is good, but knowing when to rise above them is even better, that’s how nations grow.

Within an ethnic group there is discrimination which is even a cultural heritage passed on. A good example is the ou't caste system popularly known as Os'u. So what do you have to say?

okpouman:
It the late BUHARI that is to blame.

He introduced Fulani ethnic supremacy' into the Nigerian polity,all else like ipob is as a reaction to the fulani supremacy project

hope u know this was nnamdi kanu as far back as 2013?

B I G O T R Y 1 0 1

pic.twitter.com/eGmZfpC4ez

— High Chief Lawrence Igbins Okoro (@HighChiefOkoro) July 30, 2025

ibabz:
Knowing boundaries is good, but knowing when to rise above them is even better, that’s how nations grow.

As long as you are not encroaching into the boundaries of others and are building skyscrapers within your own boundaries