In
our country, ethnic and religious bigotry runs deep. It has become part
of our national DNA. An extreme form of these mistrusts is also
permanently ingrained in our character.
In
our relationship with other Nigerians we often exhibit the worst form
of ethnic, religious and primordial prejudice toward one another. This
intolerance has continuously led us to the brink and threatens our
unity. They have also left deep scars in our national psyche. After more
than fifty years of independence, we are still not more than strange
bed fellows forced to cohabit under the same roof. Our co-existence as a
people has long been defined by our differences rather than the
strength of our diversity.
The farce of our
union as a nation is best seen in the personal stories of individuals
that make up our country. As Nigerians, we are so distrustful of
ourselves. Now the seed of hatred has developed into a giant monster
threatening to consume us all. Our differences also define our
perception of one another. The distrust is so deep-seated that we have
an incongruent group of people rather than compatriots with a shared
destiny. Our diversity has become our worst nightmare. Our personal
stories such as the one I am going to relate here are microcosm of a
bigger malaise. Our true picture as a people is best reflected in the
experiences of our daily lives—how we relate to our fellow Nigerians of
other ethnic or religious inclinations.
Growing up as young
people, we were soon confronted with the hypocrisy of the cliché ‘unity
in diversity’. As young adults, the distrust becomes complete as we are
drawn into exhibiting these biases and stereotypes. We often hear
phrases like: “These Igbo people” or “these Yoruba people” and so forth.
Usually, the phrases are used to play up negative stereotypes about the
individual or group. This distrust has manifested in several ways.
Nigerians experience the gulf of disunity when they attempt to
inter-marry across the ethnic divide. A friend once told me of his
experience. After his National Youth Service, he brought a lady of
different ethnicity home.
His mother called him aside. With
tears streaming down her eyes, she lamented ‘’this boy you want to kill
me. How can you bring a woman of that tribe? Can’t you find any
beautiful girl from this village?” In my friend’s search for, a bride,
he headed to the up North. In Kogi State, his prospective mother-in-law
did not allow him to settle down after a tiring journey. She was blunt.
His enthusiasm of marrying his beautiful Kogi beau was soon quenched.
The woman counselled: “My son, we are Igala. We do not marry across
borders.” There are many untold stories of personal disappointments on
account of ethnicity yet we know that inter-marriage can heal our
disunity. Why not encourage and promote it?
Our differences also
affect our perception of others. Before I left for NYSC, I never
imagined being posted out of the South-West. For me it was unthinkable. I
am not alone, except for the adventurous; the average Nigerian is fed
with stereotypes about other groups that they soon begin to develop a
phobia. Recently, a colleague in the office narrated how he had had
nightmares about coming to serve in the South-West. Having spent his
entire adolescent years in the East, he had been fed the usual
stereotypes. Later, my friend’s story of love, kindness and humanity
shown to him by his host is the reason why we must always see the good
in ourselves. It is the reason why we must ignore ethnic irredentists
and scare-mongers among us.
This
is exactly why the NYSC scheme can contribute to national integration.
Unfortunately, its laudable objectives have succumbed to the Nigerian
factor. Personally, the experience of my youth corps year has taught me
not to form opinion of others without first interacting with them.
Harbouring stereotypes of other ethnic groups has been the bane of our
unity as a nation. In Imo State, I experienced the best moments of my
life. I am sure there are many more stories like mine. As a people, we
must judge our fellow Nigerians not by their ethnic origins but by the
content of their characters. The people we must be wary of are the
greedy, selfish political class who has continued to exploit our
differences to plunder our resources. I have also come to know that
there are bad Nigerians, just as we have the good ones. Good and bad
people exist in all ethnic groups.
One touching story told by my
parents taught an enduring lesson in the inherent goodness of ordinary
Nigerians. During the civil war years, an entire Igbo family, who had
lived in my village for ages, soon faced imminent slaughter by invading
federal forces. But the villagers risked their lives to hide the
terrified Igbo family. In 2010, some Christian worshippers in a church
in a northeastern town were protected by the largely Muslim population
when insurgents invaded the town to kill infidels. These unreported
everyday acts of kindness by ordinary Nigerians tell the essential
Nigerian character – good people, bad leaders.
These acts are
the true reflections of who we are as a people. Ordinary Nigerians are
inherently good people, but our greedy political elite seem determined
on driving a wedge in the chord that binds us together. The seed of our
differences has been planted long before Fredrick Lugard ever thought of
forcing us together. Religious and ethnic hatred has bred conflicts
leading to violence and bloodshed. Those who profess the faiths –
Christianity and Islam — have been at war since the making of Nigeria.
But as Nigerians, we must acknowledge the unique features of our
country’s diversity and harness them for peaceful co-existence.
What
is the way forward? How can we begin to maximise the benefits of
diversity? Our leaders must lead by example. Using religion and
ethnicity to divide the people for selfish agenda will further polarise
us. Our diversity can be a source of strength. Our potential to be great
is further enhanced if we resolve to see ourselves as one people rather
than from ethnic and religious worldviews. The current campaigns of
ethnic and religious hatred in the race to achieve political ends in the
next political dispensation portend nothing but danger for us as a
nation. In recent times, the struggle to dominate power by the political
class has created divisions among Nigerians.
Our differences
are more pronounced today than in previous years. There is just too much
hatred in this country. Rather than bring development, our brand of
politics is leading us to the precipice. As we mark Independence, we
must realise that we have no other country to call our own. If we must
continue to live together in peace and harmony, then we must do away
with all forms of prejudices toward one another. The president must lead
by example by affirming our secularity as a nation. In the words of
Martin Luther King Jnr, “we must learn to live together as brothers or
perish together as fools.”
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