Half Finished

Our country called Nigeria home to over 250 tribes is half finished today by two major vices! One is a usual suspect called corruption and it can be found everywhere from the public schools, journalists, churches, public offices all the way down to the police station in your area! The second is called tribalism also called marginalization, state creation, zoning ethnic nepotism, or whatever name they choose to call it! This is even more widespread but it’s so common it is overlooked by so many.

I can talk volumes on the issue of corruption but since you all have undoubtedly experienced it firsthand; why waste time telling a mother of nice children the unimaginable pains of child birth? We’ll just limit our discussion today on the issue of tribalism. Tribalism according to Wikipedia frequently refers to the possession of a strong cultural or ethnic identity that separates oneself as a member of one group from the members of another. This phenomenon is related to the concept of tribal society in that it is a precondition for members of a tribe to possess a strong feeling of identity for a true tribal society to form.

From an early age most children have been told by their parents, elders and members of their peer group of the difference between Good and Evil, Catholics and Jehovah Witness, Yoruba and Hausa, Igbo and Tiv, Urhobo and Ijaw, Christianity and Islam! We learn that a certain tribe (no need to mention names now) is known for their apparent greed for money and worldly things, and another for their greed for power and playing politics, and yet another for their inherent wicked nature!

So they warn their little children not to associate so much with friends from certain tribes and keep their distance from people of certain religions; and if the child in their usual childlike nature should disobey the requests of their guardian and end up making friends from these cultures and religions, or a young man marries a lady from another tribe or religion; should a small quarrel ever comes in between such a friendship, the misguided parent is quick to say, “I told you, abi?” and they let little injuries fester on to become cancerous sores between families and friends.
So somehow along the road to maturity, the kids with their impressionable minds grow up and they marginalize themselves first by limiting their associations with certain people or well meaning organizations that are perceived to be founded by a person from “another” tribe or culture, so as not to rock the boat or become the victim of their “greed wickedness” as the case might be. Young kids grow up to young men in years and have an inordinate fear or phobia of their colleagues Universities or the workplace that are otherwise harmless. And as soon as they come across an article in the newspaper or by chance someone’s behavior falls into their misguided perception of the group; they immediately say “Aha, I’ve said it and now our eyes have seen it”!
Young men soon grow to older and in turn make their beliefs into national policies as well pass on these beliefs to their children and grandchildren as the case might be and who’s to say this cycle won’t keep on going on and on and on till there’s no peace or trust left in this nation of ours?

Nepotism that has been sown into the children of the sixties is currently being shown in the way we play politics and recruit young ones into our organizations! Oil companies make an effort to recruit people from the South-South, and most government agencies depending on who the leader is invariably recruits from his own “fold”. Interestingly outside the shores of Nigeria, we are viewed as Nigerians without bias on religious affiliations or ethnicity. More fascinating even is the way our young ones usually debunk any misguided affiliations when they bump into a fellow Nigerian in a library, a questionable joint or reputable shopping mall in other nations and greet each other fondly, “My Brother, how you de?!” seems to be the usual greeting.
Anyways there’s a point to this, I really do think that the Federal government should look into this issue of home-grown nepotism being brewed in households and schools and deal with it decisively like home-grown terrorism.

Luckily we’re at the Information Age and most of our youths are stuck to their television sets and believe whatever they hear on T.V more than the words of their parents these days, so it would be of great benefit to begin a nationwide Behaviour Change Communications (BCC) harping on the need for Nigerians to be united in our diversity and accept ourselves as Nigerians without resorting to old tribal ties and inquisitions to religious beliefs, only then can we move further together as a nation.

However truth be told, the majority of Nigerians are not able or willing to forsake their tribal allegiances so what do we do with this mind set. How can we channel this tribal energy into a national mainstream. We need to understand the tribes before we impose nationalism on them. Tribes are a contradiction in today’s Nigeria; they are an evil if your tribe is not in power and a benefit if your tribe is in power. This is due to the nature of our political and government systems whereby there are no checks and balances and the Federal Character Commission, only God and the Board of Directors knows what goes on there. This fosters a climate of absolute power resting on the Executive and by extension to the Executive tribe. So what should be done?
The first step to getting rid of an ailment is an acurate diagnosis and an admission by the patient that he has something that ails him. Once the diagnosis and admission have been made then a course of treatment is initiated that allows healing to begin. We need to admit that Nigerians are by nature tribalistic and this in itself is not inherently evil. The truth is that tribes had institutions and systems that catered for the welfare of all the tribal members. Could it be that Nigeria by totally disregarding tribal institutions and systems have weakened themselves? Could it be if you weaken the family you weaken the nation? Nigerians traditionally belonged to extended families, which in turn belonged to a clan, and which in turn belonged to a tribe. In our haste to make the absurd partitioned Nigeria which was the idea of our colonial rulers Britain into states we chose to totally disregard this established socio-political order to our own peril. So we have tried and failed at making the great leap from individual tribal members to national citizens. For one to have allegiance to a nation the benefits must outweigh those of belonging to a tribe. In Nigeria you are defined as a Nigerian citizen only in passport but your primary designation is that of an ethnic group. If you have ever applied for a government job, you’ll see a section that requires you to fill what ethnicity you belong to. This schizophrenic national mind set permeates Nigeria and its denial only compounds the problem.

Ok what’s the point of this and what is my possible solution? Like a colleague Stephen Isabirye suggested; we need to form governments and institutions that have their power base in the tribal institutions because this is where the real power emanates from. i.e. Most Nigerians respect and have primary allegiance to the tribal structure. The central government is viewed as an outside force that is often hostile and not relevant. I think that the national government would have more legitimacy if all tribes were represented. Balance both interests. In our Senate and House of Assembly perhaps a policy that allows all tribes be adequately represented. A government should be formed consisting of statesmen who command the most respect and support from each tribe. All tribes would be designated two members very much like the US Senate. This group will balance the nation’s interests versus the tribal interests. An equal representation will ensure that the rights and interests of minority tribes are not trampled upon by majority tribes.

Nigeria has tribes for better or for worse. It is the hand we have been dealt let us play it to our advantage; turn our cancer into HEALTH. Failure to heed to this warning and we will have another Nationwide Civil War brewing on our laps that won’t quite be like the previous war with “No Victor, No Vanquished”. We would be split into tiny pieces and what happens then to all the houses a Hausa Man built in Lagos and the factory and Igbo man built in Kaduna, and the Oil Wells the Hausa man has in Bayelsa?

I realize I’m only half-finished with the problems of our dear nation but then again they’re so many problems to deal with perhaps for some other time… Fellow Nigerians let me know what you think.