We must renounce our tribal identities; I’m Nigerian NOT Yoruba


The recent current of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the US has surged tremendously in Nigeria – a country in the thrall of its own unique kind of ‘’racism’’ – tribalism. Nigerians held protests at the embassy of the US in Abuja, condemning the murder of many African-American. Really, while the protests are for a righteous cause, no doubt, we need to re-wheel and deepen them to square up to our own fundamental imbalances.

The US is a society that is attuned to its frailties and rises to the occasion when need be to confront them. While there are laws to address issues of racism in America like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, there are no laws assiduously tackling tribalism in Nigeria. In fact, the laws we have in Nigeria are designed to accent tribalism and nepotism; for example, the Quota System, ‘’Federal Character Principle’’ and ‘’catchment area’’ policy.

I must say, while the Quota System and the Federal Character Principle were ideated to rugby-tackle concerns of ethnic representation in the public sector, they have over the years become the fulcrums on which tribalism, nepotism and ethnic dominance are scaffolded. These policies have also enthroned incompetence, discrimination, lack of healthy competition, indolence and indiscipline in the national life while supplanting meritocracy and competence.
We really have got to make Nigeria work for all Nigerians.

We live in country where to transact any official matter you have to declare your ‘’state of origin’’ and not your ‘’state of residence’’ – even when you have lived in a particular area in the country since your nativity.

I recall, in March, the Cross River state house of assembly rejected the appointment of Akon Ikpeme as substantive chief judge of the state — because she is from Akwa Ibom, even though she is married to a Cross Riverian.

In a voice vote at a plenary session, the assembly rejected Ikpeme’s appointment after receiving a report by the committee on judiciary. In the report, Godwin Akwaji, representing Obudu state constituency, and five others, recommended her rejection on the loony grounds that she is not a native of the state. Ikpeme hails from Akwa Ibom state, but she is married to an indigene of Cross River.

Is this not apartheid? We subsist on the worst kind of discrimination based on tribe and religion. And what is more tragic is that these prejudices are institutionalised.

We cannot pontificate on racism in the US, when some Nigerians cannot buy land in certain parts of the country. We cannot sit in judgment on racism in the US, when some Nigerians kill other citizens in the cognomen of ethnicity and religion. We cannot be indignant with racism in America when some Nigerians cast ethnic slurs like — Inyamiri, Ofe nmanu, Aboki – on their fellow countrymen. We cannot be more outraged by a foreign blight than by the sickening plight of our own people and the system. That is classical hypocrisy.

We must begin to erode ‘’tribal identities’’ and revive the ‘’Nigerian identity’’ to make progress as one country. I am Nigerian. That is my tribal identity.

God bless you Sir, tribalism is the killer of our progress

Im YORUBA FIRST, and proud to stand up for my YORUBANESS!

Good but not possible. We all like our tribe before country.

All my 1,000+ reincarnations i've been IGBO, This is the first incarnation I will be hearing anything like Nigeria

Franzinni:
God bless you Sir, tribalism is the killer of our progress

tribalism is not our problem but religion is. There is no human without an identity, our tribes is our identity we can give up that I am my tribe first before I am Nigerian

Speak for yourself.
I refuse to be named by a white Man like an English dog.
I am IGBO before anything called "Nigerian".
Igbo Amaka!

Raxz:
tribalism is not our problem but religion is. There is no human without an identity, our tribes is our identity we can give up that I am my tribe first before I am Nigerian

its ok to have an identity sir, but when your identity for some silly reason makes you feel like a better human being than the other person who is not of your tribe ... i hope you can see the problem there...



there is no tribe in nigeria that i know who doesnt suffer this disease ... i hope you can see my point now

i am sure you know this is a human problem and it happens globally and where ever it happen the result is the same... humans naturally have a us against them mentality so anyone who is not us is them, and that is why we lack any progress in Nigeria ... we pass important decisions through too many useless filters to arive at a concrete decision but then it alway turns out to be an effort in futility.

Before you say you are Nigerian what is the meaning of Nigeria? Nigger area? can you show me an old map with the name Nigeria? Did your ancestors answer Nigerians? Did your ancestors come together with other ethnicities and agreed on answering Nigeria? you still want to answer a name forced on you by Lugard's girlfriend in this very 2020. Tufia

TRASH !!!

Renounce fire

Op I guess you don't really know what you're talking about. Yoruba is who you are if really you are one. That's your identity. Nigeria is an artificial creation which is not eternal. Besides tribalism is good with the the right perspective. In fact everybody is a tribalist one way or the other

A deluded individual.

Since you are Nigerian then you must begin

To speak Nigerian apart from English Language.

To dress Nigerian apart from Western outfits

Have a Nigerian name apart from a foreign name

Oga I'm Yoruba first anyday anytime,the earlier you know one Nigeria is dead a long time ago the better for you..

Yoruba all day everyday

Hellraiser77:
All my 1,000+ reincarnations i've been IGBO, This is the first incarnation I will be hearing anything like Nigeria

LOL true talk

This is the type of nonsense that people who wear suits on Twitter and have 'Entrepreneur/Restructure Nigeria' in their handle say.

Otiooo
ha ha ha

So you aren't ashamed to be answering a slave master colonizer harlot wife name?? Better Bleep off.

I'm proudly Benin. I'm benin before nigerian, African or even black.

What's the meaning of Benin in your native language? Is Benin your tribe?

TheGodlessGod:
So you aren't ashamed to be answering a slave master colonizer harlot wife name?? Better Bleep off.

I'm proudly Benin. I'm benin before nigerian, African or even black.

Jesus Christ over any tribal affiliations.

Perfect.

And especially anyone who calls himself a child of God, must never be a tribalism or racist because even the Almighty God said, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself"

It was Awolowo that started tribalism in Nigeria, now local Yor.uba Muslims are filled with hate and tribalism against the Hausa fulani

Parisian:
What's the meaning of Benin in your native language? Is Benin your tribe?

dumb question

Op, you're so naive. you will never see Hausa/Fulani say this, their tribe, religion is first to them or why are they operating hisbah in a constitutional country that bind us together? why was there Sharia law in a constitutional and a secular country like Nigeria?


that aside, we can't denounce our tribes as we are different in culture, identifying with Nigeria before Yoruba is like trading my cultures, tradition and heritage for a country that her dissolution is eminent


if Nigeria is being rule like this then I don't see her survive 100yrs as a country. I'm a pro Yoruba to the call and I don't joke with my nation nor my people

Yobabad:
It was Awolowo that started tribalism in Nigeria, now local Yoruba Muslims are filled with hate and tribalism against the Hausa fulani

it's Awolowo that sent your officers to breach the political trust between the three major tribes in Nigeria right?

the genesis of tribalism in Nigeria started with the early destruction of the laid constitution by the Igbo military officers who killed Yoruba and Hausa leaders, if Michael Okpara and Azikwe was killed in that elimination, we wouldn't have had it this bad


the no love lost nature developed in the mind of other Nigerians since then, Yoruba let go but Hausa/Fulani don't forgive easily hence the continuity killing of igbos that led Ojukwu to told your forefathers to returned home or be killed outside East



I hate people with mental dysfunction

YORUBA OR NOT YOUR ANSWER IS NO.

NIGERIA MUST JETTISON RIFA-RUGA ISLAMISATION FULANISATION AND ANARCHY POLICY NOW

IMPLEMENT FULL APREC-AUTONOMOUS POLICING RESOURCING AND ELECTIONEERING CONTROL FOR OUR 36 CONSTITUTIONAL STATES WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY AND

RESTRUCTURE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO FEDERAL LIAISON GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE ONLY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS MILITARY AND TREATIES.

THANKS.

You and who is a Nigerian.

Am igbo woman not nigerian.


I will rather call myself a Niger Delta than Nigeria

WOKENESS have possessed you Shebi,hahahaha,before there was any country there where tribes,the world ain't bad because we all belong to and choose to be a part of a tribe,race,gender or religion e.t.c,the world was corrupted by evil people who most times turn out to be intellectuals,I am urhobo first before before I am nigerian,but that doesn't make me un-patriotic.